The Kentucky Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights is circulating a petition to demand answers about the death of Ana Romero, a 44-year-old mother who died at a jail in Franklin County, Kentucky, while in the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

 

The petition raises questions about Romero's treatment during her detention:

 Ana Romero (44 years old) was living and working in Shelbyville cleaning houses in order to support her 92 year-old mother and two grown sons in college in El Salvador. 

In January, she was arrested at home and detained by state police for giving federal immigration officials a false identification card, along with a previous immigration-related violation. This type of police action is part of the nation-wide ICE dragnet operation being carried out in places like Shelbyville, Kentucky; Pottsville, Iowa; New Bedford, Massachusetts; and Laurel, Mississippi, in which immigrants are being subjected to raids and detentions. These operations have torn families apart, including many U.S. citizens, and has instilled pervasive fear in our communities owing to the terrorizing tactics used by the authorities and the lack of due process afforded the immigrants afterwards. Whether or not you agree with the criminalization of immigrant workers and families who have entered the U.S. without documents, the consequences of the Ana Romero case should touch a nerve.  During her nearly 8 month imprisonment in the county jail while awaiting deportation, Ana was distraught and suffered from medical ailments, refusing to eat the food which she told family members “…stinks and there is something wrong with it.”  

Shortly before her death, she was placed in solitary confinement. Her jailers have yet to explain why this was done. 

KCIRR has been circulating an e-mail with information about how to sign on to the petition:

Dear Friends: Please find attached in both English and Spanish a petition for justice in the case of Ana Romero, an undocumented immigrant domestic worker who recently died in jail here in Frankfort, KY. The Petition has more information on the situation.  There is also attached a sign-on sheet for circulation.           

We are requesting your organization and/or you as an individual consider endorsing the petition. To sign, just reply to me saying “We [organiz] / I [name] endorse the petition”, including organizational name, personal title,  city, (and state if outside of Kentucky), and country (if outside U.S.), as you wish them to appear on the petition.

 

Several organizations are working on getting signatures; I have agreed to help collect and organize them.

 PLEASE RESPOND AS SOON AS HUMANLY POSSIBLE, AS TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE IN THIS SITUATION. 

Please feel free to circulate widely to others anywhere that might want to endorse.  Thank you very much for your consideration and your support!

 

Brian L. Rich

Board Member

Kentucky Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights (KCIRR)

This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Phone: 859-233-8191

Fax: 859-281-3507 

Download the full petition in English and Spanish, along with the petition signing sheet.

 

Update: A website has been set up for the campaign: www.anaromero.org.