Mamadou Mouctar Diallo had just begun to feel settled in his new life in Brooklyn when everything turned upside down last summer. The immigrant from Guinea had been taking classes in American history and culinary arts at Brooklyn Frontiers High School when a hearing about his immigration status came up.
After attending a routine court hearing at 26 Federal Plaza on August 4, he was suddenly taken by federal immigration officials after taking bad advice from a private lawyer and remained in detention for the next four months.
Released in November after enduring what he described as “horrifying conditions” in a Pennsylvania detention center, Diallo has a remarkably positive outlook on his life, as he looks forward to graduating this summer.
“Obviously, this was a life-changing situation,” explained Diallo, who spoke in French through a translator for an interview with BK Reader. “I’m trying to stay positive. I take it as a lesson.”
Shelter and High School Life
Diallo first arrived in the U.S. in 2024 after fearing for his life in his home country, Guinea. He was first taken to the Humanitarian Emergency Response and Relief Center (HERRC) on Randall’s Island, before settling in Brooklyn.
His first few days were so tumultuous, Diallo said he contemplated returning to Guinea. On his first night at the shelter, someone was killed.
“It was really traumatic because I was an immigrant alone in the country. I had no support, no family here,” he said.
However, in September 2024, Diallo decided to attend Brooklyn Frontiers High School in Downtown Brooklyn, one of the ways he could continue staying in a city-run emergency shelter beyond 60-days. The school, a transfer high school that offers individualized support for students who are over 18 or more than two years behind academically, became a huge support system, he said.
He soon moved into an apartment with roommates, paid his own rent, working up to four hours a day after school as a food delivery driver. Despite his intense schedule, Diallo relishes the sense of community he has during the day.
“School is really amazing,” said Diallo, who likes to conduct cooking demos in class. “Not only was I getting an education, but I was also getting a lot of help from my teachers and friends. It [is] basically a family.”
The Detainment
On his immigration hearing date on Aug. 4, Diallo initially invoked his right to remain silent and was permitted to leave. However, his private lawyer who was with him at the time, gave his name and information to an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent and Diallo was taken into custody, eventually landing at Pike County Correctional Facility in Pennsylvania.
“This is unfortunately something we’ve seen before,” said Ellie Rutkey, a staff attorney with The Door who has been working with Diallo since his detainment. “Young people like Mouctar go to these private lawyers who charge thousands of dollars and, at best, don’t do anything on their case, and at worst, actively make decisions that get young people like Mouctar detained.”
Given the complex and evolving nature of immigration law, Rutkey explained that many private lawyers lack the experience to provide competent defense to their clients. It’s difficult for immigrants who might not be proficient in English to discern who is able to provide adequate legal representation. Additionally, ICE regularly uses intimidation tactics to coerce information from legal teams, she said.
Life in the detention center was grueling, Diallo said. ICE agents sporadically forced people to move locations, turned on the lights at random intervals, and made noise at midnight to prevent a good night’s sleep. The stress gave Diallo a constant, pounding headache for months.
In the event of injury or illness, Diallo said he would wait for treatment because he couldn’t take being treated like a criminal.
“I saw a lot of people lose [their] spirit and almost go crazy,” he told BK Reader. “It was an environment where you could never feel safe and never feel comfortable. They treated us like criminals or murderers or worse.”
Diallo said he felt extremely lucky because his peers and teachers from Brooklyn Frontiers regularly visited him while he was detained, including teacher Suzannah Tartan, who continued to give him English lessons. It was the visitors who kept his fighting spirits up, Diallo said.
“Being in school, that was the most support I received since entering the U.S.,” he said. “There were a lot of things I left behind when I was detained. The support I received was really crucial to get me back where I am now.”
In a moment of divine intervention, Diallo was praying to be released when ICE agents told him to pack his bags. He didn’t believe what was happening until he saw his principal and guidance counselor waiting outside to take him home.
The Future
Diallo, supported by The Door and The Legal Aid Society, has received asylum status and awaits court proceedings for his green card. In conjunction with catching up on months of missed schoolwork, he’s now an advocate for immigration rights and is working to educate his peers through Know Your Rights workshops.
Rutkey said she is thrilled with the outcome of Diallo’s case, but stresses that the immigration system has only gotten worse for people in similar situations.
“We’ve seen ICE and other arms of the immigration system taking new approaches to detain or harm people in the course of trying to pursue applications that they have the right to pursue,” said Rutkey.
A recent tactic involves ICE lawyers asking judges to pretermit asylum claims. Rather than allowing asylum seekers to plead their cases, these lawyers request that judges reject claims and send asylum seekers to other countries. This would theoretically allow someone to seek asylum elsewhere, but it often leaves vulnerable people without resources in countries they’ve never been to, according to Rutkey.
As for Diallo, these days he’s focused on his summer graduation. He continues to grapple with his trauma from his weeks in detention, but he is hopeful for his future and would like to become a lawyer.
“You shouldn’t let your past affect your present and future,” Diallo said. “I’m just looking forward.”
