It Could Happen Here - Amos Time in Detention Part 2

Episode Date: December 21, 2023

Amos shares the story of his time in indoor detention and his journey back to his family.  You can donate to Amos via Venmo at https://venmo.com/u/fueguitosdelanoche, please indicate "For Amos" in your notes.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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That's iHeart.com slash podcast awards. Welcome to Gracias Come Again, a podcast by Honey German, where we get real and dive straight into todo lo actual y viral. We're talking musica, los premios, el chisme, and all things trending in my cultura. I'm bringing you all the latest happening in our entertainment world and some fun and impactful interviews with your favorite Latin artists, comedians, actors, and influencers. Each week, we get deep and raw life stories, combos on the issues that matter to us, and it's all packed with gems, fun, straight-up comedia,

and that's a song that only nuestra gente can sprinkle. Listen to Gracias Come Again on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Calls on Media. I wanted to ask, so one of the people on the call is Emmett. Emmett had helped build some other shelters. You may not know almost, there are three camps. Maybe David shared this with you.

Similar to the one that you were in, there are three in different locations. Some of them are even colder than the one that you were in there were three in different locations um some of them are even colder than than the one that you stayed in um and uh volunteers including myself including emma had built shelters um emma perhaps you could describe like how you sort of decided to do that and came up with the the shelter design that you came up with. Yeah, definitely. And I just want to say I'm processing also Amos is also hearing your story and appreciating like, for all of us coming to build shelters, it's realizing there's all these stories that we are not knowing. And then all of us are of these lives that are so independent, individual and showing up and meeting folks who've been through whatever they have been. And it does stuff to us all, you know, and I think I'm hearing you right now.

I'm just processing kind of what you're saying. And I hope many people hear how you're framing all this. how you're framing all this. I just really appreciate how you're framing the story and how you're sharing both your perspective, but also what it, what it means to just be confused. Um, to think for some,

for, for me, like I, I just, I felt so even after many years of working, um, in this space, just so confused by how,

or by how CBP is treating people in the, in the OAS at least in this desert right now um but uh basically it's winter time now in in in california um and for the last several months people uh have been kept overnight in in the desert on the borderlands, which has been brutal and it has been terrible and inhumane for CPP to keep people in the desert. But as it became winter, it became deadly. And the risk of extreme hypothermia events for hundreds of people became so severe

that a lot of our day in, day, you know, day in, day out, uh, work to making sure people had food. And if there were babies that they were taking care of as needed, or if, if folks had specific health issues that we could show up for them. But, but the thought of, um, just doing that, um, and hope, you know, bringing as many blankets as we could, uh, we're bringing a blankets and tents and tarps, things to keep people off the ground. You know, basically looking in our basements and asking all of our friends like, hey, we're looking behind every gas station for boxes of cardboard or whatever it is. But that just didn't seem enough. It seemed like we were actually doing a harm to be the ones who had seen this. And that's something we deal with is realizing there's so many folks who just don't

know what's going on. So for us to be a community seeing this and not, not taking to the next, the next level, and it's still, I feel this way, but, um, it, it felt like we were not doing, um, or we were actually doing a harm by not, by not kind of addressing the winter as it was happening. So the idea of building shelters was, was to try to basically do, do something more than just bringing out supplies and letting people, you know, fend for themselves,

but creating something that might actually create more of a long-term safety. And then again, I mean, this is, I mean, these are detention sites. We are working as volunteers inside of a basically informal detention site that CBP is operating. So it's very confusing for us to know, you know, we're here trying to be with people directly, trying to see what people are wanting and needing and what is their needs. But we're also kind of navigating around this very erratic system that is sometimes denying us entry to these sites, sometimes trying to have us do things for them.

us do things for them. Um, and other times kind of allowing us to be there and, you know, um, you know, bringing food because it serves them, serves the EP for us to keep people alive. Um, but that's a really confusing process. So anyways, there was a lot of talk going on about, uh, making shelters and people have been assembling pallets. And one day I was, um, just talking with, with some of the other organizers and they're thinking, well, I'll just do this. I'll come back tomorrow and I'll, and I'll, we'll start. Um, and so with with with some of the other organizers and we're thinking well i'll just do this i'll come back tomorrow and i'll and i'll we'll start um and so with with some volunteers from the dollar lunch club from uc san diego um we set out um and to the the campsite we call tower 177 and started building this and immediately kind of as you you're saying also Amos, um, I, we had about a team of 10 people from, um, Columbia and Kyrgyzstan helping us, uh, build this, the shelter, uh, from,

