Jessica Cheung
Appearances
The Daily
Family Separation 2.0
Isla says her dad's new detention center in Pine Prairie, Louisiana, is nothing like the one in Plymouth.
The Daily
Family Separation 2.0
When Isla talks to her dad now, things feel different. She senses that the brave face her dad had put on is starting to crack.
The Daily
Family Separation 2.0
Oh, man. Would you ever consider moving to Brazil to be with your dad if it came to that?
The Daily
Family Separation 2.0
I wanted to ask, you know, what do you make of the fact that for a lot of Americans, your father's story, while sympathetic, might at the end of the day feel like, yeah, he ultimately was here, not legally. What would you say to those people who might agree with the administration's policies to remove people like your dad who don't have documentation here?
The Daily
Family Separation 2.0
I'm really thinking about how your dad coached you through the interview that you did to obtain that internship and how... if your dad is deported back to Brazil, that that's going to be the permanent state of your relationship, that he's always going to have to coach you from afar, father you from afar. I wonder if you've thought about that. Has that sunk in with you?
The Daily
Family Separation 2.0
I guess at this point, you know, you're in college right now. You're studying architecture and interior design. And you picked that major because you hope that you could eventually work with your dad. And that dream is looking dimmer and dimmer. What is that dream now?
The Daily
Family Separation 2.0
Have you dreamt about reuniting with your dad on the other hand? And if so, when you picture seeing him, where do you imagine it will be? And what do you think he'll look like?
The Daily
Family Separation 2.0
I first spoke to Isla back in February. This was a month into the Trump administration, which had promised quick and mass deportations. I was calling immigration lawyers around the country, trying to get a sense of who exactly was getting targeted for deportation and how ICE was fining them. And that's when a lawyer called me back, saying you got to talk to Isla.
The Daily
Family Separation 2.0
Right now, Isla's a sophomore at Wentworth Institute of Technology in Massachusetts, where she's studying architecture and interior design. She was raised in a town called Saugus, just outside Boston, where days before we had talked, her dad was detained by ICE officers. Tell me a little bit about your dad. What is his name? How old is he? And what does he do?
The Daily
Family Separation 2.0
Ayla told me in 2001 her dad had settled here in Massachusetts as an undocumented immigrant. He'd come here from Brazil. This was three years before Ayla was born. Tell me about why he left Brazil.
The Daily
Family Separation 2.0
When he first got here, he lived with his aunt who was already here. But eventually he met Isla's mom, who was also from Brazil.
The Daily
Family Separation 2.0
and they moved out on their own, with money Fabrizio made by working in construction.
The Daily
Family Separation 2.0
Even though he wasn't fluent in English, he had this way of connecting with people.
The Daily
Family Separation 2.0
It sounds like you and your dad shared a special bond over your love of building things. So I wonder if you have like an early memory of him sharing that love of construction with you.
The Daily
Family Separation 2.0
Isla says her dream is that her dad's company becomes a family company with her.
The Daily
Family Separation 2.0
So fast forward to today, the dream that you described your dad having for you guys was in progress. Like you're in college, your dad is working hard at a business that he owns. When Trump was inaugurated on January 20th, did your family have conversations about what precautions you guys would take given that he was aggressively pursuing people without documentation?
The Daily
Family Separation 2.0
Fabrizio had no criminal record, and he didn't want to hide from law enforcement. He wanted to do things the right way. He's had a pending application for a visa. In the meantime, he's been checking in with ICE. He's been doing that for 12 years. In February, just one month after Trump's inauguration, he was due for another check-in.
The Daily
Family Separation 2.0
And so her dad shows up to his check-in like he always does. And it was soon after that that her mom called her in class, notifying Isla that her dad had been detained.
The Daily
Family Separation 2.0
Isla's dad was detained on February 26. He was taken to the Plymouth County Correctional Facility, about an hour's drive away from their home. Eventually, Isla was able to reach him on the phone.
The Daily
Family Separation 2.0
Isla's dad told her to hold strong, too. He said the detention center wasn't so bad. He told her he'd gotten a job cleaning, which allowed more time outside of his cell. He started a Bible study with a group of other detainees, and he was allowed visitors everywhere.
The Daily
Family Separation 2.0
But as the days in custody turn into weeks, the two of them adapted to a new version of their relationship. No visits. They talk on the phone. A lot. As often as five times a day.
The Daily
Family Separation 2.0
What are some of the updates that you give him on how life was going for you?
The Daily
Family Separation 2.0
Inside the cell, time had stopped for Isla's dad. For Isla, on the other hand, life went on and her dad didn't want to miss out on it.
The Daily
Family Separation 2.0
These calls went on for two months. And then in April, Isla learned of two major developments. First, Ice was going to enforce an order of removal against her dad, which meant he could be deported immediately. Second, Ice was moving him over 1,600 miles to a notorious detention center in Louisiana, which had been investigated by the Department of Homeland Security for alleged abuses.
The Daily
Family Separation 2.0
Yes, I can. I gave her a call on a recent Sunday. How was your Easter Sunday?