Provisional Release successfully extended!

We have some news from the APFS office.

Today, I went to the Immigration Bureau with one of the 17 families applying for Special Residence Permission. Each family needs to go to Immigration periodically to extend their provisional release status, and staff from APFS accompanies them on each trip.Fortunately, the extension was approved today, which comes as a small relief. But we know that, with each return, we have to prepare ourselves for the possibility of detention.

As a rule, Immigration requires that individual/s seeking provisional release extensions talk with Immigration Bureau staff for what they refer to as "convincing applicants to return 'home'". However, applicants usually experience this as intimidation. Thus it comes as no surprise that the family today was told, "There is no difference between your case and the Calderon's. How do you think this will end?" That is, Immigration staff overtly insinuated that they can deport the family at any time.

It was an awful feeling seeing the family's teary eyes when they returned after the talk was over. It always is.