from pallets, um, cardboard, uh, plastic sheeting tarps and, uh, James and myself and some other folks had been talking the night before, what are the different shelters and using all of our outdoor experience, wilderness experience and kind of putting it all together and having kind of a roundtable discussion like, well, I've seen this work before. way of using these pallets trying to find something that would be stable to um you know withstand wind conditions it being kind of uh you know resource uh smart making sure we're not overusing uh whatever would we have in some sort of super intricate design um and also something that we could we could assemble quite quickly and would be versatile so something we could do in different different settings and also building something and building a design that wouldn't be super hard for people to use. So yeah, so it just felt like

we were kind of just like kind of putting our heads together. And that's what we came up with was basically this super shelter that has basically a backbone of six pallets. And maybe, I don't know, James, it's possible to link some photos

or whatnot, but putting together basically... Great, great. Yeah, some sort of yurt-like structure that can be kind of designed or can be changed as it would be. And especially something that anybody who's using it gets to actually have, mimic their own home, their own setup.

So it's not something that we're kind of dictating how it needs to be used. But yeah, we've had a really positive experience and a lot of expertise from folks from kyrgyzstan um to kind of lead the way so we brought the tools and other folks who um were you going to use it uh basically created them who created a shelter uh um themselves yeah so that was that was our first experience. Amos' point was really a good one. And it's one I'd consider too. Like it's quite,

I don't want to compare the difficulties we encounter as volunteers to the difficulties Amos has just encountered and has just kind of shared with us in his journey because they're not the same. But like, it can be quite different.

I speak quite a few languages, but still with large groups of people who you can't speak to, you want to connect. You want to be like, I, what's happening to you is it's, it's disgusting and disgraceful. And it's not me. I'm not, I don't want it to happen. And I, it shouldn't be. And I want to be in community with you as much as I can. And so when we don't have that language,

the way that we can connect, one of the ways that we can connect is to grab a hammer or a screwdriver or something and start building something together. I love it. I love it. You're so right. You're so right, James. You are so on point, dude.

Hi, I'm Ed Zitron, host of the Better Offline podcast, and we're kicking off our second season digging into how tech's elite has turned Silicon Valley into a playground for billionaires. From the chaotic world of generative AI to the destruction of Google search, Better Offline is your unvarnished and at times unhinged look at the underbelly of tech from an industry veteran with nothing to lose. This season, I'm going to be joined by everyone from Nobel-winning economists to leading journalists in the field, and I'll be digging into why the products you love keep

getting worse and naming and shaming those responsible. Don't get me wrong, though. I love technology. I just hate the people in charge and want them to get back to building things that actually do things to help real people. I swear to God things can change if we're loud enough. So join me every week to understand what's happening in the tech industry and what could be done to make things better. Listen to Better Offline on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever else you get your podcasts. Check out betteroffline.com.

On Thanksgiving Day 1999, a five-year-old boy floated alone in the ocean. He had lost his mother trying to reach Florida from Cuba. He looked like a little angel. I mean, he looked so fresh. And his name, Elian Gonzalez, will make headlines everywhere. Elian Gonzalez. Elian. Elian. Elian.

Elian. Elian Gonzalez. everywhere. At the heart of the story is a young boy and the question of who he belongs with. His father in Cuba. Mr. Gonzalez wanted to go home and he wanted to take his son with him. Or his relatives in Miami. Imagine that your mother died trying to get you to freedom. At the heart of it all is still this painful family separation. Something that as a Cuban, I know all too well. Listen to Ches Peace, the Elian Gonzalez story, as part of the My Cultura podcast network available on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

I found out I was related to the guy that I was dating. I don't feel emotions correctly. I am talking to a felon right now, and I cannot decide if I like him or not. Those were some callers from my call-in podcast, Therapy Gecko. It's a show where I take real phone calls from anonymous strangers all over the world as a fake gecko therapist and try to dig into their brains and learn a little bit about their lives. I know that's a weird concept, but I promise it's pretty interesting if you give it a shot. Matter of fact, here's a few more examples

of the kinds of calls we get on this show. I live with my boyfriend and I found his piss jar in our apartment. I collect my roommate's toenails and see what's going on in someone else's head, search for Therapy Gecko on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. It's the one with the green guy on it. No, I mean, you know, it's just seeing that Ryobi drill was like heaven to me. I mean, I swear not to give, you know, any brands or whatever. I'm just saying. It's not my favorite brand for sure.

But you really, really, I mean, truly, like you guys say, I mean, it's just such a universal sort of language. Like as men and as women and as people, we want to build, we want to protect, we want to, I mean, I'm taking this journey to come to my kids and show them support and safety and protect. And it's happening, you know, right now I'm talking, I was talking to them earlier and, you know, they're excited to see their dad soon. And, you know, just that feeling of warmth. And I mean, this is what we do. This is what we do.

