Irish tourist jailed by Ice for months after overstaying US visit by three days: ‘Nobody is safe’
www.theguardian.com
Exclusive: For roughly 100 days, Thomas says he faced harsh detention conditions, despite agreeing to deportation

For roughly 100 days, Thomas says he faced harsh detention conditions, despite agreeing to deportation

Thomas, a 35-year-old tech worker and father of three from Ireland, came to West Virginia to visit his girlfriend last fall. It was one of many trips he had taken to the US, and he was authorized to travel under a visa waiver program that allows tourists to stay in the country for 90 days.

He had planned to return to Ireland in December, but was briefly unable to fly due to a health issue, his medical records show. He was only three days overdue to leave the US when an encounter with police landed him in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) custody.

From there, what should have been a minor incident became a nightmarish ordeal: he was detained by Ice in three different facilities, ultimately spending roughly 100 days behind bars with little understanding of why he was being held – or when he’d get out.

  • ObjectivityIncarnate@lemmy.worldEnglish
    11·
    13 hours ago

    What the base murder rate doesn’t tell you is that over 90% of the murders are by cartel members to other cartel members, which means that only 10% or less of the murders are happing to a random bystander.

    And what makes you think the type of murder breakdown isn’t similar in the US? Most of the murders there are gang violence etc. as well.

    The fact that Mexico’s raw number of annual murders is higher than the US’s, despite being a much, much less populated country, is not something that can just be handwaved away.

    There is a reason Mexico’s net migration rate is negative.

    • WeirdGoesPro@lemmy.dbzer0.comEnglish
      3·
      12 hours ago

      Fine, I’ll concede and move passed the murder rate.

      We are talking about the risk to travelers. America currently has a government sponsored effort to detain people who are visiting here, sometimes even when they are here legally. Mexico is not doing that. The risk to travelers is pretty damn clear right now.

      Edit: Just to be clear, I don’t think that the gang violence rate breaks down differently for the US—before this latest ICE takeover, I would have said it is safe for travelers here too.

      • ObjectivityIncarnate@lemmy.worldEnglish
        12·
        11 hours ago

        We are talking about the risk to travelers.

        Where the travelers are traveling to, and away from, generally tells you all you need to know about where the overall quality of life is better.

        Again, Mexico’s net migration is literally negative. If two bordering nations have one nation that has a net loss of population to emigration, and the other has a large net positive from immigration from the bordering nation, saying that the former is “bread” and the other is “shit”, sounds pretty ridiculous on its face.

        Not to mention that it comes with it the heavy implication that you know better than the majority of those who actually undertook the endeavor of leaving their home country behind in search of better surroundings.

        • WeirdGoesPro@lemmy.dbzer0.comEnglish
          3·
          11 hours ago

          I see now, you’re offended about my opinion of America being the shit in the shit sandwich.

          Ok, I’m willing to flex a little on that. It is currently shitty for some travelers, specifically ones who are not white or wealthy, in ways that it has not been previously. Overall, it has some opportunities for residents that may be better than other countries.

          Likewise, Mexico has some problems for poor residents that sometimes make them choose to seek a better life elsewhere. As a travel destination though, I stand by my opinion that it is a good place to visit.

          Happy?