by Alex Richardson

There are more than 200 detention facilities across the United States and, in recent years, more than 50,000 immigrants in detention at any given time. The Stories of Refuge, Detention and Hospitality Creative Inquiry project is working to better understand the connections between immigration, detention and hospitality for those detainees. Dr. Angela Naimou, in the Department of English, and Dr. Joseph Mai, in the Department of Languages, designed this Creative Inquiry project to expand students’ understanding of what hospitality means for detained immigrants and their families.

The team visited the Stewart Detention Center in Lumpkin, GA, to meet and dialogue with the adult immigrant detainees that are housed at the center. Before visiting the center, the team wanted to understand how different people approached similar experiences. So, they read Valeria Luiselli’s Tell Me How It Ends, which is a book-length essay that reflects on the author’s time aiding unaccompanied children as they completed immigration intake forms. The team used this book and met with Amílcar Valencia of El Refugio to prepare for the visit with the people in detention. Some immigrants spoke about everything from their experience traveling to the United States to their outlook on life, and others just wanted to have simple, lighthearted conversations. The dialogue was intended to give detainees an opportunity to speak their minds and share their experiences. Through their visit, students were able to develop a better understanding of how undocumented immigrants are treated in this country.

The team took part in a visitation program established by El Refugio, a hospitality house serving the immigrants at the Stewart Detention Center and their families. Mary Ann Fahmy, a sophomore Spanish and international health major, described El Refugio as a home designed to make everyone feel welcome by hosting families visiting detainees at Stewart Detention Center. “I associate El Refugio with Amílcar Valencia (the Executive Director), who showed us what hospitality means… After congratulating [a man] on his release, [Valencia] walks out with him, his hand on his shoulder,” Fahmy said.

After their visits to the Steward Detention Center and El Refugio, the Creative Inquiry team held a symposium on campus in fall 2019 to share the stories of the detainees at the center with the Clemson community. Through this event, more Clemson students have become aware of the experiences of immigrants increasingly held in mandatory detention while trying to gain refuge or return to ordinary life in the United States. The Creative Inquiry project plans to continue learning more about immigrant detention and about the hospitality and advocacy of organizations like El Refugio. Next year, the team will be exploring outreach through public events and their own writing.