And then if you want to narrow it down and break it down to the basics it's just what it is it's the human level it's the human condition i mean really so these guys are going to go through this pain for what i mean clearly they're going through you know worse worse things and then that's the whole point that's what they're trying to do so um and then uh before i forget and then i don't hope i hope my phone doesn't you know die on me let me just give you the detention if you guys uh let me give you yeah yeah so before i you know uh so basically on i think it was monday we we uh get rounded up to what is an easily be compared to cattle, a wrench cattle kind of process where, you know, here, pick off your, your, your, your belt and everything. Yeah, that's familiar. But you know, there's a little extra, the bus driver is cussing at you like it's nobody's business. And, and, and, you know, gratuity is humiliation. And, you know, maybe you have one of them is nice, but the rest are just, you know gratuity is humiliation and you know maybe you have one of them is nice but the rest are just you know absolutely want to just uh tear you down as much as they can and um anyhow so we're lined up we're onto this bus that's behind the camp

closer to highway 80 i believe highway Highway 80, yes. And basically we're lined up, we're tagged, we're basically stripped of everything that could be quote-unquote dangerous. We're left with only one shirt in the middle of a cold morning.

And it doesn't matter man, woman, everybody is treated the same. I appreciate their equality on that issue. So then we are on a bus journey that's about an hour and a half, maybe two hours, maybe more. I'm trying to remember this very well because it's just, you know, it's important, I guess. San Diego, the San Diego sorting facility,

San Diego District sorting facility, a.k.a. MCU, that's what they call it. And basically, you know, your stuff is sorted and anything that needs to be thrown away is thrown away. And you're given, you become a, let me be clear, you become a subject. You're a subject now. You're not an alien.

You're a subject, James. Make sure you understand this. You are a subject, sir. Let's be clear about the naming structure. You are a subject. All right? So I'm given a subject number. Jesus.

Yeah, exactly. I mean mean i can't believe in this day and age i got used to the whole alien thing you know alien number but now it's a subject number so anyhow so we're done we've gone through that and then you you know you just look at people and the daziness and the confusion and confusion elders women babies it's just heart aching and again you have a couple of military uh border patrolmen tall and acting like they're in the marine corps they're just shouting left and right and they're like you know treating people like they were disposable so that's right there uh anyhow so that's the they call it the intake so you're doing the intake and you're lined up and you're

being stripped you're searched and then your backpack is taken away you open it up in front of them as if you were at the airport and then they throw away stuff that's even though they're not what's crazy is they're

the backpack is going to be zipped and they're going to be tagged and put away. So I'm not sure why throwing away food from the backpack is going to add anything or, you know, some things don't make sense, but I guess that's what it is. So then you're done with the intake, you sit down inside the central area, and you're waiting to be processed. Processing means fingerprints, picture, and then you write down. They take a copy of your passport, and in there you write down the address in which you will be, quote-unquote, released later on.

So that's that and then basically a couple hours later you're assigned a detention cell it's not it's a big place i mean it's not a cell like a small cell it's probably i don't know 20 by i don't know i'm bad with distances but the point is we're there uh we're taken to this place uh i don't know james i don't know what you think of this so so we they don't put uh handcuffs on us right but they tell you to put your hands behind your back as you're walking yeah very strange i don't understand what's the point of that like they insist of putting your hands as if they were handcuffed behind your back. Yeah.

As you're walking. That is a big rule. And if you don't do it, they get pissed at you. And I'm not going to lie to you. I'm always testing the water and I pissed them off a number of times. I did put my hands forward because I'm like, what are you trying to get to? You know, anyhow, so you get into your cell. Mine was 2A, all right?

2A. Yeah. Pod. I'm sorry. It's called, they're called pods. Pods. Yeah, yeah. Yeah, because, you know, we're into share, what is it?

Work share spaces, basically. Pods. Yeah, like your WeWork.are spaces, basically. Yeah. We work. Here we go. We work. So when we were there, you're giving gym mats,

gym mats. And then, you know, when we, when we all put our gym mats on the floor, imagine there is zero space in between. Like the whole pod is covered with gym mats not you have to walk on gym mats basically anywhere you go all right so that's that's the fact and then you're

giving these uh what do you call them there's the not thermals the little alloy foil blankets whatever yeah the mylar blankets yeah yeah thank you yeah those guys and they do kind of work but for me they're too small i mean i'm i guess i'm a tall guy i mean i don't know uh so either your foots are sticking out or your head is sticking out or whatever and i'm not the only one there's a lot of people like that so uh and then ac is blasting full speed 24 7 light full bright light 24 7 and uh yeah and then a lot of you know again they teach this in school in psychology 101 so light 24 7 ac freezing ac we're only allowed a shirt one shirt one shirt and then i'm talking about probably they have it on 55 60 60 60 no more than 60 degrees for sure all right and then you have people cold and getting sick and then uh they clean three

times a day to their credit where we all have to get out so the cleaning crew can come in. But here's the key. They clean at 8 in the morning, at 5 in the afternoon, and at midnight. So you can't sleep. Come on, dude. Really? Seriously?

