The Otay Mesa Detention Center Detainee Letter Collection

March 16, 2019 9:00 AM

The Otay Mesa Detention Center Detainee Letter Collection documents the hidden stories of hundreds of refugees from human rights hot spots around the world--including Honduras, El Salvador, Venezuela, Brazil, Cameroon, Eritrea and China. Each of them has sought asylum in the United States and has been held at the San Diego, California Otay Mesa Detention Center operated by a private corrections company, CoreCivic. These letters provide insight into the lives of asylum seekers and migrants both before and during detention. Identifying information has been redacted to protect the privacy and safety of the writers. Letters date from July 2018 to present.
posted by juliplease (2 comments total)

Thanks so much for posting this. It's important to make archives accessible, especially when they are collecting materials that record the history of the present.
posted by migrantology at 11:46 AM on March 16, 2019 [1 favorite]

Thank you for this. Reading these letters I get a great anguished glimpse at lives lived in turmoil and peril. And with great courage.
posted by Morpeth at 5:21 AM on March 17, 2019