From WTVM NEWS

WTVM News

Local soldier talks about his brother's wrongful deportation

By Chauncy Glover

COLUMBUS, GA (WTVM) - "Oh my God you're skinny. How long has it been since you've eaten."

A reunion filled with mixed emotions.

There was joy.

"I feel great to see my mom and be back in my country," says Marc Lyttle.
"I've had people looking. Phone calls to North Carolina and searching through the obituaries and calling hospitals," says Marc's mom, Jeanne Lyttle.

And there was anger.

"It was traumatize to me. It was a situation that should have never happened," says Marc.
"I'm outraged. This has got to stop. Just because you look at his color and he looks Caribbean, you don't ship someone out of the country. I don't understand how this could happen over and over again," she says.

31 year- old Marc Lyttle has a mental disorder and recalls to the best of his ability the story that kept him out of the United States for two years.

Family members say it all started in North Carolina-- 2007, when he served time in jail on a harassment charge.

When it came time for him to be released, Lyttle had no identification. He says he was then questioned by an agent with Immigration Customs Enforcement, commonly known as ICE.
"He stressed he had a mental condition and she still did not let him see his mother or a lawyer," says Neil Rambana, an immigration attorney

Two months later, Lyttle was sent to an Immigration Detention facility in Atlanta, where he went before an immigration judge.

"The judge says according to out records, prepared by the ICE agent, you are not a citizen. You're a Mexican. We are deporting you from the U.S.," says Rambana.
And that's when Lyttle's, big journey began.

December 9th, he flew from Texas to Mexico.

"This particular information is very disturbing. How in the hell did they get travel documents for him to go to Mexico? He's not a Mexican citizen. They basically put together paperwork and dumped in Mexico," says Neil.

While walking the streets of Mexico, Lyttle was picked up by Mexico City Immigration Enforcement and was kicked out of the country and sent to Honduras.

Marc says, "I had no money and no place to stay. I slept on the street. I was put in jail in Honduras for a month for no reason."

Lyttle says the conditions were harsh, while being in jail with other "big time" criminals as he calls them.

"I told them about my mental disorder and Sonya in Honduras, she told a guy in there to kill me because she didn't like American citizens," he adds.

After spending a month in jail, Lyttle was sent to Nicaragua and then sent to Guatemala. It was there when someone believed his story.

"He told them, he was looking for his brother who was in the U.S. military and somebody made that connection," says Marc's mother.

With the help of the U.S. Embassy, Lyttle's family paid for a new passport and a plane ticket to have him sent back to America.

When Marc Lyttle returned back to the United States, he flew into the Atlanta Airport, and once again he was black flagged because he had already been deported once.

"This kid was detained again. No one took the time to make any proper phone calls to family or other agencies to verify the story, instead they just treat this person with a mental disorder like a common criminal," says Neil.

"I lost it and I got on my knees and prayed and asked the lord to deal with everybody," says Jeanne Lyttle.

And Jeanne Lyttle's prayers were answered Friday morning, when ICE officials released Marc from the Atlanta Detention Center. When we contacted ICE officials they released a statement saying, "Immediately upon learning that Mr. Lyttle was claiming U.S. Citizenship and had been detained by U.S. Customs and Border Protection, ICE conducted a thorough investigation and review of his file and all available information. Based upon the available information, ICE concluded that Mr. Lyttle is probably a U.S. citizen. ICE has initiated and will complete all the necessary actions to correct DHS databases."

And after a long two years of trying to get back into his family's arms, Marc Lyttle still has a smile, but also a statement for ICE as well.

"ICE needs to really know what they are doing. They just can't deport anybody and that's what they did to me," says Marc.

The 270 View Music & Video Project

The 270 View is currently looking for music to put to it's message. You supply the music and we will add the message and promote the combined result. Music can not be copyrighted unless you hold the rights to it and grant The 270 View permission to use and promote it. Please read past blogs here to ensure that your music is a good fit for the 270 Views message. Bands can be from anywhere in the world and artists from outside of the United States are strongly encouraged to participate. Musical styles can reflect any genre although my own personal taste in music will somewhat cloud the selection process. Contact us at the270view@gmail.com if interested.

American Citizens Deported as Illegal Aliens

Here is a very interesting link to an Associated Press news story by Suzanne Gamboa on American citizens who have been deported as illegal aliens. The story goes on to state that possibly hundreds of American citizens have been held and/or deported by ICE. I would encourage all of The 270 View's readers to read the story.