And God forbid you ask. God forbid you ask because that's just not allowed. Anyhow, so midnight, exactly midnight, sharp, get out. People, everybody sleep. Everybody get up get up get out and there's no again it's it's you know we know these tactics we read about these this is like you know torture in a way you know i bet you somewhere in the geneva convention there's something about this i mean i'm sure

you know so so you know i didn't want to create too much drama the first day james Geneva Convention, there's something about this. I'm sure. So, I didn't want to create too much drama the first day, James. The second day, I started testing the water. I'm like, I'm being nice to everybody. Nobody speaks English, so I have to speak up for people. Some people need to go medicine or whatever. I speak for them, whatever.

And then some people just don't understand when their name is called for because it's misspelled. So I'll help with that. In general, like, you know, I literally would walk around and ask for extra blankets and things like that. That's all I've been doing. I hope the video will come out.

We're doing a few Freedom of Information Act requests. Hopefully we can get that. Yeah. Yeah. Hopefully we'll share that with you. I mean, it takes i mean they're gonna fight a tooth and nail they're gonna fight a tooth and nail yeah oh yeah exactly thank you thank you exactly so anyhow so uh yeah after the second day again they give you food i

mean food i guess food yeah they give you food um the second day uh I started asking the question, okay, when am I going to get my phone call? The first person said, oh, I'll pass on the request. By the end of the day, I've asked like three, four times to three, four different people. So the pods area is supervised by DHS police. And then the processing in the central area is done by BP. And BP and Customs and DHS hate each other. I mean, that's just clear.

They told me that to my face. They don't get along. All right? Right. So when you are talking to DHS police, because they're the one kind of the prison guards, they just don't talk to BP. They don't convey the information that you're as a prisoner.

So that's been difficult. So you would want to ask to go to the nurse or something. So on the way, you can try to pass on information. So I kind of located the situation. And then on the second day, I asked three times, I need my phone call. They came out and told me, you're crazy. We don't do phone calls. Stop asking.

So you're telling me I'm in U.S. soil. I don't get to see the outdoor 24-7. And you don't let me make a call to my lawyer or family. And that's when I just lost my shit. So by the end of the second day, I entered into a hunger strike. Oh, wow. Yeah, my body shut down completely. My body shut down completely.

People that have known me to be constantly active. I do yoga. I did yoga. People started following me, doing activities and trying to be constantly active i do i do yoga i do i did yoga that you know people will start following me doing activities and trying to be sharp uh you know stay sharp they saw me shut down completely i didn't i didn't eat or drink anything i mean completely i shut down everything all systems aboard that's it so right away my eyes are closed the next day they start freaking out they bring in the the wheelchair but before they you know just to let you know before they put me on the wheelchair with a baton they're just hammering me to make sure i'm this is real they're hammer i still

have bruises i still have like a red dot on on chest. You know what I mean? So, yeah. I mean, you know, the kindness of their heart. Yeah. Again, they're very hateful because of where they are and what's going on. So, yeah. So, yeah. So, I'm taken to the nurse. The nurse tells

me, what's going on? I told her, look, my body has shut down. My wife and kids don't know where i'm at they don't know if i'm alive or death uh or dead and i just can't eat or drink or anything listen uh sir uh it's okay if you don't want to eat but you have to drink well at least water or we're gonna put the iv we can give you iv or medic or anti-deppressants or anti-anxiety medicine. Listen, lady, I've never had antidepressants or medication. I rarely take medication.

I would not have medication. That is not an option. I don't want the IV. I don't want you to touch my body, period. This is me, fully aware of what the consequences are. And unless I get a hold of my Laura or call my family and tell them that I'm alive and where I'm at this is gonna last time I did this I did it for four or five days no problem so they started freaking out James this really they they called the big guns uh I think he was a lieutenant or whatever the ranking is and came in listen what's going what's going on? What are you doing, man? You can't be doing this in my house.

