Patrick Tobin | The Crow’s Nest
By Dylan Hart
On Nov. 20, a white banner adorned with messages from students will hang from the top of the University Student Center.
The banner signifies human rights organization Amnesty International’s stance against child detainment in migrant detention facilities in the United States. Amnesty International organized the banner drop to coincide with Universal Children’s Day, an annual event created by the United Nations.
In red, purple, pink and blue markers, students wrote heartfelt sentiments to the children detained in those facilities, like “We love you!” and “Stay strong!”
Naya Payne, who is president of USF St. Petersburg’s Amnesty International chapter, said the closure of a major migrant detention facility in Homestead was a success, but there’s still work to do for the organization.
“This banner is part of a larger campaign of Amnesty International, which is to shut down child detention centers in the United States,” Payne said.
The facility in Homestead, called the Homestead Temporary Shelter for Undocumented Children, was operated by private contracting company Comprehensive Health Services. The company announced in October that it would not be renewing its contract with the federal government.
Payne and Karla Correa, chapter director of refugee relations & immigration, had planned to bring interested students on a bus or van to Homestead to “urge (Comprehensive Health Services) not to renew their contract” when the news broke.
But there’s still potential for another company to take a contract to operate the facility, he said.
Therefore, another goal of the banner drop is to “put any business that wants to take up a contract on watch and know that we will reputationally destroy you,” Payne said.
He said that he received permission from the USC to hang the banner from the building, but he still needed to meet with the staff to work out specifics.
“I hope to see support from the students, and that’s what we’ve gotten,” he said.
This story was corrected on Nov. 18, 2019. Karla Correa is the director of refugee relations & immigration for USF St. Petersburg’s Amnesty International chapter, not vice president.
