DETENTION – UNITED STATES: Sergio, 16

SERGIO FROM MEXICO, DETAINED IN THE UNITED STATES, AGED 16

When he first was captured by US officials, Sergio was kept in the ‘ice box’, a room without windows or natural light which means that people do not know what time of the day it is. The air conditioner is turned up so that it is too cold for detainees to sleep. This pushes people who are already often exhausted to their physical limits. It is, apparently, a deliberate strategy on the part of border officials to encourage irregular migrants to leave the United States.

Note: Elements of this story have been changed for the purposes of this campaign. Find out more in Captured Childhood

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Artwork by Monann De Jong