Again, my house. The guy owns the place. All right. So I'm like, listen, I'm done. If you don't give me my call, expect me to do this for the... I'll go to the end. I've done this against corrupt governments. And when I was arrested in Tunisia or whatever,

I can do this all day long, man, all day long. So he's like, you can't do this. This is ridiculous. I have 1800 people here. You're going to start a problem.

I don't want problems here. So he takes me straight up to the central area, puts me in front of phone, give me the phone number. I give him the phone number. He does my wife, bam, bam,

Shazam. I call her. They were still asleep at seven in the morning uh they have school at 8 30 so i gave her a voicemail uh i later found out that she did get the voicemail thank god and then she felt really good when she heard my voice and she knew what's going on yeah yeah so i don't know what to tell you man you know it's just a no man's land and it's just a dude when when i got to talk to the supervisor, when I escalated, because they took my DNA, like what? I told him, look, what's going on?

Why are you taking people's DNA? Like, what's going on? I told him, what are you accusing us for? Like, what is the accusation exactly? He said, you're not accused of anything. And what am I guilty of? You're not guilty of anything. So why are you taking my DNA?

And then when he just, because this is the guy, the main guy. And what am I guilty of? You're not guilty of anything. So why are you taking my DNA? And then when he just, because this is the guy, the main guy, this is the guy that I saw coming in on the intake. And then later on in the outtake, he's got like 20 screens in front of him. He's manning the border. He's like, you know, it's the main guy. Like it's him. So I told him, do you have your DNA, your own DNA taken?

He said, yes, I did. Okay. I told him if your DNA was taken and you can take mine, your own DNA taken? He said, yes, I did. Okay, I told him, if your DNA was taken, then you can take mine. That's fine. So they're taking people's DNA to put it in their database. And if you don't sign, they don't let you. They don't let you out. So you can stay there indefinitely until you do your DNA.

How is this okay? Yeah. And you're not guilty of anything, James. You're not guilty of anything. Right. That's the key. So you're not guilty of anything. I mean, I understand guilty of anything. Right. That's the key. So you're not guilty of anything. I mean, I understand if you're arrested for a misdemeanor or a felony,

and, you know, in states they take your DNA, I get it. But if you're – there is no accusation, there's no guilty, and yet you're taking my DNA for what? For what? So it was really rough, then they were very very nasty i mean one lady miss diaz i will never forget her officer diaz i mean she was cussing left and right left and right left and right and then i lost it man when i when when she had me for, I think they had me do, sign papers again. So I was simply asking, why am I signing the same papers again? Do you want to leave or do you want to leave?

Do you want to leave or do you want to leave? And then on the same time, James, as she talks to me, she pauses, she looks at her colleagues, and she's smiling to them, and she's talking to them so nice. I simply thought, why are you talking nicely to your friends and you're so mean to us like why why are you doing this like what is what is the problem did i did i did i call your names did i say something bad no but you're not my friend yeah but even if i'm not your friend why are you cussing at me why are you saying these bad things that shut her down that totally shut her down james i mean it was

a completely different person after that because it was down james i mean it was a completely different person after that because it was in front of her boss it was in front of her boss i mean i'm telling you man they're just this is what happens when you have zero accountability zero i mean anybody this is basic fruity fruiting understanding of psychology 101, that if you give someone ultimate power, they're going to take advantage. And, you know, I don't know what to tell you, man. I feel bad for the people in that detention because, you know, I'm not saying they're being tortured,

but it's just, you know, the little drops of water on your head? Yeah. You know, after a while, you can turn something. There's one guy from Russia that was there for three weeks wow three weeks there's one guy from brazil that was there for for a week come on man i mean seriously like that's too much yeah that's too much so that's a crazy you know that was horrific and then when I was leaving, I found out that they put the wrong address on my release form. And I don't know if you know anything about the US immigration

bureaucracy, James. It is horrific. It is horrific. All it takes is one wrong digit in the address, they send the paperwork to the wrong address. Oh, we did it. We sent it. We don't care. We don't care. You know what I mean? And then you're basically waiting all your life then and that's pretty much what happened to me before when i was in the united states and then you know they don't care always to take it up with the with the u.s postal service are you serious like you know you're going to put someone in jail and because you send them the wrong address anyhow so anyhow so i came back from the bus the bus is loaded we're leaving i came back to look you got you know you got the wrong address here like you know what's going on do you want to leave or do you want to stay do you want to leave that's all that's all they talk about it's like a favor she's doing it's not like

a law thing it's not the due process no no i'll be more than happy to stick you in there because you complain about a mistake that we made on your on your form it's just yeah the whole thing it's it's just there's no need to to make it as cruel and as hard and look people have people have died uh in the outdoor detention in in another site not not the place where you have been in san diego right like and it's a tragedy and And it doesn't have to happen. And it doesn't have to be disindignified. And yeah, I think maybe people would have disagreements about the immigration, the different immigration laws.

