A journey to the land of the free: Part Two -- Like dogs in a pound, immigrants are stripped of all hope as basic human rights remain scarce along the border

"People have the right to migrate to sustain their lives and the lives of their families," states the first principle of the Three Basic Principles of Catholic Social Teaching on Immigration.

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LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - People have to right to feel safe in this world. They have the right to escape war and violence in their home country and find assurance within a new land.

Many immigrants today, both young and old, are desperately running from violence and just long for security.

Bring peace to those in need

While the second principle states, "A country has the right to regulate its borders and to control immigration," the third principle elaborates with, "A country must regulate its borders with justice and mercy."

Accepting thousands upon millions of immigrants can potentially jeopardize a country's social and economic life. Regardless of an individual's given human right to move freely, no country has the complete commitment to endure that much burden.

The Catholic Church stresses the importance of acting for the common good, rather than self-interest.

Every one person has basic human rights; before God all are equal.

An immigrant who beat the odds, escaped the terrifying violence in their home country and made it to the United States arrive with hope and a better tomorrow in sight.

That dream is quickly intercepted by the Border Patrol officer who immediately picks him up and takes him to a "temporary holding station."

The holding stations are described by many immigrants as ice boxes.

These rooms have no windows, a bright and blinding light is always on and the temperature is so cold fingers become numb and lips turn blue and crack.

Any belongings the individuals came with are taken away. If they're lucky, the CBP officer provides a blanket. This blanket is described as frozen solid and feeling like aluminum foil.

As punishment, the CBP officers verbally and physically abuse the immigrants and blast the air conditioner.

"As I was getting out of the van near the border, one of the immigration officers came over and hit me on the head with his flashlight. I fell to the ground, and he kicked me on the arm and waist. I had cuts on my elbow from his kicks. He also kept hitting me on the shoulder with his flashlight," expressed Milton, 17-years-old to an Americans for Immigrant Justice lawyer. "I didn't know why he was beating me, because I had surrendered very peacefully."

"My daughter cried during the entire nine days because of the extreme discomfort caused by her soiled diaper and he lack of warm clothing," explained Michelle, 17-years-old. "She was never given a blanket."

We're Back - Greatest Meat on Earth

Immigrants are detained for many days. Most aren't given a realistic amount of food or water, and many recount the water tasting similar to bleach.

Sleep deprivation was common as it was near impossible to sleep because of the harsh conditions inside the hieleras (ice-boxes.)

The brutal conditions in border stations frightened and intimidated detainees into signing documents in which they waived rights to a full hearing, usually prompting instant deportation.

Out in the middle of nowhere, holding cells lack oversight and allow inhumane behaviors to be implemented.

Lucille Roybal-Allard, a Democratic representative to Congress from California told the Guardian, "We have an obligation as Americans to ensure that everyone in our government's custody is treated with basic human dignity. I remain extremely concerned about the conditions in which migrants, including young children, are held at border patrol  stations."

Groups like Americans for Immigrant Justice and No More Deaths fight for immigrants. Providing legal support and bringing the issues to the forefront of the American Civil Liberties Union, these groups are often the saving grace to many immigrants.

"It is not God's will that some of his children live in luxury while others have nothing," The Catholic Social Teaching on Immigration and the Movement of Peoples states. "In Luke's Gospel, the rich man was condemned for living well while the poor man starved at his doorstep."

Changes surrounding the borders and the holding cells are being fought for everyday; for the sake of all human-beings fighting for a better life, let's hope changes are met soon.

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