I respectfully request that you exercise discretion and grant Ms. Pauline Binam’s request to stay in the United States as investigations are underway into the harm she experienced during her time at the Irwin County Detention Center (ICDC) in Georgia. While at ICDC, doctors performed gynecological surgery and removed parts of her reproductive organs without Ms. Pauline Binam’s consent. She is scheduled to be deported tomorrow, just as we are learning that she was not the only woman in the Georgia detention center who was subjected to invasive surgery without her knowledge. Pauline still suffers from health complications as a result of her surgery, and her ability to have children has been drastically reduced. It is appalling and robs Pauline of the justice seeks to deport her in light of these revelations. Pauline is a loving and committed mother. While in detention for nearly three years, she has missed four of her daughter’s birthdays. She is a longtime resident of the U.S., having immigrated from Cameroon when she was 2 years-old. She graduated from high school and attended University of North Carolina-Charlotte before needing to quit school to take care of her sick father. She's also a survivor of three brutal and toxic relationships that led her through dark times. At a time when Pauline was resetting her life to focus on her daughter she was placed in immigration detention. While in detention, she suffered irreversible harm due to the cruel treatment of a doctor who is currently being investigated by the Office of the Inspector General of the Department of Homeland Security. With new information coming to light every day and the ongoing investigations into the crimes committed against Pauline and other women who suffered injuries such as hers, we ask that you halt Pauline’s deportation and release her to her family during this difficult time.

In the United States, we provide interpreters in immigration courts because we believe in the fundamental principle that the voice of any person appearing before a court, be it criminal or immigration court, is the one voice all parties need to. Due Process rights in the United States are premised on a person’s ability to speak the truth, to present their evidence and appeal to the Court—and this includes their right to be linguistically and meaningfully present in proceedings against them. Interpreters play an important role in ensuring that people who are not able to speak in English with proficiency can be heard in their own words. There can be no justice without Due Process, and there can be no Due Process without meaningful language access. You can learn more about this issue here: https://mijente.net/2019/08/22/mijentes-language-justice-league-responds-to-the-administrations-move-to-silence-immigrant-voices-and-remove-court-interpreters En los Estados Unidos, se proporcionan intérpretes en los tribunales de inmigración porque creemos en el principio fundamental de que la voz de la persona que comparece ante un juzgado, ya sea penal o de inmigración, es la voz más importante que todas las partes necesitan escuchar. Los derechos del debido proceso legal en los Estados Unidos se basan en la capacidad que cada persona tiene para decir la verdad, presentar sus pruebas y apelar a la corte, y esto incluye su derecho a estar presente lingüística y significativamente en todos los procesos en su contra. No puede haber justicia sin debido proceso legal, y no puede haber debido proceso legal sin acceso significativo y libre de barreras del lenguaje. Creemos que los intérpretes juegan un papel importante en asegurar que las personas que no dominan el inglés puedan ser escuchadas en sus propias palabras. Puedes aprender más sobre este tema aquí: https://mijente.net/es/2019/08/22/la-liga-de-justicia-en-el-uso-del-lenguaje-de-mijente-responde-al-esfuerzo-de-la-administracion-para-silenciar-la-voz-del-inmigrante-y-remover-a-interpretes-de-los-tribunales/