And they might feel differently to the way I do or you do or Emmett and David do. But I don't think anyone in their right mind would really justify the way you've been treated and and you can multiply that by thousands right and you're fortunate enough to be in relatively good health and not too young or not too old or not too sick for this to be a deadly trip and still it's obviously had a massive effect on you. And I can understand why. I mean, I'm having a little bit of nightmares, to be honest with you,

because what bugs me the most is those kids. And then on top of it, it's overwhelming because I was thrust in a position where, sadly, I mean, I had to pick up for a lot of people. I mean, you know, yes, my family tragedy is an issue. But I mean, you know, I don't want to talk too much about what I did in Tunisia, but I was standing up against corruption and against bribery and things like that.

And that caused me a lot of problems and it caused me I mean, being in a blacklist in a government that's ever going negatively, you know, and jailing activists and jailing citizens for for speech it's sad that that's tunisia the home of the arab spring now is turning into another dictatorship sadly so um you know i didn't want to use that as a reason but i mean it is what ruined my personal life because I was constantly being

you know uh harassed and and pushed and shocked by Tunisian you know a-holes uh and then here I am to find myself in you know like with a deja vu kind of feeling with these gratuitous insults for nothing. So that, that kind of triggered me a lot, big time, James. Yeah.

And then it felt like, you know, what is life worth? I mean, I know I'm coming from kids and they're the love of my life and, and then my wife as well. But, you know, I want them to remember their dad as someone who sticks up for, for, for others. And, you know, I want them to remember their dad as someone who sticks up for others.

And, you know, James, the most difficult part was David mentioned the Persian guys, the running guys. guys, the running guys. You know, I got annoyed a little bit, James, because they were really lining up behind me and holding my hand, begging me to help them get out. Yeah. And because I'm the only one that spoke the language, and it felt like, you know, they didn't have any recourse and a detention center.

I'm not going to lie to you, James, that was very difficult. That was very difficult. That was very difficult. I felt like when I was leaving, I was leaving friends, brothers, sisters, brothers behind. And that stuck with me, dude. Yeah, I understand.

It's just two people specifically that really, really, really, really were stuck on me. And it's just, what is this world for? What are we doing all this for? These are genuine, decent human beings. This country needs as many workers and as many new citizens as possible. Instead of just shoving these people with hatred, just align them, just give them a chance,

just rehab, just kind of make sure they know the language. They do all this and they're good. They all want to work. They all want to be good. Nobody that I met there is into drugs or anything. You know, it drugs or anything it sucks because it's like shooting yourself in the foot it doesn't make sense

and I really felt really sad and on a lighter note getting into eventually released and getting on the bus and going to the Central Elementary, I believe it's called. And I just got out of the bus, and I can hear the voices,

Amos, Amos, Amos, everybody's calling. And I'm like, it's getting dark and I can't see. I can't see the people. But I found like at least 20 or 18 people that were with me there. And they were like, they were crying and they were like, thank you. Thank you. Thank you. And, you know, it was really heartwarming.

It was really heartwarming. It was really heartwarming, and I appreciate that they recognized what we did, what we tried to do. A bunch of Mauritanians, Colombians, Mexicans, Ecuadorians. I mean, you name it. It was just a Turkish, an older gentleman, an Iranian. The Iranians, the same Iranians that I helped get onto the bus from Willow, the same guys eventually all, I found them at Central. And it was really nice to see them and for them to just literally jump on me almost and tell me thank you in so many languages I appreciate that so I just hope all this

this kind of get somewhere where they understand that it doesn't have to be this way it really doesn't and we're not asking I'm not asking either get more people or do this I'm just saying there is little tweaks that are not meant to

increase the immigration or or make it impossible or anything it's just little tweaks to you know to get this system a little better that's all that's all i'm saying personally yeah make it a little kinder and i think like it's always that way right like it's people helping each other even when the government doesn't help them and like yeah yeah yeah we just got news oh I was there yesterday that that all the shelters at one of the sites were torn down so like it's we'll have to go back and build them again but um yeah yeah people will because I think we all at least all of us here think that people should be treated with dignity and that they deserve a little better than they're being given currently. And have you been able to reunite with your children yet, or is that still in your future?

