The Florida Immigrant Coalition has put out a call for assistance to raise money to cover funeral costs for the family of Valery Joseph, the latest person to die in immigrant detention.

Support the Family of Valery Joseph!!! Help Needed for Funeral Costs...

On June 20, 2008, 23 year-old Valery Joseph was found dead at Glades Detention Center, a South Florida County jail that houses Immigration detainees. While organizations and advocates have called for an investigation into his death, strong concerns remain about the way ICE and Glades County officials handled the death. Valery died just short of his 24th Birthday.

 

But the family of Valery Joseph has a more pressing demand…making sure Valery is laid to rest with dignity. Although the funeral for Valery Joseph took place this past Saturday, the family had to take out excessive loans to pay for the funeral service. We are asking for people to donate whatever they can to the family of Valery Joseph to enable them to pay for funeral costs. Let this young man rest in peace.

 

Please make checks out directly to the family (Jaqueline Fleury). Checks may be mailed to

 

Florida Immigrant Coalition (Attn: Subhash )

83-25 NE 2nd Avenue

Miami, Florida 33138

 

You may also make a donation with a credit card online (via Chipin and

Paypal) at

 

http://subhash.chipin.com/funeral-for-valery-joseph

 

Statement from Jaqueline Fleury (Mother of Valery Joseph)

 

“My name is Jacqueline Fleury. I am the mother of Valery Guerre Joseph.

Valery would have been 24 years…but he died on Friday, June 20, 2008, in immigration custody at the Glades County Jail.

 

I’m still in a state of shock. Why is my son dead? I have so many questions and so few answers.

 

No one from Immigration or the Jail called me when my son died. I learned of my son’s death from his girlfriend. She called me on that Friday afternoon… and said he was dead. We didn’t even know where my son’s body was. No one from Immigration or the Jail was returning our calls. Three days after my son died in detention, we had to get an attorney just to find his body.

 

I got a letter from Immigration with condolences and saying that he died of a seizure. But that was over a week after he died. The last time I saw my son was at Immigration Court on June 13th. I spoke with him on the phone that weekend. I had no reason to think he was about to die.

 

In a letter to the judge on January 25th, my son wrote: ‘I am asking you to please, please have mercy on me, not to deport me and, I am promising myself, you Honor and the society that I would do the best extra efforts in my life not to get in trouble. I would change my environments; go back to adult school so I’d get my GED. Please!!!’

 

My son’s life was not easy. He got into trouble as a youth, but he was full of hope for the future. We were hopeful for him too. I am still in shock. He was my first child. He was a sweet and simple boy and I loved him so much and he loved me so much. I still can’t believe he’s dead."