COUNTRY OF ORIGIN
LANGUAGE
Cuba, 38%
Spanish, 94%
Honduras, 25%
Other, 6% Achi, Creole,English, French,Galician,Garifuna, Kaqchikel,Lingala, Macedonian, Man, Portuguese, Qanjobal, Qeqchi, Quiche, Swahili
El Salvador, 10% Guatemala, 8% Venezuela, 7% Nicaragua, 3% Mexico, 2% Haiti, 2% Other, 5% Angola,Belize,Brazil,Cambodia, Cameroon,China,Colombia,the Congo,Côte D’ivoire,the Democratic Republic of the Congo,Ecuador,Guinea, Kenya,Peru,Sierra Leone, Spain, and Uganda
reporting primary languages such as Haitian Creole, English, and Garifuna, the actual number of non-Spanish speakers is likely higher due to the stigma associated with being Indigenous or, generally, a non-Spanish speaker. Non-Spanish speakers reported fearing additional persecution, bias from the government and medical professionals, and isolation. Language access and its impacts on meaningful access to counsel and medical care will be discussed in greater detail in later sections.
On average, adult women clients were older than adults detained as parents in a family unit. The average age of adult women clients was 31, but clients ranged in age from 18 to 74. At the time of detention, at least 955 women were under the age of 25 and at least 103 women were over 55. With ICE’s shift to the detention of adult women, RAICES saw a shift towards asylum claims based on sexual and domestic violence. In terms of medical
20
