by Cindy Knoebel, with thanks to the Cameroon American Council
Pauline Binam made headline news when she discovered that her fallopian tubes were removed during surgery by Dr. Mahendra Amin without her consent while she was detained at Irwin County Correctional Center. Shortly thereafter, it was widely reported that ICE had attempted to deport her using false documents.
Pauline was on the tarmac on September 16th with another woman and they were about to board a plane back to Cameroon when last ditch attempts by members of Congress thwarted the deportation. Fortunately, Pauline was released from ICE custody and reunited with her family.
Now, two other Cameroonian women who faced medical trauma while also detained at Irwin are slated to be deported on Tuesday, October 13. One of them, Josephine Lawong Kinaka, was on the tarmac with Pauline on September 16. But unlike Pauline, Josephine remains in detention.
Josephine was also at Irwin while Dr. Amin was performing non-consensual surgeries on the women detained there. She fears she was also forcefully sterilized after complaining of medical negligence. On top of this, Josephine has developed cardiac and sinus issues while detained and doctors have often ignored her complaints about her condition. She is currently incarcerated at Montgomery Processing Center in Conroe, TX.
The thirty-year-old mother of triplets has been denied asylum despite fearing further persecution, imprisonment, and physical harm from the military in her home country. She was forced to flee Cameroon in fear and left her husband and 4 young children behind.
Josephine's family is in Chicago. The Baptist and Cameroon community in Chicago are eagar to have her checked for any sterilization committed by ICE while she was at Irwin. The Cameroon American Council and other advocates are demanding that, like Pauline, Josephine be released on humanitarian grounds.
PLEASE SEE BELOW FOR INFO ON WHO TO CALL AND EMAIL TO DEMAND JOSEPHINE'S RELEASE
Noela Kah Sala has been dealing with medical conditions throughout her time in detention. While at Irwin, she has had a series of worsening gynecological issues. After hearing about Dr. Amin, Noela is terrified that she, too, could have been sterilized while detained there. In addition, Noela is particularly vulnerable to COVID-19, as she has had high blood pressure since December 2019, and was given an untreated Hepatitis B diagnosis.
Like Josephine, Noela is being held at Montgomery Processing Center. She has a young son who is currently living in Oakland, CA.
Noela grew up in Mbengwi, in Northwest Region of Cameroon, where she worked as an elementary school teacher until police came and tortured her and her grandmother (who they killed) for speaking out against the authoritarian regime of the government. She fled 5 armed conflicts in Cameroon in June 2018, and trekked on foot from Ecuador to the U.S., where she arrived in September 2018.
In addition to Noela’s son, who is eagerly awaiting her release, Noela also has loving family on the East Coast who is ready to support her. She is a devout Pentecostal who cannot wait to join vibrant Church communities in the U.S. The Cameroon American Council and other advocates are demanding that, like Pauline, Josephine be released on humanitarian grounds.
PLEASE SEE BELOW FOR INFO ON WHO TO CALL AND EMAIL TO DEMAND NOELA'S RELEASE
FOR JOSEPHINE, A# 213-327-066: Please call and email:
ICE Field Director Daniel Bible, (281) 774-4816; daniel.bible@ice.dhs.gov
Dwight Hunt, Deportation Officer, (832) 473-1048; dwight.hunt@ice.dhs.gov
Please also call the representatives in the district where Josephine's loved ones live, and where she hopes to live post-release:
Lauren Underwood, U.S. Congressmember from Chicago
(202) 225-2976, (630) 549-2190
Tammy Duckworth, U.S. Senator from Illinois
(202) 224-2854, (312) 886-3506
Dick Durbin, U.S. Senator from Illinois
(202) 224-2152, (312) 353-4952
FREE JOSEPHINE TOOLKIT: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1uzotfE40q4np7DHvA7aDiiOVgVI5v50t43G4XP7ZPdI/edit#
FOR NOELA, A# 215-945-106:
ICE Field Director Daniel Bible, (281) 774-4816; daniel.bible@ice.dhs.gov
Dwight Hunt, Deportation Officer, (832) 473-1048; dwight.hunt@ice.dhs.gov
Please also contact these Congressional Representatives:
Barbara Lee, U.S. Congressmember for Oakland, CA
(510) 763-0370, (202) 225-2661
Kamala Harris, U.S. Senator From CA
(202) 224 - 3553, (415) 981 - 9369
Barbara Feinstein, U.S. Senator From CA
(202) 224-3841, (415) 393-0707
FREE NOELA TOOLKIT: https://docs.google.com/document/d/11698S014-e17gkBO2Exqn0kSgS2TktDGb7e67jmuXaQ/edit
The Cameroon American Council was founded in 2010, is America's leading African immigrant advocacy organization. CAC is based in DC with affiliates in 30 states. Its mission is to build capacity, relevance and visibility in Cameroonian and African communities at home and abroad.
