Humans of ICE

M___ was working as a Livery cab driver in Brooklyn when he was detained by ICE.  Originally from Azerbaijan,  M. came to the US 8 years ago seeking asylum.  He did not want to talk about his asylum case because he has decided to self-deport back to Azerbaijan due to lack of legal representation.

He picked up a passenger from a hotel in Brooklyn that asked for a ride all the way up to another hotel close the US-Canadian border.  It’s not common, but long cab rides like that do happen.  Border Patrol followed him for the last two miles, detained his passenger and him.  

M___’s main ask was to please get the ICE app that was on the tablets in Batavia installed on the tablets here in BCJ.  Right now he can’t get a hold of his deportation officer so he doesn’t know his exact deportation date.  He says every time he asks for help from COs here, they say they cannot help him because it’s an ICE matter.  He says that there aren’t actually any ICE officers working at the BC jail, and that he feels there should be at least one so they can get help with these questions.

M___ understands that he is leaving soon, and that we probably can’t help him.  But he gave us permission to share his story.  He said, “Even if you can’t help me, maybe you can help the people who come after me.”

People like M_ are detained at the Broome County Jail and are choosing to self-deport because they lack legal representation. Please contact humansofice@proton.me if you are licensed to practice law in NYS and would like to help with cases like M_’s.

These images are AI-generated but we are looking to hire artists to illustrate these narratives. Please see our Call for Artists for more information.