Newsletter: Why people held in immigration custody make art
Plus, one woman's experience with medical neglect and credit card theft while in ICE custody
Greetings everyone, buenas and bom dia,
A man from Iran had been in Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody for about eight or nine months when he noticed a Russian man making crafts in his housing unit.
The Iranian man, who asked not to be identified because of ongoing concerns about his safety, asked his fellow detainee at Imperial Regional Detention Facility to teach him how. The Russian man taught him how to gather supplies from discarded trash and manipulate the bits of plastic into works of art.
Over the next five or six months, he made keychain-sized shoes, rosaries and a bracelet.
Many people held in immigration custody pass their time creating art. Some see it as a form of therapy or even resistance, or perhaps just a way to fill the indefinite time they are stuck inside.
The Iranian man said crafting helped relieve his anxiety.
“If detention (centers) have anything like hobby for people detained like game or something you do with your hands, it's really good for detained (people) because they not have so much problem mentally in detention, and also they have happy day every day,” the man said.
The artwork varies from intricately woven bags to delicate paper flowers, all made with materials that people in immigration custody have access to — often plastics from food wrappers from the facility commissary. The artists gather their wrappers carefully over time until they have the right colors to make the piece they have planned.
Pedro Rios of the American Friends Service Committee has a small collection of purses and keychain-sized shoes given to him by other organizers. He said the pieces remind him of art he has seen Indigenous people imprisoned in southern Mexico make. When he visited a prison in Chiapas years ago, one person gifted him a belt made while in custody.
“It represents people that are trying to manifest their humanity through art made under the extreme conditions of detention,” Rios said. “It's an expression of trying to reassert their dignity.”
The Iranian man said the hardest part about making the crafts is gathering the raw materials. The bracelet took him about a month, he said, because of the time it took to find the right pieces.
He gifted the bracelet he made to his immigration attorney Elizabeth Lopez of the Southern California Immigration Project.
“I don't have anything in detention, and I'm thinking so many times how can I give her one stuff make her happy and I do that because that's all I can do in detention because I don't have access to anything, and also she is so much help me, and I'm thinking maybe I can make her little bit happy,” the man said.
He gave the other items to friends he made while in custody. He said he hoped the gifts would help his friends remember him after he won protection from deportation and got out.
Many who support or work with people held in ICE custody have received art gifts from the people that they help over the years.
Attorney Crystal Felix with the American Bar Association Immigration Justice Project shared pictures of a woven box, shoe keychains, paper flowers and a pen that she has kept from asylum-seeking clients whom she helped before the pandemic.
“They said it was kind of like therapy,” Felix recalled. “They felt like they had so much time on their hands, so it was something to do. And although they didn't have much, they wanted to give their attorney something as a thanks. Obviously they didn't need to, but it was very sweet.”
Ruth Mendez, a volunteer with the collective Detention Resistance, said she still has the first gift she ever received from someone inside — a vase with flowers made from paper.
She said people have also told her they use the items they make as a kind of currency inside Otay Mesa Detention Center. Someone who wants a rosary to pray with might trade Maruchan noodles from the commissary for a piece. Mendez said people have told her they use dough or bits of bread dried in the sun to make the beads, and that they use dried toothpaste to make the cross.
“There's always a pride when they tell me, ‘This is what I made it from,’” Mendez said.
The recycled nature of the materials made the work of special interest to artist Sitoë Thiam. She has an ongoing project called “Trash Bags” in which she collects waste and transforms it into crafted bags. Thiam is helping one man who was held inside Otay Mesa sell wallets that he produced from food wrappers as a way to send some money to his family.
“I've been thinking a lot about using waste as a new resource to create from rather than just completely discarding it,” Thiam said. “Here’s this other artist who is taking his commissary snacks and creating something useful and beautiful from it. It was just such a perfect set of artwork to highlight.”
Thiam said that lower-income communities, immigrant communities and communities of color are more likely to find creative ways to reuse trash and make it into something new.
“It's out of necessity, but also out of culture,” Thiam said.
The techniques used to make the wallets remind Thiam of origami folding and designs from leather working, she said.
Krystle Johnson of mutual aid group We All We Got San Diego connected the man with Thiam after she learned about his desire to sell his wallets.
“I think it's important for people who are inside because there is so much that is taken away from you,” Johnson said. “There is so much that you cannot control. The ability to have this little bit of control and use your mind, use your imagination, I feel like that is how they’re able to keep their humanity and stay sane and stay connected to the world around them.”
Thiam has sold more than half of the 20 wallets that the man made. The remaining wallets are available in Thiam's online shop for $30.
(I have asked around about the techniques used in these crafts to try to learn more about their origins, but I am still trying to gather more information. If you know, I would love to talk for a follow-up piece. Message me at kate@daylightsandiego.org.)
Want to talk more about the relationship between immigrants and art? You're in luck! Our first Daylight Culture Club event is happening this Saturday at 1 p.m. at Doh Doh Coffee. Reserve your sliding scale ticket, which includes a coffee or tea and a pastry. I hope to see you there!
— Kate Morrissey
A stolen credit card and untreated diabetes
Hanne Engan, originally from Norway, met her future husband playing volleyball while in San Diego for school. Late last year, immigration officials arrested her at her green card appointment. She said she experienced negligent medical treatment and had her credit card information stolen while in custody at Otay Mesa Detention Center.
