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January 30, 2026 |
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Features |
Every Life is a UniverseBrayan Garzón-Rayo was a 27-year-old man who moved from Colombia to the U.S. with his family in November 2023. His mother said that he loved riding his motorcycle, watching soccer and sledding after fresh snowfall. He had talked to his mother days before his death on April 8th, complaining about stomach pains and the poor condition of the food. Officials told her that her son appeared to have died by suicide, but ICE has not confirmed an official cause of death.
Nhon Ngoc Nguyen was a 55-year-old man who had moved to the U.S. in 1983. He’s described as kind, with a loving partner and huge community of friends in Albuquerque. When he was detained, his partner and friends couldn’t locate him for days until they eventually found that he was being held in a Texan detention center. He had been showing early signs of dementia and side effects of a head injury before his detention, and he began experiencing health complications afterwards. ICE offered to release him only if his family could provide him with around-the-clock acute care, but he didn’t have health insurance and his family was unable to pay for that care. His condition rapidly worsened and he passed from pneumonia on April 16th.
Marie Ange Blaise was a 44-year-old woman from Haiti who was detained in February 2025. Her son said that he had spoken to her hours before her death on April 25th, and that “She complained of having chest pains and abdominal cramps, and when she asked the detention staff to see a physician, they refused her.”
Abelardo Avellaneda Delgado was a 68 year-old man who had moved to the U.S. from Mexico nearly 40 years ago. In that time, he worked on tobacco and vegetable farms and raised a large family, becoming not just a father but also a grandfather and great-grandfather. When he was detained, his health began at an alarming rate. When being transferred from jail to a detention center, he became “unresponsive” and ultimately passed away at the scene. His family says they are still waiting for answers as to what happened.
Jesus Molina-Veya was a 45-year-old man from Mexico who first entered the country in 1999. He was found deceased in his cell on June 7th. There is no official cause of death, and ICE claims it was a suicide.
Johnny Noviello was a 49-year-old man who moved from Quebec to Florida with his family in 1988 because his epilepsy worsened in cold weather. His father said he loved going to the beach and playing pool in his spare time between his shifts at Dollar Tree. He maintained close ties to his family in Canada, who he visited regularly. He was detained in May 2025 and found dead on June 23rd. The family has not received an autopsy report or cause of death.
Isidro Perez was a 75-year-old man who came to the U.S. from Cuba in 1966. His stepdaughter, Alba Gomez, said he had continued to help raise her and her five siblings even after he and her mother had broken up (though they remained close friends). She said he taught them fishing and swimming, and that there was always seafood in the house because that’s the way he made his living. He later became a mechanic and began rescuing animals. She said he displayed tenderness and was a person whose love and generosity lived out in his actions. He had been living on a houseboat off the coast of Key Largo before his death and could barely walk in his final months, according to his stepdaughter. While in ICE custody in June 2025, he contracted bronchitis and flu-like symptoms, which spiraled into worsening heart issues. He died from a heart attack shortly after. His stepdaughter said about him, "Nothing about his final days erases the beauty of the life that he lived, and the system failed him, but he did not fail his process. So his compassion, his faith, his love, those are all the truths that remain."
Tien Xuan Phan was a 55 year-old man who passed away on July 19th after being detained a month earlier. ICE says he was transferred to a hospital after experiencing seizures and becoming unresponsive, but the cause of death remains “under investigation.”
Chaofeng Ge was a 32 year old man who had moved to the U.S. from China in 2023. He settled in Queens, New York and worked as a delivery driver. His family said he spent time practicing his English by writing out scripture and short stories. He was eventually detained by ICE, who say he died by suicide on August 5th. He is survived by four siblings and his parents. In a public statement, his sister said “I am devastated by the loss of my brother and by the knowledge that he was suffering so greatly in that detention center. He did not deserve to be treated that way. I want justice for my brother, answers as to how this could have happened, and accountability for those responsible for his death.”
Lorenzo Antonio Batrez Vargas was a 32-year-old man known as “Lenchito” to his friends and family. He was a DACA recipient brought to the U.S. from Mexico as a 5-year-old. His family says he contracted COVID while confined in a detention center, which led to his death on August 31st.
Oscar Rascon Duarte was a 58-year-old man who first came to the U.S. from Mexico in 1976. After completing an unrelated prison sentence, he was immediately transferred to ICE custody, then later to a hospital where he eventually died of kidney cancer and hepatitis C on September 8th.