Yes, it's technically on Thursday. I'm supposed to reunite with them. I am getting there on steps. I'm financially not run out with them. I am getting there on steps. I'm financially not viable right now. I'm relying on some friends who got me up to Los Angeles right now. And then

we're collecting money for gas and my wife Lauren will be coming down on Thursday with the kids and then we're going to go to her mom's in Lancaster for a Christmas party that she does. And then from there, we'll make it back up to Pismo.

And in Pismo, my wife was sheltering at her sister's, but the house is overcrowded, and there's no way I can stay there. So that's something that I'm trying to figure out and where to stay. And I don't have friends up there. I don't have anything. So that's a problem that I'm having to deal with. And on the same time, I was given April 12th as a court date in Van Nuys. And I have to deal with a lawyer.

And we contacted lawyers. And they're expensive, the pro bono lawyers that we called, they're not taking new cases. So I knew it was going to be difficult. But when you're in it and you think that it will be kind of a little better, but it's definitely not looking good. But, you know, I'll be close to my kids somehow, and that's what matters to me. But it's just a struggle. I was at Congressman Schiff's office.

I mean, what kind of resources do you have for immigrants? I just need a little bit of a start so I can get back on my feet. And I kept them in touch since I can get back on my feet. And I kept them in touch since I was in Africa through the trip. They're the only Congress office that at least interacted with us.

Me and my wife. But, you know, she looked at me from behind the glass door and she said, good luck. She sent me the county immigrant affairs office link and she told me good luck

and said bye bye and that's all that she did so it's tiring and I'm not giving up of course but it's very and not giving up of course, but it's just, it's very difficult,

James. Yeah, no, it's, yeah, it shouldn't be this hard or this complicated or this taxing, especially when your family are here already. I'm just trying to be,

I don't, I mean, my wife is on welfare and they keep cutting her welfare smaller and smaller. Just, we have two kids. I just need a chance to get back on my feet and be a good father, work. I can't work right now.

I'm not allowed to work. Yeah. And I have to find money for the lawyer. I have to find money for me and my kids. It's really quite a humbling experience. And I know I don't want to rely on anybody, but I mean, it's just, it's hard. It's hard.

Yeah, no, it is. And like, I don't know how people are expected to pay for their legal representation when they're also expected not to work. It's just, it's a system that seems to design to be as cruel and complicated as possible. Yet, you know, the jobs are available. The jobs are available, James.

I mean, I contacted about four or five places. My previous work experience in LA and in California was logistics and car rental and stuff like that. I told my previous bosses, they all told me, come over. Get your stuff figured out and come over. We'll find you a job. So we have plenty of vacancies basically i mean you know so um uh but you know here you are here you are here you are yeah man look it's it's i've heard so many of these stories but they don't stop upsetting me and I'm glad in a way because

they're bad and they shouldn't be upsetting to everyone who hears them and I'm sure everyone who hears this will want to do whatever they can to make this a little easier Hi, I'm Ed Zitron, host of the Better Offline podcast and we're kicking off our second season digging into how tech's elite has turned Silicon Valley into a playground for billionaires.

From the chaotic world of generative AI to the destruction of Google search, Better Offline is your unvarnished and at times unhinged look at the underbelly of tech from an industry veteran with nothing to lose. This season, I'm going to be joined by everyone from Nobel winning economists to leading journalists in. This season, I'm going to be joined by everyone from Nobel-winning economists to leading journalists in the field, and I'll be digging into why the products you love keep getting worse and naming and shaming those responsible. Don't get me wrong, though.

I love technology. I just hate the people in charge and want them to get back to building things that actually do things to help real people. I swear to God things can change if we're loud enough. So join me every week to understand what's happening in the tech industry and what could be done to make things better. Listen to Better Offline on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever else you get your podcasts.

Check out betteroffline.com. On Thanksgiving Day 1999, a five-year-old boy floated alone in the ocean. He had lost his mother trying to reach Florida from Cuba. He looked like a little angel. I mean, he looked so fresh. And his name, Elian Gonzalez, will make headlines everywhere. Elian Gonzalez. Elian. Elian.

Elian. Elian. Elian. Elian Gonzalez. At the heart of the story is a young boy and the question of who he belongs with. His father in Cuba. Mr. Gonzalez wanted to go home and he wanted to take his son with him. Or his relatives in Miami.

Imagine that your mother died trying to get you to freedom. At the heart of it all is still this painful family separation. Something that as a Cuban, I know all too well. Listen to Chess Peace, the Elian Gonzalez story, as part of the My Cultura podcast network, available on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I found out I was related to the guy that I was dating.

