also with us is hilarion joseph, originally from trinidad.was held for three years and two months in immigrant detention without a bond hearing when he faced deportation after his conviction for transporting weapons. he eventually won his case and was released in 2007. this year, he became a u.s. citizen. welcome both of you to democracy now! alina das, talk about alex and how this happened and what this means, how many people are in this similar situation. alex is an example of what is happening all across the country. he is a lawful permanent resident who has been here since he was seven years old. he lived his life as an american. yet when it came down to immigration detention and deportation, he was not given his basic due process rights. he had to fight his way out of the system. now we have to see whether or not the rule in his case that immigrants should get a bond hearing if there detained for six months will be applied across the country. amy: he was held for six months. hilarion joseph, you are held for over three years in detention