News & Commentary

To whom it may concern,

Lalo was born in Guanajuato, MX. Neither of his parents had the opportunity to further their education in Mexico. His mom had to drop out of school when she was in 2nd grade, and his dad had to drop out when he was in 10th grade. His parents knew the difficulties of pursuing education back home, and they didn’t want that life for their kids. Lalo was just five years old when he came to the U.S. — his dad came first and brought the rest of them over shortly after.

I learned about the pandemic on the news. When I heard about it I was more worried about my family getting it. I am not concerned about my health, only for my family. All the information and safety [measures] I have gotten are from the news, not in the prison.

Rixa was born in Guadalajara, Jalisco, MX. Her family was living in a shack-like place and were struggling to make ends meet. Thankfully, her dad was offered a job in the states and was able to settle in.

COVID-19 entered this facility last week with one [case] and in just 7 days [the number of cases] has turned to 8. I’m in a dorm but it’s 3 people to an 8x6 cell.

If you are facing eviction, you have rights. One very important right that you have is the right to a jury trial. The Idaho Constitution protects that right.

"...all I can say is to pray that those incarcerated make it out and get to go home to their families, alive and healthy."

Maria was born in San Sebastian del Grande, Jalisco, MX. Her parents came first to the states to save up money. Their plan was to save enough money and go back to Mexico. But they soon realized that it was going to take more than a few months to be financially prepared, so they decided to bring Maria and her sibling over to the U.S. instead. She was seven years old when she arrived in the U.S. Now Maria is a legal assistant at an immigration office and is proud to help people in a similar situation as her.