We Do Not Know What Became of the Boy Who Was Not Allowed To Stay
He said, “If you send me back they will kill me.”
We assume they did.
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FROM THE AUTHOR:
"Years ago, I visited a detention center where Central American boys awaited deportation. They were pepper-sprayed and threatened when they failed to follow orders given in English, a language they didn’t understand. Since then, working with the Program for Torture Victims in Los Angeles and volunteering with Al Otro Lado in Tijuana, I’ve seen the horrific impact that inconsistent, inhumane – and illegal! - policies have on families and adolescents fleeing government, police, and gang violence. When I lived in Mexico, I was welcomed everywhere with hospitality and warmth, and so when migrants are abused or placed in danger, I take it personally."
©2022 Diane Lefer
DIANE LEFER’s most recent novel, Out of Place (Fomite Press, 2021), centers around a research institute in the Mojave Desert where international scientists fall under suspicion in the aftermath of 9/11. Confessions of a Carnivore, also published by Fomite, was inspired by her relationship with a baboon at the LA Zoo. Her other books include the story collection, California Transit (Mary McCarthy Prize) and nonfiction, The Blessing Next to the Wound (co-authored with Hector Aristizabal and recommended by Amnesty International). Diane works with survivors of torture and violent persecution as they seek asylum and begin to heal and rebuild their lives in Southern California. More at: dianelefer.weebly.com