Escaped deportation, but not abuse
"Paulo Monte admits contemplating suicide several times as an escape from the "nightmare" he lived through under the custody of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency.
Monte, 40, a legal permanent resident of the United States since he was five months old, spent the last 18 months in jail fighting relentlessly against his deportation to Portugal.
In addition to the complex legal battle he faced trying to preserve his right to stay in this country, he claims he was subject to abusive treatment and inadequate medical care during his detention and often threatened with retaliation if he sought to seek medical attention.
"No one wants to listen to us in there [ICE detention]," Monte told O Jornal. "I thought of suicide. My family and daughter kept me going."
On June 1, he was released after a U.S. Immigration Court judge terminated his case without prejudice, finding him "not removable" from the United States and waving an appeal.
Monte said the whole experience has left him deeply disturbed."
LURDES C. da SILVA in O Jornal.