Santos Reyes Banegas was a 42-year-old man originally from Honduras who had been in the U.S. for decades. In September 2025, he was detained outside of a grocery store on his way to his construction job in Long Island. Within 18 hours of his detainment, he was found dead in his cell. ICE officials claim it was due to liver failure, but have failed to provide the full investigative report into his death that was congressionally required. He is survived by his two daughters and his sister, whom he had been living with.
Ismael Ayala-Uribe was a 39-year-old man that came to the US from Mexico when he was five. His mother Lucía says he loved music. He was always willing to help others. Ismael assisted his sister, a single mother, with childcare. He was a DACA recipient that was denied renewal and apprehended in August during an immigration raid at the Fountain Valley Auto Wash, where he had worked for 15 years. After falling ill with a cough and fever at the Adelanto ICE facility, he was transferred to a hospital and passed away on September 22nd. His family is unaware of any medical conditions he had.
Norlan Guzman-Fuentes was a 37-year-old from El Salvador who survived his partner, Berenice Prieto, and four children. His partner said that they “had just bought [their] first home together, and he worked hard every single day to make sure [their] children had what they needed.” When he wasn’t working, mowing lawns and trimming trees, he enjoyed fishing. He was killed on September 24th when a gunman opened fire at the ICE field office where he was being held.
Miguel Ángel García Medina was a 31-year-old man from Mexico who had lived in the Dallas area for nearly two decades. He is survived by his wife of nine years, Stephany Gauffeny, two stepdaughters and a son – who was born three days after his death –, his mother and grandparents, who live in Mexico, and three siblings. His wife says he was a very present father who would always make people laugh. She said ““He was very goofy, you almost always saw him laughing, joking or singing.” When he wasn’t working on painting and remodeling homes, he enjoyed working on his truck. He had been in the process of getting his green card and was planning to open his own painting company when he was detained in September of 2025. While shackled inside a government van outside of an ICE field office, he was shot by a gunman. He died five days later from his wounds.
Huabing Xie, a man from China, was apprehended by border patrol in Indio, California. While in custody, he experienced what appeared to be a seizure and became unresponsive. He was taken to the El Centro regional medical center, where he died on September 29th. The Imperial Valley Equity and Justice Coalition has tried to get more information about the circumstances of his death, but have been rebuffed by ICE and barred from visiting the county’s detention center since August. Their attempts to get county government officials to press the facility for transparency have not succeeded.
Leo Cruz-Silva was a 34-year-old from Mexico who, according to immigration officials, likely entered the US when he was a child. He was detained by police in Festus, Missouri, and died while detained by ICE at the Ste Genevieve county jail, allegedly by suicide.
Hasan Ali Moh’D Saleh was a 67-year-old lawful permanent resident from Jordan that came to the US in 1994. Hasan managed a convenience store in Fort Lauderdale. Hasan suffered a high fever and became unresponsive at the Krome detention center in south-west Miami-Dade county. He was taken to a local hospital, where he died on October 11th. His listed preliminary cause of death was cardiac arrest.
Josué Castro Rivera was a 25-year-old man from Honduras who, according to his brother Castro, had a good heart and came to the US four years ago. He was working to help support his family in Honduras. Josué was killed while fleeing ICE agents in Norfolk, Virginia on October 23rd. When they pulled over his van on his way to his gardening job and attempted to detain him and the three other passengers, he fled into traffic and was struck while crossing Interstate 264.
Gabriel Garcia Aviles was a 54-year-old from Mexico who lived in the US for 30 years. He was a father of two and a grandfather of three. His daughter Mariel, whom he talked to every day, says he was “always happy and loved bikes.” Mariel last spoke to her father shortly after he was apprehended during a “roving patrol” in Costa Mesa, California. His family repeatedly tried to contact him, but the Adelanto detention facility refused to connect them. A week after his detention, Mariel received a call informing her that her father was in critical condition at the Victor Valley Global Medical Center. Gabriel’s family last saw him unconscious in a hospital room guarded by immigration officers. According to ICE, he died of “natural causes” on October 23rd His family questions their assessment, saying he was healthy.
Kai Yin Wong was a 63-year-old man from China who first came to the US in 1970 as a permanent resident. While detained at the South Texas ICE processing center in Pearsall, he suffered from shortness of breath. He was taken to a hospital in San Antonio where he started to experience heart failure and possible pneumonia. Kai was transferred to another medical center for heart valve repair surgery and died from complications on October 25th.
