Back to Newsletter Subscription Form

Cost conscious immigration officials recently announced plans to close Wackenhut Detention Center. Located near Kennedy Airport, Wackenhut was one of the East Coast's largest and most notorious facilities for holding immigrants seeking political asylum. Held in rooms with little light or privacy, Wackenhut's detainees were often subjected to strip searches and rarely had opportunities to receive visitors. According to immigration officials, Wackenhut's detainees will either be released or moved to Elizabeth Detention Center in neighboring New Jersey. Though a more cost-effective facility, Elizabeth hardly has a better reputation than Wackenhut. In 1995, refugees at Elizabeth rioted in response to harsh treatment by guards and poor conditions at the center. The sorry state of some detention centers is but one of the reasons that political asylum is a controversial issue. The very definition of who should be granted asylum is open to discussion. In 1994, Attorney General Janet Reno reshaped this debate by recognizing persecution based on sexual orientation, gender identity and HIV status as grounds for asylum. The plight of gay, bi-sexual and transgender refugees is the subject of Tara's Crossing, a new play currently running at the Tenement Theatre. The story of a transgendered asylum seeker's journey from Guyana to a U.S. detention center not unlike Wackenhut, Tara's Crossing makes a powerful case for the free expression of sexual orientation and gender identity. The latest exhibit in the Windows of 97 Orchard, RE:MIXED examines both the diverse journeys of recent immigrants and how these new arrivals have impacted New York City. Opening night reception on June 30th from 6 to 8pm. Jeffrey Eugenides' Middlesex is that rarest of books: a page turner that doesn't insult your intelligence. Eugenides has created a rich family history, exploring the experiences of a Greek clan's immersion in to American life. A warm and funny tale of familial, sexual and ethnic identity, Middlesex is great company at the beach, the park or on that long journey out of town. -- Jeff Tancil | Web Producer ...that Canal Street was once the site of a man-made canal. During the 1810s, an eight-foot ditch was dug along what is today Canal Street in order to drain Collect Pond, which existed near present-day Foley Square. Once pristine, the pond had become "a shocking hole…foul with excrement."* Neighboring breweries and tanneries dumped their refuse into the pond, which created a polluted hole that posed serious economic and public health conditions. The canal only exacerbated these problems. Because it did not flow smoothly, the canal became a fetid open sewer. And, although it was covered in 1819, city engineers failed to install air traps, creating a stinking covered sewer instead. Moreover, city leaders failed to realize that the pond was fed not by collected rain water, but by underground springs. By the 1830s, these springs helped create New York's first slum, the Five Points, whose streets became muddy lanes obstructed by putrid muck. -- Dave Favaloro, Research Coordinator Quote from: Edwin G. Burrows and Mike Wallace, Gotham: A History of New York City to 1898. "To me, the American dream is to get a good education and become the first female President. My father's dream is to make sure my dreams come true. My brother and sister share the same dream: to get separate rooms!!! If I don't succeed as President, I would like still to work in public services.” -- Chanell Selman, age 10, responding to the Museum's recent call for immigrant poetry, fiction and non-fiction What does the American dream mean to you? Does it still exist? Has it ever existed? We'd love to read what you think.