Quote:
Originally Posted by PamWinterReturns
(Post 22522352)
Woah. I thought that they simply deported people and didn’t waste tax dollars for such a minor issue.
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Well that was back in 2005. I didn't have a passport for them to be able to return me straight away to the UK, and I was also fighting mt deportation legally as I was actually legitimately married to a US citizen at the time.
There was no other 'crime' involved. I was simply caught up in a raid for illegal mexican at the compound I lived in, near San Diego, in El Cajon. This was in early August, and I spent my first couple of weeks in various different 'sheds' and 'huts' until arriving at the proper 'El Centro' Deportation facility, where I would see a judge.
Long story short, it was decided that I had to return to the UK and then I could return to the US again straight away, and upon reentry do things properly. They then moved me on December 26th, in preparation for my journey back to the UK from El Centro to a correctional facility near San Diego. I know it was a correctional facility and not a visa / immigration detention center, as it was totally different in all ways you can think of. Plus irt was actually referred to a a Correctional Facility, and I was in with people who had commited crimes etc, not just people illegally in the country like before...
I was kept there until middle of february, when I was 'escorted' home, with deliberately fucked up paperwork, after 6 and a half months. Apparently 6 months was the absolute maximum they could legally detain me for without deporting me, but time spent 'in processing' (the 2 weeks before I arrived at El Centro, when I was in the series of huts, didn't count)
Turned out they were earning money from having me in custody as it was a paid system, so they kept me the maximum time possible. I'm not bitter about it - I just think it was a fucking stupid way to be treated when my only 'crime' was actually having my passport stolen while I was in the US and as such never applying for a new one to get home... Nothing else. I didn't beat anybody, hurt anybody, steal from anybody, sell drugs to anybody, take drugs with anybody etc etc etc... I even entered legally originally via tLAX after getting off a Virgin Atlantic flight. It's not like I climbed over a wall, and sneaked across !