Kiwi furious over 'six weeks of hell' in US jail

A New Zealand man who endured "six weeks of hell" in an American detention centre says he is disgusted the Government failed to come to his aid.

Shortly after arriving at his mother's Motueka home yesterday, James Kirkwood said he was pleased to see his family again but had serious complaints to raise with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

The 26-year-old aircraft engineer and eight British colleagues were arrested by the US Immigration Enforcement Agency on May 17 for working without proper visas.

The British company they were working for, Merchant Aviation, had promised them work visas but failed to deliver, then backed out of the contract, Mr Kirkwood said. The men were arrested by American authorities under homeland security laws.

After about 10 days sleeping on a jail cell floor the British men were freed, but Mr Kirkwood was shackled in handcuffs and leg-restraints and transferred to the Tansas Detention Centre in Louisiana, where he began a six-week ordeal.

He and 82 other prisoners, mostly immigrants who had committed felonies, shared toilet, bathroom and sleeping facilities in a single room about the size of a basketball court.

"There was no privacy at all, no wall between the toilets and where you slept. You could smell, hear and see everything that went on," he said.

The food was often "inedible", and officials refused to answer questions and seemed to change the house rules on a daily basis.

After originally being told he would be freed within a fortnight, Mr Kirkwood was later told he could expect to spend three to five months in the Louisiana centre. "There were definitely days there where I just woke up and thought I was in a nightmare. I thought, what am I doing here? How did this happen? And there was just no end in sight."

The rare "glimmers of hope" that punctured his nightmare came from occasional phone conversations with family members, including his mother Erin Clark, who campaigned here for New Zealand officials to secure her son's release.

Ms Clark flew to Auckland on Friday to meet Mr Kirkwood. He said though he was very pleased to see his family, whose support had been overwhelming, his homecoming was "bittersweet".

"I haven't really let out a big smile yet. I feel like it's not over. I feel like there's a lot of issues there and a lot of questions that need answering."

Foreign Affairs Minister Phil Goff said last week he was satisfied with how Mr Kirkwood's case had been handled in the US. But Mr Kirkwood, who served in the Air Force for six years before leaving on his OE in November, said he was "disgusted" the Government had not intervened to help him.

The British prisoners had been in frequent contact with their consulate, but Mr Kirkwood did not receive a single visit or phone call from any New Zealand official during his detention.

"I didn't expect them to come in and break me out, but there were certain things they could have done: helped with contact with my family, helped me sort out my personal belongings that were still in America... just simple things."

"I've served the country. I gave them a good six years of my life and I love this country but the one time I really needed them, they weren't there.

"I feel like they let me down."

- HERALD ON SUNDAY