Francisco Gaspar-Andrés was a 48-year-old man from Guatemala that is survived by his wife of 25 years, Lucía Pedro Juan, and their four daughters. They had a plant nursery outside Miami for a decade. His wife describes him as a hard-working husband who fought to provide for their family. Francisco and his wife were pulled over by highway patrol on Labor Day and handed over to immigration officers. That was the last time they saw each other. At the Camp East Montana detention facility, Francisco suffered bleeding gums, sore throat, body aches, fever, jaundice, and hypertension. He was transferred to a hospital where he was diagnosed with hyponatremia. He was placed on dialysis and palliative care before he died on December 3rd. His wife says he was relatively healthy before his detention, and disputes ICE’s assertion that he had hypertension or other underlying conditions.
Pete Sumalo Montejo was a 72-year-old from the Philippines who first came to the US in 1962 as a lawful permanent resident. While detained at the Montgomery processing center, he began to experience shortness of breath, hypoxia, and septic shock resulting from pneumonia. He died at the Valley Baptist Medical Center in Harlingen on December 5th.
Shiraz Fatehali Sachwani was a 48-year-old man from Pakistan who first came to the US in 1996. He spent more than five months at the Prairieland detention center in Alvarado, Texas, before dying from what ICE asserts was “natural causes” on December 6th.
Jean Wilson Brutus was a 41-year-old man from Haiti who came to the US in 2023 as an asylum seeker. According to his cousin, Evans Belony, “he was like a loved one, that we all loved, he was like a brother.” Detainees at Delaney Hall, where Jean was held, have described receiving poor medical care and “disgusting” meals that included raw meat. Jean died on December 12th, one day after being taken into custody, from what ICE asserts was “natural causes.”
Fouad Saeed Abdulkadir was a 46-year-old man originally from Eritrea. He had been an imam at the Islamic Center of Northeast Ohio and had obtained a green card in 2018. He was taken into custody in July 2024 and detained at the Moshannon Valley processing center in Philipsburg, Pennsylvania. He passed away there a year and a half later on December 14th, three days after filing for an emergency federal motion for medical relief. Community members describe him as an “actively good man” who “spent his life selflessly caring for others, nurturing our children with the wisdom of the Qur’an, healing family rifts and offering kindness to everyone he met. His boundless generosity touched countless souls, and the space he leaves behind feels immeasurably quiet and deep.”
Delvin Francisco Rodriguez was a 39-year-old from Nicaragua. He was arrested in late September, in Colorado, and was transferred to the Adams County Correctional Center in New Orleans. According to ICE, emergency medical responders were called to the detention facility after Delvin was found without a pulse. He was transferred to the hospital where he failed a “test to determine brain function” and died on December 14th after being removed from a ventilator in accordance with his family’s wishes.
Nenko Stanev Gantchev was a 56-year-old man who had been born in Bulgaria but lived in the U.S. most of his life. ICE reports that he was found deceased on December 15th, 2025, with no official cause of death. His wife learned of his death the next day, which was their eighth wedding anniversary. She told the Serbian Times: “A man who lived here for 30 years, worked hard, paid taxes – and they treated him like an animal.”
Keith Porter, Jr. was a 42-year-old man from Los Angeles who was fatally shot by an off-duty ICE agent on New Year’s Eve, outside of his apartment. He had two daughters, aged 10 and 20, and was described as a proud “girl dad.” His life-long best friend Adrian Metoyer III reflected that, in their 20s, Keith supported him in his role as a foster parent to teenage boys, saying “He was my second in command, my go-to guy to assist me in caretaking. He was always there to help people.” He was a beloved father, son, and brother, and his friends and family remember him as a warm, kind, and gentle soul who loved to make people smile.
Geraldo Lunas Campos was a 55-year-old man who immigrated to the U.S. from Cuba. ICE provided contradicting stories about what happened that led to his death on January 3rd, 2026, neither of which match the autopsy findings. The medical examiner reported that it was a homicide, with the cause of death being asphyxiation due to neck and torso compression. Eyewitnesses report that guards were the perpetrators. Now, Lunas Campos’ three children have had to file a legal petition aiming to block the deportation of these eyewitnesses as they prepare to file a wrongful death lawsuit.
