Dear friends, 

I’m excited to share a powerful new op-ed penned by Erik Mercado and Ramon Dominguez Gonzalez, two men currently detained in different immigration detention centers in California. 

Published in the San Diego Union-Tribune, Erik and Ramon’s piece provides readers with a damning first-person perspective of what life is really like behind bars in ICE custody.

detention centers—which includes the Otay Mesa and Imperial facilities—it’s leaders like Erik and Ramon who have stepped forward to organize and advocate for the humanity of those behind bars. And despite the retaliation they face, they have no intention of stopping.

“We are determined to keep fighting for our families, who are waiting for us on the other side of these walls, and for everyone else who is detained,”