Se Siento El Miedo, 2016 by Michelle Anglea Ortiz

Se Siento El Miedo, 2016

By Michelle Anglea Ortiz

Se Siento El Miedo captures video stills of my “Familias Separadas” project, which documents the stories of immigrant families affected by deportations in the city of Philadelphia. “They (ICE) arrested me and I was detained for about 8 hours… I got out of there around 6… They sent me home but with a probation ankle monitor. I had to put it on and not leave the house in 12 hours. Only for about 12 hours during daylight I could move around out of the house, but in the evening I had to be back home. and not leave the house in 12 hours. Only for about 12 hours during daylight I could move around out of the house, but in the evening I had to be back home. And …I had that on me for about 4 months and I went to work with it, and came back home in the evening. Every two weeks they would come and search my house. They frequently made phone calls to me. At the beginning, I had to sign papers every week and later every two weeks. Until I could get rid of that thing, I felt that I was in prison. To tell you the truth I was not in peace in the street, doing the shopping or anything. I used to work for about ten hours, so I had only half hour to go to work and another half hour to come back home. That was about all the time I could spent outside, and I could not hang out in the street. I feel… yes! I’m a little scared but not a lot now… as I used to feel, I think this is the way it should be. Step by step you get to learn what you can get from this country …you have few rights.”

Time & Memory Project