Luis Gustavo Nunez Caceres was a 42-year-old man who immigrated to the U.S. from Honduras. His brother says he “was a person full of life and hope, always fighting for his wellbeing and that of our family.” He died in the hospital due to “chronic heart-related health issues” on January 5th.
Victor Manuel Diaz was a Minneapolis resident originally from Nicaragua. His brother Yorlan said “he was looking for a better life and he wanted to help our mother.” On January 6th, eight days after his detainment, he was found dead. ICE transferred his body to the William Beaumont Army Medical Center for an autopsy instead of the county medical examiner and claimed it was a suicide. His family and their lawyer disagree with this assessment and their decision to withhold his body from independent examiners.
Luis Beltran Yanez–Cruz was a 68-year-old father of three who had been in the U.S. for more than 20 years when ICE detained him in New Jersey in November 2025. After weeks of feeling ill and only being given pain medication, he died on January 6th, 2026 of “heart-related health issues.” His daughter, Josselyn Yanez, said “As a father, he was an excellent dad. As a grandfather, the best grandfather of all. We hoped our father would get out of that place, that he would come out alive – not the way he did.”
Renee Nicole Good was a 37-year-old poet, writer, and mother, originally from Colorado Springs before she and her wife made their home in Minnesota. She was one of hundreds of volunteers participating in neighborhood patrols monitoring ICE operations in Minneapolis. She was killed by ICE agents on January 7th, shot through her windshield while she was trying to turn her car around to escape the agents surrounding her car. She is survived by her daughter, who is 15, two sons, aged 12 and 6, and her wife, Becca Good. I will read part of Becca’s statement here: “Renee sparkled. She literally sparkled. I mean, she didn’t wear glitter but I swear she had sparkles coming out of her pores. All the time. You might think it was just my love talking but her family said the same thing. Renee was made of sunshine. Renee lived by an overarching belief: there is kindness in the world and we need to do everything we can to find it where it resides and nurture it where it needs to grow. Renee was a Christian who knew that all religions teach the same essential truth: we are here to love each other, care for each other, and keep each other safe and whole. We honor her memory by living her values: rejecting hate and choosing compassion, turning away from fear and pursuing peace, refusing division and knowing we must come together to build a world where we all come home safe to the people we love.”
Parady La was a 46-year-old man who had immigrated to the U.S. from Cambodia in 1981 as a child. According to ICE, he started experiencing “severe drug withdrawal” symptoms after he was detained and sent to the Federal Detention Center, and that he was found unresponsive in his cell the next day. They say he was administered Narcan – something which does not treat withdrawals and does not follow the Bureau of Prisons’ protocol for safely supervising drug withdrawal. He was diagnosed with a brain injury, shock, and multiple organ failures before he died on January 7th, 2026. His nephew, Michael La, said “We’re still fighting for answers and still trying to figure out what’s going on.”
Heber Sanchez Dominguez was a 34-year-old man from Mexico. Heber is survived by his wife and two children. ICE allege he was found dead by suicide on January 14th, 2026. The Mexican Consulate General and the Clayton County Democratic Committee in Georgia have both asked for a full investigation and transparency.
Alex Pretti was a 37-year-old ICU nurse at the Minneapolis VA Hospital, originally from Illinois before making his home in Minneapolis. He’s described as an avid outdoorsman who loved getting into adventures with beloved dog Joule, who had also recently died. His neighbors said he was quiet and warmhearted, and that he would jump in to help any time they had a concern. His mother said that he cared immensely about his friends, family, community, and the environment. Videos from the day of his death, January 24th, show that he had moved to help a woman after federal agents pepper-sprayed her and other protestors filming, and that he was then pinned to the ground and hit repeatedly. A gun legally registered to him is removed from its holster by an officer before Alex is shot several times by two Border Patrol agents. Since then, the administration has gone on a violent smear campaign, which prompted his parents to share a statement with the press: "Alex wanted to make a difference in this world. Unfortunately he will not be with us to see his impact. I do not throw around the hero term lightly. However his last thought and act was to protect a woman. "The sickening lies told about our son by the administration are reprehensible and disgusting. Alex is clearly not holding a gun when attacked by Trump's murdering and cowardly ICE thugs. He has his phone in his right hand and his empty left hand is raised above his head while trying to protect the woman ICE just pushed down all while being pepper sprayed. "Please get the truth out about our son. He was a good man. Thank you."