— Kate Morrissey
The Block Club celebrates one year anniversary
A few weeks ago when we launched our third spaces series, we featured The Block Club in the Black Arts & Culture District. This weekend, the club will honor its first anniversary with a three-day event. Learn more about The Block Club in our video on Instagram, TikTok or YouTube.
— Lauren J. Mapp
How third spaces help grow adult friendships
With more people working from home and the ever-changing social media landscape, making irl friends as an adult can be difficult. Last week, I spoke with our friends at KPBS about how third spaces are one way people can meet new pals.
— Lauren J. Mapp
The San Diego Sheriff's Department and CoreCivic have a memorandum of understanding that allows the warden of Otay Mesa Detention Center to decide whether to investigate rape allegations at the facility.
— Story by Wendy Fry and Nigel Duara, CalMatters
The death toll in Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody this year rose to at least 13, and architects revolted when they found out their firm had contracted with ICE. Here's what happened last week in immigration news.
— Kate Morrissey
This weekend, you can engage your artsy side through creative writing, sewing, acrylic painting and a special Daylight Culture Club event, or join the latest No Kings protest and Imperial Beach State of the City to get civically involved.
— Sam Barney-Gibbs
Other news
Feeding San Diego is putting together food boxes for TSA workers who have not received paychecks in weeks due to the partial federal government shutdown over whether to require ICE officers to identify themselves or use judicial warrants, NBC 7 reported.
Long delays have plagued airports across the country as the shutdown continues. The San Diego airport put out a recommendation for travelers to arrive at least two hours before their flights.
The city of San Diego is beginning to distribute light blue recycle bins. Customers can find out when to expect their bins via an online tool.
The office of County Supervisor Monica Montgomery Steppe is hosting a mobile expungement clinic and has a form for those interested to fill out.
East County residents are worried about a green energy boom, including one person who described the trend as “green colonialism,” KPBS reported.
Upcoming Events
March 27
San Diego Arab Film Festival: Films from Palestine, Iran, Jordan, Egypt, Yemen and the U.S. are screening during the 15th annual film festival. Cafeteria-style Arabic dinners are available each evening. Tickets are available online. March 27-28, Museum of Photographic Arts at The San Diego Museum of Art, 1649 El Prado, San Diego, CA 92101
Koi Pond/Made Factory Market: The Koi Pond Market and San Diego Made Factory are hosting a pop-up market featuring art, vintage clothes and food. Organizers are accepting vendor applications for those interested in selling food, art, vintage clothing and more at the March 27 and April 3 markets. Register online for a March 27 or April 3 vendor spot. 10 a.m. - 7 p.m., San Diego Made Factory, 2031 Commercial St., #114, San Diego, CA 92113
March 28
Community Work Day: People can help cultivate a new garden space east of the Mt. Hope Community Garden by creating new planting areas, pulling weeds and moving mulch. No experience level or equipment are necessary. 9 - 11 a.m., 4835 Market St., San Diego, CA 92102
Easter Egg Hunt: The Sons and Daughters of Guam Club is hosting an Easter egg hunt. There will be games and prizes and pictures with the Easter Bunny, as well as food and drinks. 10 a.m. - 2 p.m., 334 Willie James Jones Ave., San Diego, CA 92102
No Kings Protest: Local activists are participating in the nationwide protest against authoritarianism and the Trump administration with a demonstration at Waterfront Park. 10 a.m. - Noon, Waterfront Park, 1600 Pacific Hwy., San Diego, CA 92101
Feria del Vinilo Tijuana: Tijuana's vinyl record fair returns for another weekend of buying, selling and trading. March 28-29, 11 a.m. - 7 p.m., Pasaje Rodríguez, Av. Revolución 917, Zona Centro, 22000 Tijuana, B.C., Mexico
Feel Like You Again – Perimenopause Talk: Body University is hosting a workshop for middle-aged women to learn more about hormonal changes, led by Helen Stearns. 11:45 a.m. - 12:45 p.m., 6062 Lake Murray Blvd., #205, La Mesa, CA 91942
Making Home: How Immigrants Use Art to Find Belonging: Join Daylight San Diego for a conversation with artists Josue Baltezar, Victor Castañeda H, Fernanda Gaspar and Amara Sengamphan about how creative practices help immigrant communities build identity, connection and a sense of place. 1 - 3 p.m., Doh Doh Coffee, 5591 University Ave., San Diego, CA 92105
Fabric of Pride: San Diego Pride presents its annual fundraising gala, hosted by the US Grant Hotel, featuring Symone, winner of “RuPaul’s Drag Race” season 13. Tickets are available online. 6 - 10 p.m., US Grant Hotel, 326 Broadway, San Diego, CA 92101
Sips & Sounds: Occupational therapist Arielle Cook is leading an herbal tea tasting and sound bath meditation. You can book a spot online. Doors open at 5:45 p.m. 6 - 7:30 p.m., Embodied Gym, 2903 El Cajon Blvd., San Diego, CA 92104
March 29
Sewing Machine 101: Commonplace and Susana Guillen Studio are hosting a sewing machine class at Once Upon a Frame in Solana Beach. Tickets are $45 and include materials, light refreshments and machines to use during class. Tickets are available online. 3 - 5 p.m., Once Upon A Frame, 132 E Cliff St., Solana Beach, CA 92075
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