I don't feel emotions correctly. I am talking to a felon right now, and I cannot decide if I like him or not. Those were some callers from my call-in podcast, Therapy Gecko. It's a show where I take real phone calls from anonymous strangers all over the world as a fake gecko therapist and try to dig into their brains and learn a little bit about their lives. I know that's a weird concept, but I promise it's pretty interesting if you give it a shot. Matter of fact, here's a few more examples of the kinds of calls we get on this show. I live with my boyfriend and I found his piss jar in our apartment. I collect

my roommate's toenails and fingernails. I have very overbearing parents. Even at the age of 29, they won't let me move out of their house. So if you want an excuse to get out of your own head and see what's going on in someone else's head, search for Therapy Gecko on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. It's the one with the green guy on it.

podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. It's the one with the green guy on it. Are there like any orgs or non-profits that have been helping you since you've got in the US that you think people should? Oh man, nothing, nothing. I mean, it's been, you know, those who call very centric as far as Asian Americans or this or that is very specific.

But migrants from Africa have the hardest time of everyone. I'm telling you, no joke. And if you're a father trying to make it to your kids and trying to do right by your kids, it doesn't mean anything, nothing, absolutely nothing. That's terrible, man. Yeah. This is the first Christmas for the kids outside of

where they grew up. I really wanted to make it as family friendly and happy as possible but I don't even have the capacity to give them gifts or anything or even I don't know

it's just going to be hard yeah fuck man it is yeah yeah sorry that's I know it's okay I mean I'm just I'm just a drop in an ocean of despair when it comes to immigrants and I'm just a drop in an ocean of despair when it comes to immigrants.

And I'm getting messages from some of them in New York, some of them in North Carolina, some of them in Illinois, a couple in California. I mean, they're still desperate for help, especially with language and all that. So, you know, I'm grinding and I'm doing the best I can, but, you know, it's a reality check. It's a reality check. Yeah, no, it's really, I mean, it's sickening how quickly you can be cut out to nothing when the state doesn't care about you. Amos, I want to thank you so much for giving us your story

and your time and being so open with us because I think that's the only way that this stuff changes is that people hear, like numbers are great and your story is one of tens of thousands, but I think sometimes we need to hear individual stories to understand the human impact of this true true and like we'll stay in touch you have my phone number absolutely anytime anything you need anything we can do for you yeah i mean i can't i can't wait to come down to the border

i'm not giving up on the border dude i'm not i want to bring uh at some point my kids to see the price and then i want to contribute I want to find a way to give back I want to I know I can't do it right now but it's in my mind and I know I'm not going to give up on that on that dream of coming back there and continue to help with the volunteers

that's very kind of you yeah but when you come down let me know I'll bring some tools and we can build some sounds good sounds good sounds good I'm just like I'm just for processing yeah me too for processing this and like

hearing Amos say all this is like fuck like that's the conversation right just what he's saying and it's accountability it's human nature like something in the way that he was saying that I was just like taking a pause on everything that I wanted to share. Because I really like it hit to the core

of like my own frustration with our responses. It's not getting to the point that like, what he was sharing. I don't know the words right now to say that. My mind is now totally mush. We'll end it there. I do want to give both of you a chance to plug any uh and all organizations that you think can help and because the people are going

to listen to this we'll break it up into two parts uh people will want to alleviate the suffering and there are people including yourselves and myself trying to do that so uh if there's an organization that you'd like to plug fundraiser you'd like to plug please do well just the way the conversation ended um the thing that i was thinking is uh you know just a a uh you know anybody listening to to the to what amos has said, just one very small but perhaps meaningful thing would be to do something to enable him to buy some presents

for his kids. I think that would be pretty cool. We'll see you next time. as they explore queer sex, cruising, relationships, and culture in the new iHeart podcast, Sniffy's Cruising Confessions. Sniffy's Cruising Confessions will broaden minds and help you pursue your true goals. You can listen to Sniffy's Cruising Confessions, sponsored by Gilead, now on the iHeartRadio app or wherever you get your podcasts. New episodes every Thursday.

Hi, I'm Ed Zitron, host of the Better Offline podcast, and we're kicking off our second season digging into tech's elite and how they've turned Silicon Valley into a playground for billionaires. From the chaotic world of generative AI to the destruction of Google search, Better Offline is your unvarnished and at times unhinged look at the underbelly of tech brought to you by an industry veteran with nothing to lose. Listen to Better Offline on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, wherever else you get your podcasts from.

The 2025 iHeart Podcast Awards are coming. This is the chance to nominate your podcast for the industry's biggest award. Submit your podcast for nomination now at iHeart.com slash podcast awards. But hurry, submissions close on December 8th. Hey, you've been doing all that talking. It's time to get rewarded for it. Submit your podcast today at iHeart.com slash podcast awards. That's iHeart.com slash podcast

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