The story can be found here.

Immigration Protest in Atlanta, GA

Yesterday Anton Flores (Alterna Community) contacted us about the Pilgrimage for Immigrants that he is currently participating in. You can read his reports on this event on his blog Drive Fast for Lent. Mr. Flores has invited anyone who is concerned about the current immigration issue to join in on the Pilgrimage for Immigrants march. Information on where you need to go to participate is included below. The march will end with a press conference by the Georgia Detention Watch at the Atlanta, GA ICE Field Office. Additional information on the march can be found here.

Monday, April 6 – LAWRENCEVILLE
9:30 a.m. Assemble at Catedral de Fe, 675 Buford Drive, Lawrenceville
11:15 a.m. Prayers at Gwinnett Sheriff’s Department
3:30 p.m. Pilgrimage ends at church on Grayson Highway in Lawrenceville

Tuesday, April 7 – LILBURN to DULUTH
9 a.m. Pilgrimage begins at Our Lady of the Americas Mission, 460 Lawrenceville Highway, Lilburn, GA
4 p.m. Pilgrimage ends at Santa Fe Mall, 3750 Venture Boulevard, Duluth, GA

Wednesday, April 8 – NORCROSS to DORAVILLE to CHAMBLEE
9 a.m. Pilgrimage begins at Saint Patrick’s Catholic Church,
2140 Beaver Ruin Road, Norcross
2:30 p.m. Pilgrimage ends at Plaza Fiesta, 4166 Buford Highway, Atlanta

Thursday, April 9 – SMYRNA to MARIETTA
9:30 a.m. Prayer service and pilgrimage commencement at Saint Thomas the Apostle Catholic Church, 4300 King Springs Road, Smyrna
2 p.m. Foot washing at Marietta Square, 50 East Park Square, Marietta
3 p.m. Pilgrimage ends at Marietta Square

Friday, April 10 – ATLANTA (dual routes)
STANDARD ROUTE, Pilgrimage for Immigrants:
8 a.m. Gather at Nipponzan Myohoji-Atlanta Dojo, 1127 Glenwood Ave., Atlanta 30316
10 a.m. Georgia Detention Watch press conference at ICE Field Office, 180 Spring St., Atlanta
12 p.m. Speak at 13th Station of the Cross at the Catholic Charities’ Good Friday Pilgrimage, Georgia Justice Project, 438 Edgewood Avenue, Atlanta
Afternoon Join Good Friday pilgrimage to King grave sites; then walk back to Nipponzan Myohoji-Atlanta Dojo

ALTERNATE FRIDAY ROUTE, Catholic Charities’ Good Friday Pilgrimage:
9 a.m. Begin at State Capitol, Washington Street side between MLK Jr. Drive and Mitchell St.
1 p.m. Ends together with standard route at Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Crypt
Buses will be available at conclusion of event to transport participants from King Center to the State Capitol area.

New York Times Article Shows that CCA is Number One in Detainee Deaths Among All Private Detention Operators

Last week the New York Times revealed the results of an investigation into detainee deaths while at ICE facilities or ICE contracted facilities. This list was compiled by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency (ICE) and received by the New York Times through a Freedom of Information request. It documents that more than 90 people have died while in ICE custody since 2003. Roberto Martinez Medina who died on March 11, 2009 while in Correction Corporation of America's custody at the Stewart Detention Center is not included.

The times counted 32 of these deaths as happening at privately operated detention centers. The list shows that 18 of the detainee deaths happened while the detainee was in Corrections Corporation of America's custody. Adding Roberto Martinez Medina to the list, this means that 19 Detainees have died while in Corrections Corporation of America's custody since 2003. CCA who are quite proud of there number one status in many things are also evidently number one in deaths among all of the for profit companies. Previously The 270 View has also reported on how CCA's Torrance County Detention Facility (Estancia, New Mexico) had more sexual victimization occuring at it than had happened at any other prison in the United States. I guess you could rightfully say that CCA is correct when it says that it is a proven industry leader.

The New York Times article also addresses how at a March 3 House subcommittee hearing ICE had cited that there had only been six deaths in private facilities. Obviously this was not accurate.

It is worth mentioning that twelve of the total number of ICE deaths are listed as suicides and one is listed as self inflected (which likely was also a suicide). Two of these suicides appear to of happened at CCA's Eloy facility. These numbers are very troubling to me.

The New York Times article is available online here.

The Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency provided list of detainee deaths made available by the New York Times Freedom of Information requests are here and here.