By ZACH LAIRD, InDepthNH.org
DOVER, NH — Steven Tendo, the Ugandan pastor and asylum-seeker who was living and working in Vermont but is now being held by Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) at the Strafford County Jail, was initially denied medication by the facility, though things are getting better there, according to his attorney Christopher Worth.
Worth, an immigration lawyer who serves as the visiting assistant professor with the Vermont Law and Graduate School, said Tendo is very lucky because his community in Vermont is fighting to get him back.
“There are many lawyers pitching in to work on his case. There’s a lawyer in Texas, Georgia, and New Hampshire. He’s received tremendous support for the community, his employers, and his church,” Worth said. “I think he’s loved by the community for good reason. A lot of people want to get him back in Vermont, and will work very hard to make that happen.”
Tendo is a licensed nursing assistant at the University of Vermont Medical Center (UVMMC), as well as the president and executive director of Eternal Life Organization International Ministries in Kampala, Uganda. He also works at a long-term health care facility in Burlington, Vermont.
In a phone call to Mother Jones from the Strafford County Jail, Tendo said everything seemed to be OK the day he was picked up by ICE.
“And to my dismay, they came to my place of work and did all that kind of chaos there, shouting and yelling. The patients were like, ‘What’s going on?’ Everyone was scared.”
Tendo said the officers “brutally” arrested him at gunpoint while his car was in motion and handcuffed his hands behind his back. “It was so scary,” he told Mother Jones. “I never expected that to happen in the United States. It happens in Uganda, but not here.”
The GoFundMe page created by Alison Nihart of Burlington to raise money for Tendo’s lost wages and legal bills has generated over $35,000.
According to Strafford County Board of Commissioners Chairman George Maglaras, Tendo is one of about 150 people detained by ICE being held at the facility, though he added that the number can fluctuate slightly. The facility is the only county jail in the state to house ICE detainees. There are also 170 ICE detainees at the federal prison in Berlin.
Maglaras said that ICE pays $150 per detainee per day. The facility is estimated to make about $9 million a year housing the detainees.
Maglaras said that under the current contract the county has with ICE, he is not allowed to discuss any detainees currently in custody.
Last week Rockingham County Commissioners voted against entering into a contract with ICE to hold detainees in their county jail.
On Feb. 4, Tendo was initially detained by Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) outside the healthcare facility he works at in Burlington, Vermont.
“For the beginning part of his detention, there were a number of medical conditions which weren’t being adequately attended to. He typically receives Metformin (medication to treat Type 2 diabetes), but he wasn’t receiving that. He also wasn’t receiving his cholesterol or allergy medications, but we’re hopeful now that most of those issues are resolved,” Worth said.
Worth said Tendo has access to a tablet to use and communicate, and also has money on his commissary account. As his attorney, Worth said he has regular access to Tendo and that he’s most worried about Tendo’s due process.
“We are fighting to ensure that he is afforded all of his rights under the U.S. Constitution, and we need to ensure his case is fully considered by our legal system prior to any removal to Uganda,” Worth said.
He explained that many things need to be determined before Tendo’s legal team has a firm understanding of what’s going to happen next. Legal arguments still need to be considered by a federal judge on whether Tendo will be released from detention. Those arguments are still being briefed.
Jacob Berkowitz, president of the UVMMC Support Staff United, noted at first he and others were very concerned for Tendo’s safety, but added that things seemed to have improved since he was first moved to the Dover facility.
“Between lawyers and pressure from the public Steven (Tendo) has now been receiving his medication. He’s been getting somewhat better nutrition, it’s still not ideal, but at least it’s a marked improvement… He also has significant vision issues that were directly because of treatment when he was detained in Texas a few years ago by ICE,” Berkowitz said. “It’s a significant worry for Steven and his team that he’s given his proper medication.”
ICE did not respond for a comment or to answer questions about Tendo.