At the People’s State of the Union, Ansari Shares Story of Yari, Who is Dying in ICE Custody

Ansari's Guest Was Sonia Almaraz, Yari's Partner

WASHINGTON - Last night, Rep. Yassamin Ansari (AZ-03) was joined by her guest, Sonia Almaraz, at MeidasTouch and MoveOn's "People's State of the Union," a rally counterprogramming President Donald Trump's address to Congress. Together, they shared the story of Yari, Sonia's loved one, who has spent more than a year detained while suffering from leukemia and medical neglect at the Eloy Detention Center in Central Arizona.

"Yari is a lawful permanent resident-a green card holder-who under Donald Trump's cruel mass deportation agenda was stripped of legal status. While Yari suffers in detention, Donald Trump stands before Congress and continues to lie to the American people," said Rep. Ansari. "The real state of our union is whether people like Yari are safe. Whether the sick receive care. Whether human dignity still matters."

"I'm honored to stand with you to expose Trump's real State of the Union," said Sonia Almaraz. "Yari is not a criminal. And for a year now I have had to watch her health deteriorate at the hands of ICE. We demand her medical release immediately."

WATCH

See transcript of Rep. Ansari's remarks below.

Good evening, America! I'm Congresswoman Yassamin Ansari, and I proudly represent Arizona's Third District.

Tonight, I'm honored to stand with Sonia Almaraz.

Sonia's loved one is Yari.

Yari is a lawful permanent resident - a green card holder - who under Donald Trump's cruel mass deportation agenda was stripped of legal status.

For over a year, Yari has been locked inside the Eloy Detention Center in Arizona.

Yari has leukemia. When I visited her, she was too weak to stand. While I sat with her, I watched her vomit blood.

And tonight, while Yari suffers in detention, Donald Trump stands before Congress and continues to lie to the American people.

He claims he's going after the "worst of the worst."

That's a lie. Yari has no criminal record.

Meanwhile, this administration and their Republican enablers in Congress handed 75 billion dollars to ICE, expanding its power while gutting accountability.

And let's be clear about who built this machine: Stephen Miller architected this cruel immigration agenda from the ground up, an agenda rooted in fear, division, and the belief that some people simply do not belong.

Masked agents. Violent raids without transparency. Communities living in fear. That is not public safety. That is authoritarianism.

And the Secretary of Homeland Security, Kristi Noem, oversees it. If a Cabinet official allows this level of abuse and medical neglect under her watch, she should be impeached.

Authoritarianism is when the government cages the sick. It is when cruelty becomes policy. It is when federal power is turned inward against our own people.

My parents fled an authoritarian regime in Iran. They came to this country because America was supposed to be different.

This country welcomed them. It allowed them to work hard and build a better life.

And in one generation, they watched their daughter become the first Iranian-American Democrat elected to Congress. That is the promise of America.

And I refuse to let it be dismantled.

The real state of our union is whether people like Yari are safe. Whether the sick receive care. Whether human dignity still matters.

So tonight, we say together, FREE YARI.

FREE YARI.

Because she belongs here. She deserves care. She deserves dignity. And she deserves freedom.

Sonia, I want to turn it over to you now, to share your and Yari's story.

See transcript of Sonia's remarks below.

Thank you, Congresswoman Ansari.

I'm honored to stand with you tonight to expose Trump's real State of the Union.

Yari is not a criminal. And for a year now I have had to watch her health deteriorate at the hands of ICE.

Yari has lost over 70 pounds. She's been coughing blood for months on a daily basis. She's too weak to stand. She has been diagnosed with lymphedema and arthritis on top of her cancer. And now relies on a walker just to move.

Her suffering is preventable. Yet ICE has denied her basic medical care.

Yari es una compañera amorosa, amiga y miembro de la comunidad que merece dignidad humana.

We demand her medical release immediately.

Exigimos su libertad inmediata para su cuidado médico.

Let us get her back to health so she can continue to fight her immigration case.

FREE YARI!

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