Statement about Alma Bowman
The idea behind FLAN is to connect our students and alumni to the greater community in Georgia and the rich landscape of experiences that Georgia Filipinos offer. This past Tuesday, we celebrated the joy of being part of the community and creating new opportunities to cultivate connections between the youth and established leaders. Being in Bayanihan is a beautiful experience, and we aim to create a safe space for young Filipinos to be their authentic selves while also nurturing the spirit of Filipino pride in the diaspora. For our culture to thrive outside the Philippines, we need spaces like this to preserve our people’s history and support our fellow kababayan.
However, we recognize the reality that our Filipino Americans face outside these safe spaces, and we must address that here, particularly in the American South, where repressive policies harm communities. Not everyone has the privilege of feeling safe within our own country due to convoluted policies that make pathways to citizenship challenging for many. We want to highlight the injustice faced by our dear friend, Tita and mother, Alma Bowman, who has been deeply connected with our network due to her work. She first shared her story with the Georgia FSA community during the inaugural Georgia FSA Summit in 2023. Many of us have been inspired by her spirit and are in awe of her advocacy for justice in the immigration system. You can learn more about her story and campaign at https://j4ab.square.site/. Alma was recently detained on March 26 by the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
On Wednesday, Alma Bowman traveled from Macon to Atlanta for her annual ICE check-in. She arrived with her attorneys, aware that this could be different since it was the first check-in under the current presidential administration. Once inside, Alma was informed that only one of her two attorneys could accompany her; her son was not permitted to join. She and her attorney signed in, waiting for the next step when an ICE officer informed her that they needed to take her for “fingerprinting” and denied her attorney the chance to accompany her. After 30 minutes, her attorney was notified that Alma had officially been detained and would be sent to the Stewart Detention Facility in Lumpkin, Georgia. Despite her attorney asserting that Alma has a credible claim to U.S. citizenship, the ICE agents insisted there was nothing they could do.
We are in shock, saddened, agitated, and angry for her and her two children, who are now without their mother. We urge our community members to help support Alma and participate in the actions provided in this slide by Malaya. Please call and email these officials to demand her release from detention. Donate to assist with her commissary while she is at Stewart. Any help is appreciated. We demand her release from ICE detention and for her to return to her family, where she belongs. Filipinos have experienced a history of violence in the U.S., manifesting in many ways (Watsonville Riots, workers' rights issues involving Filipino farm workers, anti-miscegenation laws, the Igorot village at the World’s Fair, etc.); let's not be doomed to repeat it by being complicit. Justice for Alma Bowman! Justice for Ligaya Jensen! Justice for Lewelyn Dixon! Free all Filipino women from ICE detention!
