After a man from Pakistan crossed the U.S.-Mexico border to request asylum in February, immigration officials sent him to a detention center in New Mexico where he was the only Urdu speaker.
He found solace in a program created during the pandemic that allowed people in immigration custody to make a small number of free phone calls each month. The program allowed them to avoid the expensive per-minute charges that detainees typically must pay. He spoke with his family, particularly his mother, for a few minutes every day, he said.
