"The Voice of Wisdom and Freedom"

Last Friday, as I posted below, Attorney General Eric Holder praised the legal orientations that agencies such as mine perform in the nation's detention facilities. He emphasized the practicality of our programs and their great cost savings to the US Government.

Yesterday, I received this incredibly touching email from a client, Ahmed from Sudan, whom I met after he participated in such a legal orientation. Ahmed was detained at the federal detention facility in Batavia, NY where I, along with a pro bono lawyer, was able to obtain his release. Our agency then filed an asylum application on his behalf. He now lives in Virginia and hopes to eventually immigrate to Canada where his Canadian wife is waiting anxiously for him. Ahmed is working on a book about his days in Batavia, in cell block C-3, bed #380, from May 6, 2008 to August 23, 2008. I look forward very much to reading this book one day.


Ahmed asked me to correct his grammar before posting this. I did so reluctantly because I find his English impressive. While he was in Batavia, he served us as an interpreter and helped us communicate with two young Somali brothers whose freedom from detention we were also able to obtain with the help of a very dedicated pro bono attorney. My law school intern that summer, Heather, whom Ahmed refers to in his story as the “young woman volunteer” tells me she remembers Ahmed perfectly given his invaluable assistance with the Somalis and others.

Below you will read the edited version of his email to me. I will keep the original for myself and peek at it when I feel burnt-out.

It is notes like these that brighten my day and keep me going despite the obstacles.



Dear Sophie

Thank you for your e-mail.

There is something I want to write on your blog, but I am not sure about my grammar and I want to ask you first before I do it. You can help me with the grammar if you don't mind
It starts like this:

Sophie, the voice of wisdom and freedom.

In May 2008, I was detained in Batavia. It was the most shocking experience in my life; the first time I had been in jail or detention. I had strongly believed that jail and detention were always for bad people. While I was in the processing unit, waiting to go to the cell, a nurse came to check me. She found me scared, shaking and crying. I had high blood pressure and she asked me to relax and stay calm because if I was not relaxed, it was not going to get me anywhere; it would just cause me problems. Then she said, “you can always speak to Sophie. She will tell you what to do.” “Sophie !!!!!! Who is Sophie ????” The nurse said, “she is lawyer.” I said, “they gave me list of lawyers’ names and phone numbers.” She looked at me and said, “Sophie is different,” and then she left.

My only concern at that point was to speak to Sophie. When I went to my cell block, which I shared with 64 people, I luckily found someone who spoke my language. My first questions to him were who, how, and when can I speak to Sophie? He explained to me what Sophie did at the detention facility, but told me I would have to wait until she called to see me. I waited on pins and needles until the week was over, and then I was finally called for a lawyer visit. I was so excited to go to this visit. I knew it was an orientation given by the Volunteer Lawyers Project. After the orientation finished, I was so happy because they had given me hope. My first question to the young woman volunteer was, “are you Sophie?” She said no, “but I work for her.” I asked many questions and got the answers from the volunteers. They told me that they would call me during their next visit to provide me with some documents. When I returned to my cell after the orientation, I had a strong feeling that there was a way out of detention. I said to myself that this is why Sophie is different. I started to help the Volunteer Lawyers Project to communicate with other detainees who did not speak English. I helped translate, and started to hope that I would get out. I began to go to the law library to find out more about the law and ask questions to the volunteer lawyers when they visited.

What Sophie is doing in the detention facility is more than great. Imagine if you were in this situation and suddenly someone came from nowhere and gave you hope for your freedom. It is a feeling I can't express in writing. My heart is full, but words are not enough. Sophie was hope for me from day one until I left the detention facility after six month. Still today she is handling my case, and like she helped me to get my freedom back, she is helping more than 600 detainees. She is the light and the voice for freedom and wisdom. She does an unbelievable job.

Sophie, you are great and what you are doing is tremendous. God bless you and keep it up. God will help you more and give you strength.