As we reflect on the stories of those taken from us, we should not be debilitated by despair, but instead firm in our commitment to honoring our shared humanity, fighting to defend our neighbors, and abolishing ICE and all the systems that divide and keep us down.
Michael ParentiOn Saturday, Michael Parenti died at his California home, surrounded by family. He was 92. He was a strong voice for leftist thought, starting out as a college professor, then moving to writing and speaking once his activism and political views ended his teaching career. He wrote twenty books and published well over 250 articles. Probably his most famous book is Blackshirts and Reds: Rational Fascism and the Overthrow of Communism, in which he defended the Soviet Union and other communist countries and laid out ways in which they were superior to capitalist countries. He also wrote Democracy for the Few, which analyzed the US government and talked about the relationship between economic power and political power. Reading Parenti would be time well spent, as it will improve your analytical skills. However, if your bedside reading pile is already stacked too high, then we’ll just leave you with one of his many great quotes: “People who think that they are free in this world just haven’t come to the end of their leash yet. You will have no sensation of a leash around your neck if you sit by the peg. It is only when you stray that you feel the restraining tug.” |
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Bulletins |
No Drones in Our City!Join Eye on Surveillance on Monday, February 2, at 6:00 pm, at Okay Bar (1700 Port St) to plan and organize against the $740,000 drone program being proposed by the French Quarter Management District and NOPD. We hope to have an agenda from the FQMD by then that will confirm the drone program will be heard at the 2/4 FQMD security meeting at 11:00 am at the Bienville Hotel. We want your voice, ideas, and perspective to guide this campaign to let FQMD and NOPD know that we won’t stand for dangerous surveillance tech in our city!
Rank & File Project Meets TuesdayNext Tuesday, February 3, at 6:00 pm, join New Orleans Rank & File Project for a panel discussion with city, school, and UNO workers fighting against austerity and fiscal crisis. At the REACH Center, 2022 St Bernard Av, Bldg C, 3rd Fl.
Flood French Quarter FestPlease take 2 minutes to support Chevron Out of French Quarter Fest. 1) Find French Quarter Fest on Instagram Click here for a list of example comments and instructions!
Direct Service & Health Justice Brake Light Clinic Next MonthOn Saturday, February 21st, Direct Service & Health Justice will be hosting another bi-monthly Brake Light Clinic (location TBD). We will be joined by volunteers from Below Sea Level Aid. Shake off the post-Mardi Gras malaise and help your neighbors, hand out food, rep DSA, and even learn a valuable skill or two. Join our next Direct Service meeting via Google Meet on January 27, or message us in the Discord to learn more!
Not One Dime at StarbucksStarbucks Workers United (SBWU) baristas continue their nationwide strike against unfair labor practices. That strike includes our local unionized Starbucks in River Ridge. Please support our striking baristas here and across the country by boycotting Starbucks donating to the workers’ solidarity fund. Baristas have been fighting for over two years for a fair contract. As participants in a wage market system, every worker has a stake in seeing the SBWU fight to the end.
Meet Comrades in Your Neighborhood CircleOrganizing is about trust, and trust gets built by showing up again and again and getting to know your neighbors. Neighborhood circles are how we connect with comrades where we live, work, or otherwise spend our time. We’re using them to host gatherings, plan events, and organize around issues in our neighborhoods. Click here to join yours today! Neighborhood circles are for members only and follow the chapter's code of conduct and guidelines for respectful discussion. |
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Community Calendar |
Friday, January 30Krewe of Zeitoun DSA Art Build
Saturday, January 31Unión Migrante Allies Mass Meeting
Sunday, February 1Coffee with Comrades NOLA Street Medics Bleed Control Course PYM Martyrs’ Motorcade Chapter Orientation
Monday, February 2NOLA Musicians for Palestine Krewe of Zeitoun Art Build Eye on Surveillance: No Drones in Our City!
Tuesday, February 3Rank & File Project Meeting Fundraising & Treasury Meeting
Wednesday, February 4Trystereo Monthly Kit-Making and Narcan Training
Thursday, February 5🌹 🌹 🌹
Friday, February 6Queer Soc Meeting
Saturday, February 7NOLA Musicians for Palestine Krewe of Zeitoun Art Build
Sunday, February 8🌹 🌹 🌹
Down the RoadFebruary 19 National Nurses’ Day of Action |
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Solidarity Means Action is the weekly newsletter of the New Orleans Democratic Socialists of America. Subscribe for updates every Friday at 8:00 am Central. |
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