A bombshell report published in The Guardian alleges that ICE officers are using torture to force Cameroonian asylum seekers to sign their own deportation orders. The report paints an even starker picture of Immigration and Customs Enforcement–an agency that is already widely criticized as corrupt and inhumane.

The deportation documents the immigrants have been forced to sign are called the Stipulated Orders of Removal. The documents waive asylum seekers’ rights to further immigration hearings and mean they consent to being deported.

That’s a gross violation of their human rights and to think that is hanging in America smh

— Nicolate Gwati (@NicolateGwati) October 22, 2020

The asylum seekers allege that the torture in ICE custody consisted of choking, beating, pepper-spraying, breaking fingers, and threats on their lives.

“I refused to sign,” recounted one Cameroonian asylum-seeker to The Guardian. “[The ICE officer] pressed my neck into the floor. I said, ‘Please, I can’t breathe.’ I lost my blood circulation. Then they took me inside with my hands at my back where there were no cameras.”

He continued: “They put me on my knees where they were torturing me and they said they were going to kill me. They took my arm and twisted it. They were putting their feet on my neck…They did get my fingerprint on my deportation document and took my picture.” Other witnesses recount similar violent experiences.

Experts believe that the escalation of deportations is directly related to the upcoming election and the possibility that ICE might soon be operated under a different administration. The theory is that ICE is coercively deporting “key witnesses” in order to “silence survivors and absolve ICE of legal liability.”

Here is what we know happened at ICE facilities in the last month alone:

Forced sterilization of immigrant women
545 children will never be reunited with parents
Torture techniques used to coerce African immigrants into signing their own deportation papers.

— Jeremy Gonzalez (@jrgcanes07) October 22, 2020

“In late September, early October of this year, we began to receive calls on our hotline from Cameroonian and Congolese immigrants detained in Ice prisons across the country. And they were being subjected to threats of deportation, often accompanied by physical abuse,” said Christina Fialho, executive director of Freedom for Immigrants, to The Guardian.

Many of the Cameroonians who are in the U.S. to seek asylum have legitimate claims to danger back in their home countries. Many of these Cameroonians come from an English-speaking minority in Cameroon that are violently target by the government there–some have died. The violence has been condemned by The United Nations and Amnesty International.

As with many immigrant stories of people who are seeking asylum, these immigrants’ lives are in danger in their home country. They are coming to the United States for a better life. But instead, they are faced with the agents of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, whom they claim brutally mistreat them.

According to report, the U.S. is deporting entire airplanes full of asylum-seekers back to their home countries–deportations that have not been given due process and have been authorized under duress.

An ICE spokesperson contacted by The Guardian called the reports “sensationalist” and “unsubstantiated” while roundly refuting the claims. “Ice is firmly committed to the safety and welfare of all those in its custody. Ice provides safe, humane, and appropriate conditions of confinement for individuals detained in its custody,” she said.

Read the entire report here.

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When Disney+ started streaming “Hamilton,” the wildly popular Broadway musical made it into the homes of millions. The mix of rap lyrics and American history set the musical apart from the beginning. Now, “Hamilton” is teaming up with When We all Vote to get people charged up for the election.

“Hamilton” has never been shy to get involved in politics.

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We made this for 2016, but now it’s time to participate in the sequel! Show up and vote. #Throwback #Ham4Vote

A post shared by Hamilton (@hamiltonmusical) on Oct 11, 2020 at 1:42pm PDT

The musical has a diverse cast of Black and Latino actors and singers deliver a tremendous performance with a powerful message. The musical makes the case that every American should have the opportunity for their voice to be heard.

Creator Lin-Manuel Miranda raises the importance of unification no matter race, religion, or socioeconomic status. His work emphasizes the notion that all Americans can make the difference in reframing our nation’s narrative. “Hamilton” is not the only project where he aims for others to feel inspired for change.

Miranda has partnered up with When We All Vote to focus on voter education.

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Minnesota’s voter registration deadline is tomorrow. 22 days out, the next 22 hours could decide elections up and down the ballot in Minnesota—it all depends on how many young people get #RegisteredAndReady.

A post shared by When We All Vote (@whenweallvote) on Oct 12, 2020 at 5:00pm PDT

When We All Vote is a nonprofit, non-partisan organization launched by Michelle Obama and Janelle Monae in 2018 aiming to to focus on bridging the gap around race and age within voter culture. The organization hopes to raise awareness on the importance of voting especially in the upcoming election in November. Knowing Miranda’s activistm, he was bound to do so with an exciting spin.

Miranda is taking music from “Hamilton” and changing the lyrics to encourage voters.

Miranda and When We All Vote want all people out there to stand up and make their voices heard. Lyrics like “I’m just an ordinary citizen/ I’m not political, I’ve never been/ And I don’t vote/ I don’t vote” in the tune of “Alexander Hamilton” raises awareness that choosing not to vote weighs equally as heavily in the election and has resulted in the swayed outcome of our past presidential election back in 2016, where the nearly 100 million voters who were claimed as non-participatory contributed in swinging it more in the favor of the current occupant of the white house. 

Miranda is conscious of all sides of why the public may be hesitant to be active such as voter fraud and the lack of education on how to register amidst the current Covid-19 restrictions. The team addresses every concern with ingenious lyrics and tunes that create an exciting atmosphere around election talk. With a creative, exciting, and revolutionary way of getting information so you can vote in the next primary, who wouldn’t want to get involved? So go get your ballot ready and “Let’s get this done!”

For more information on When We All Vote’s initiative, click here. And to register to vote, visit our homepage and click on the Register to Vote icon pop up because “you are not throwing away your shot.”

READ: ‘Hamilton’ Won’t Be Eligible For An Academy Award Next Year

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