Letter: Deportation of lecturer would leave UNM at loss

Editor,

This letter is in regard to the sudden arrest and possible deportation of UNM lecturer Chao Sio of Kenya. Sio is a respected member of the staff in African-American Studies and teaches Swahili and a psychology course related to refugee well-being. The many supporters of Sio, myself included, request that she be freed and allowed to leave for Kenya at her own cost and on her own free will without any punitive actions that may jeopardize her future. Sio is an asset to the community, and we want her to continue her critical work in fighting HIV/AIDS in Africa.

Several people on this campus have worked with Sio on issues related to refugee well-being and the social, political and economic impacts of HIV/AIDS on less-industrialized countries. I know her as a knowledgeable and deeply compassionate human being. She is passionately committed to improving the lives of women and societies less fortunate than our own. Through her work with the nonprofit organization she co-founded, Women Can International, she has laid the groundwork for improving society and fighting AIDS in her native Kenya. She has done so by integrating her understanding of African culture with the knowledge, experience and technology available in the United States. Access to these resources has allowed Sio to serve her African community better than if she were in Kenya.

Deporting Sio would leave the community and the students of UNM with a great loss of perspective, energy and vision. Even more tragically, the deportation of Sio would prevent her from entering and exiting other countries, which is necessary in order to expand the efforts of Women Can International. Deportation would also prevent her from legally returning to the United States in the future.

Sio is an asset to our community. She made no effort to avoid the law or ignore her visa expiration. Instead, she made good faith efforts to apply for asylum status and appeal the subsequent denial. These are not the actions of a woman who is showing disrespect for the laws of this country. This is a woman whose mistake was in not further confirming that her attorney had fulfilled her wishes in filing an appeal. As a result, she remained in the United States with the understanding that her appeal was proceeding, and she was not in violation of the law.

Readers are asked to call Gov. Richardson and request him to pay attention to this matter urgently. Readers may also contact me at bhavana@unm.edu or Christine Rack at rack@unm.edu for more information and offers of help.

Bhavana Upadhyaya

UNM student

and teaching assistant