TAKE ACTION NOW! In less than a week, ICE intends to deport evangelical Pastor Steven Tendo back to Uganda, where his life will be in immediate danger. Call ICE now and urge them to stop his deportation.
Pastor Steven Tendo fled Uganda after being detained, tortured, and smeared by the Ugandan government for his efforts to advance human rights and voting rights and to fight government corruption. Friends and family members of Tendo’s have also been victims of attacks.
After fleeing Uganda, Tendo arrived at the U.S. border claiming asylum in December 2018. He has since been held in ICE detention.
After spending more than 19 months in detention, Pastor Steven Tendo’s health has deteriorated significantly. Tendo suffers from diabetes, and during his time in detention ICE has failed to provide adequate nutrition and medication. This has caused extremely elevated glucose levels, leading to cataracts and other diabetic-related conditions all of which have been left untreated thus far.
As the coronavirus spread to detention centers, Tendo’s poor health and underlying medical condition should have made him eligible to be released. Instead he was kept in detention and in a facility that has reported more than 130 confirmed COVID-19 cases.
Click here to read more on Pastor Steven Tendo’s case. You can also read updates from the Angry Tias and Abuelas of the Rio Grande Valley on Pastor Steven Tendo’s situation by visiting theirFacebook page.
Legal experts and elected officials agree that Pastor Steven Tendo has overwhelming evidence to support his claim to asylum; nevertheless, his initial asylum claim was denied. Tendo currently has a pending Petition for Review before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, and a motion to reopen before the Board of Immigration Appeals.
ICE is moving to deport Tendo even though his case has multiple pending appeals. In the last week—despite his weakened condition—Tendo was driven from Port Isabel to Laredo, then put on a flight to Louisiana from where he was expected to be deported, and then flown to Arizona, where he is currently waiting in a processing center for anticipated deportation in the coming week.
ICE’s mistreatment of Pastor Steven Tendo—a victim of torture seeking safety from imminent danger—violates standards that protect even the most vicious and dangerous criminals in American prisons. The decision to deport Tendo while he is in precarious health to a place where his life is in immediate danger violates international norms and treaties. ICE’s actions do not reflect the priorities of most Americans, but all Americans are soiled by the agency’s choices.
Ways to Take Action
1) Call the ICE Phoenix Field Office at (877) 279-7954 and say:
“I urge you to immediately halt the deportation of Pastor Steven Tendo, A# 201-520-012, who is set to be deported tomorrow, September 7th or 8th. Pastor Steven is an asylum-seeker who was seriously harmed in Uganda for human rights and voting rights activism and who fears he will be killed if he is returned there. ICE’s actions to deport him are particularly cruel considering that Pastor Steven was set to receive much-needed surgery this week. I urge you to immediately halt Pastor Steven’s deportation and release him from detention, which you have ample discretion to do.”
2) Retweet this to ICE: @ICEgov
🚨 URGENT! 🚨@ICEgov plans to deport Pastor Steven Tendo TOMORROW.
He sought asylum in the US after government forces in Uganda tortured him and killed several family members. He will likely be killed if returned.https://t.co/Jq1aWzk25K
— Amnesty International USA (@amnestyusa) September 2, 2020
And this:
https://act.amnestyusa.org/page/63664/action/1
3) Email these ICE officials directly:
You can copy and paste the prompt from the end of this Amnesty International page: https://act.amnestyusa.org/page/63664/action/1
Henry Lucero, Executive Associate Director of ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations | Email: enrique.m.lucero@ice.dhs.gov
Acting Secretary Chad Wolf, Department of Homeland Security | Email: chad.wolf@hq.dhs.gov & DHSSecretary@hq.dhs.gov
Corey Price, ICE Phoenix Field Office Director I Emails: corey.a.price@ice.dhs.gov &
4) Tweet Texas Congresspersons who care about this case: (IF YOU ARE IN THEIR DISTRICT, TELL THEM, Don’t know? https://wrm.capitol.texas.gov/home)
Sample Tweet: Thank you for signing the letter to #FreePastorSteven, and for caring about human rights. As a fellow person of faith in Texas, I care deeply about human rights too. Can you help us contact @ICEgov?
Rep. Joaquin Castro (TX-20) Tweet them @JoaquinCastrotx and use #FreePastorSteven and @ICEgov
Rep. Filemon Vela (TX-34)Tweet them @RepFilemonVela and use #FreePastorSteven and @ICEgov
Rep. Lloyd Doggett (TX-35) Tweet them @RepLloydDoggett and use #FreePastorSteven and @ICEgov
Note: Rep. Llyod Doggett tweeted about this on Sept. 2 and stopped. Let him know that Pastor Steven is now in the Florence facility in Arizona, and still needs our help. ICE is planning deportation Monday or Tuesday.
5) Call these Congresspersons: As 44 Members of Congress already signed the Congressional letter two weeks ago, it is time to call some key U.S. Senators.
These are Senators who have already expressed commitment to the human rights of migrants and serve on the corresponding committee. Please express thanks when you call but ask them to take urgent action. If they want documentation, please send Jennifer Harbury a request at jharbury@gmail.com, and let her know the name and email address of the legislative aid requesting the materials. She will send them promptly.
Senator Cory Booker: (877) 319-2391
Senator Patrick Leahy: (877) 355-1581
Senator Dianne Feinstein: (877) 355-1585
Senator Dick Durbin (877) 814-3416
6) Share these actions with friends and family.
Tell people why this case matters to you. Copy and paste this post on your Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and any other social media outlet you can think of. Call your friends and family and ask them to do the same.
***If you are Christian, this Sunday’s lectionary passage is “For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them.” In this time where many of our faith communities are physically apart from one another, we can still come together, bound by the Holy Spirit, to not only pray for one another, but to advocate with those who need help. Pastor Steven preaches Christian principles. May we amplify his voice today knowing that just two or three people can make a difference. Let us not allow the state to execute a man who preaches good news.
Thanks to Michael Seifert, Jennifer Harbury and the other Angry Tias & Abuelas, Amnesty International, and Norma Herrera of RGV Equal Voice for help with this action plan.
Click here to view and download the Congressional Letter sent to Acting DHS Secretary Wolf.