Hello, my name is Mike Dixon, your host and narrator of this documentary, episode series, Life After Deportation. This documentary examines the struggles of the ported minds. We begin with Mr. Given Parkinson, seen here walking through the Rocky Hills of Montitoba. This documentary is produced by John Stark, the Duchess, a nonprofit of an association. My name is Given Parkinson. I was deported because of drugs possession. 2010, June 2010, I was deported back to Jamaica. For some of the things you were doing that led up to this event. Well, I was in and out with the wrong crowd. And you know what I mean? And guys was selling drugs. I was gay with them. Most of the time when the cops show up, they drop the stuff. I mean, because I put it on someone and if you say nothing too much, you just want to end up with it. What challenges did you face here after you got deported? Oh man, the challenge of face here, I got deported. I had no family when I come here. And the one that I taught, I was my family, they put me out. If I have money, the man that is cool. But if I ain't got the money, I got to go. Well, I tried to get a little job here and here. There's no job in Jamaica. You know that for yourself, no job. So, you know what I mean? I tried to chop bushes, clean people yard, break it up. I could hustle, get some from to buy some food to eat and get my medication. I used to use their phone and call somebody in the state to send me money to buy my medicine or some food. So, I live from that. I just go without. What kind of medical problems do you have since you were being deported? Rather before I even got deported, I had hypertension and my heartbeat is not up to par. I have heart problems too with that. So, with my blood pressure and the messed up heart. I don't know what I got to take it easy. I was walking the sun, I came working the sun. You know what I mean? It's too hectic for me. Are you with family now? Family now. I don't have any family out to you. I thought I did, but you know what I mean? Once I ain't coming here with no money, they don't want to be bothered because I'm broke. I ain't got nothing. So, they put me out. That's why I'm up here in the bush living out of myself. So, what do you need right now? I need help. You know, hand every possible I could get help. You know what I mean? I just need help. Help with my medical problems, my food, my living. You know, the little that I have, sometimes I help people with it, I don't have it. And I mean, if I get something on somebody needed, I help them. And I mean, hoping maybe someday somebody would turn around and help me too. You know what I mean? I just got to just keep trying. I'm not going to give up. I just got to keep trying. What was the process like? And how did you feel when you're being deported? Oh man, I feel dirty. I feel like I feel like downed by the system over there because I've been over there 40 years. I worked. You know what I mean? I take care of my family. You know what I mean? So, me, Sam, Sam, I've been around the wrong set of guys. Things happen. Was there any kind of appeal process that you did? Yes. There was a lot of appeal. I put an appeal to the district judge, the circuit judge, Aby Scott, which I would rent it. You know, I mean, my appeal reversed in the deportation court. And then when I go back to court, you know, the judge keeps postponing it, postponing it because he figured well, if I keep postponing it, the lawyer that I hired, Brett and Corwin, they go make a lot of money off of me. And he just wanted for me to mess up. So, he sent the letter to the wrong address and ought to be deported in absentee. So, if you had gotten that letter, you would not have been deported. I would not be here right now if I got that letter. I would be in the courts. I would have to hand that motion that the judge sent to him. So, where are you living now? Well, I'm living in a abandoned building and I keep piece of capture land because I drive in a family. So, I find so where they live. And I don't want to walk the street. I get into no problem because I know it's not easy trying to get out. It's easy to get in it, but it's hard to get out. So, tell me about how are you getting light and water? Lighter water? I had to walk around a mile for water. Light? Sometimes I have to use scanner because when you try to get a little light, they cut it off. You know what I mean? So, when you get light, you're happy for it. But we're from that after I, I know, cursing out from my lamp and candle. So, tell me about getting water. What's that? I walk a mile. I walk a mile for water. I wake up to the rain fall and I put my drums up. And that's how I could wash my clothes. That's walk a mile, wash my clothes. Walk a mile to get water to drink. Squatting or capture the land as some call it is building on land that doesn't belong to you. This is common in most third world countries like Jamaica. Many squatters or deported migrants in this case depend on rainfall for water. They don't seek out public water sources which are usually miles away from their homes. Many deported migrants like Gibbons has spent over 20 to 40 years in the United States. And then they're sent back to a country with little or no family ties. And they're expected to start over from scratch. I came here the first night. You know, I've been up for two days and came to this hotel. I was recommended to me by the people in my earports. I spent the night at the hotel at night. I got robbed of cellophones, my money and everything. The only thing they didn't take was my clothes because it was all clothes. So, you know, I had to get up the next morning and I realized I was robbed. How did they? How did they rob you? They break into the house, into the room. I mean, they break into the room. I was asleep. I didn't even see them. Maybe if I wake up, they probably would have killed them. You know what I mean? That's what they did. You know what I mean? They just break up. Ain't nothing. No money, no vodka. So, somebody knew you was deported and no, that's where you were going to stay? Well, I don't know if they know I was deported, but you know what I mean? They just break in because they probably figured I was tired anyway because I came in and I was all jowls and all that thing coming inside. How many days you didn't sleep two days? I didn't see for two days because I was in transport trying to come into Jamaica. They got to wake me up late overnight at the prison in New Jersey. And they have been in the road all day to be able to go to the airport and they make a stay that saved me down. So, they didn't give us no time to sleep or nothing. So, people that are watching this in America right now, what would you say to them? Well, I would just say to them, the system, I don't know what to say about the system, because the system is not fear because I'm not a terrorist. I'm not a murderer and I'm not a rapist. All I get caught is a little bit of drugs. I'm there for 40 years. Come on, you know, I got kids. They talk about separating families from their parents. They think they did to me. They say if I read it from my whole family, I don't have no family out here. That's why I'm living in the bush. I'm living in the bush and I'm a piece of capture land in a board house. I can't even stay in the house at daytime because it's too hot. I mean because it's zinc. This is my pit. I tried to dig out a pit so I could defecate it. I mean, taking it like I don't, three months to dig this by myself. I mean, now I could get it down to like eight feet. So I need cement and material if I really cover it up. No, you know, I mean, after I finish digging it, I'll stick for one week with my back killing it. I hope I could get some money for you. I mean, cover it up. I can't use it until I cover it up because you're going to stick the place up. This is it. Since we are collecting my water with the rain for a right here, but we have no rain. So I got a walk to the tank where you saw it. We're coming for the hem teeth. So this route's dead. The US sends over 70 deportees a month to Jamaica. That's over 800 deportees a year. The UK sends around 20 deportees a month to Jamaica. Now, the UK provides financial support to the organizations in Jamaica that help deportees get reintegrated. The US does not. For a large number of deportees coming from the United States, you expect them to offer some kind of financial help. If the American government refuses to help the families that they tear apart, it is up to us to make a difference. To create more safe havens.