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As we approach the winter holidays, most Americans are planning to spend time with our families resting and recovering after a difficult year. However, for hundreds of thousands of people throughout the United States, that peace of mind is impossible due to ICE agents who have been abusing, detaining, and arresting immigrants and other minorities, even if they are here legally. ICE has been detaining people in brutal, inhumane, and torturous prisons, terrorizing immigrants, and patrolling the streets assaulting whoever stands in their way. Many such events have occurred around the country, and each of these stories is even more nightmarish than the last.
It goes without saying that these ICE abuses are a serious problem, and they risk destroying the peace and freedom that all people in America are entitled to. But each person abused by ICE, detained and separated from their family, or traumatized with brutal treatment and stress, is also an individual tragedy. These people are unjustly and unfairly being targeted, and some who are captured by ICE may never return to the community in the United States that they have called home.
This post is a call to action in order to aid one such individual, who is a member of our music community. Mohamed Sylla is a musician in Texas who had been playing with the band Cazayoux, as well as System Positif, and other bands in the area. He had arrived from West Africa seeking asylum in the United States. With his court date for asylum pushed until 2030, he was here staying legally with a work permit and spreading his love and talent for music wherever he could. On October 30th, he reported to his normal immigration meeting, because he had been following all the rules and obligations since he arrived in the United States. However, ICE detained him at that meeting, without any known reason, and since then ICE has moved him to a detention facility and has been holding him for the 40+ days since. No trial, no notice of when he will be released, and no information on why he is even being held.
If you are not aware of the conditions in the ICE facilities, this is what Mohamed’s family has shared “There are about 200 people crowded into one room. They have to sleep in narrow cots with insufficient blankets. They are given minimal food, forcing us to purchase extra food through an app. People around him falling ill and experiencing distress, Mohamed himself has recently gotten sick due to the terrible conditions. They are only allowed to go outside twice a week, leaving them confined indoors for days at a time.”
This is a terrible situation, and Mohamed’s family, bandmates, and friends have organized the Go Fund Me linked below to raise money to his legal defense, as well as to provide him with the food, medicine and other supplies he will need while he is being detained in such a brutal facility. Below we have included his Go Fund Me page along with quotes from some of his bandmates in Texas, who are distraught at his capture and current condition. Its hard to say what we can do to stop ICE abuse across the country, but at the very least we can bring some attention to this single case of a fellow musician who is being harmed, and hopefully we can contribute to him regaining his freedom.
www.gofundme.com/f/please-help-my-nephew-come-home-unjustly-detained-by-ice
“Mohamed is a supportive and hard working man that simply doesn’t deserve this treatment. He was doing all the right things and was detained while following all the rules that were outlined for him. Despite that, he was still unfairly detained in inhumane conditions. We need to bring him home so he can continue to be an incredible member of the community.” – John Slavin
“Mohamed is a great friend and never hurt anyone. He brought happiness and love to the community through his gift of music. He deserves to come home.” – Forest Cazayoux
“Mohamed is as humble and considerate as he is hardworking and studious. In just a short time in Austin Texas, he has already greatly enhanced our community with his positive attitude and his gift for music. He exemplifies the values we should all have as Americans, and we make this appeal to both empathy and logic for his safe return.” – Joseph Woullard
“Mohamed doesn’t deserve to be away from his family. He’s a trustworthy young man, who is excited to learn and grow with his loved ones. His kind nature should be rewarded, not taken advantage of.” – Damien Valenzuela
Please spread the word about this injustice so that Mohamed can be returned home soon. Any donation, small or large, will be greatly appreciated by Mohamed and his family.
You can listen to Cazayoux’s music here: https://www.cazayouxmusic.com/discography
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