Remembering the Victims of ICE
- 1 day ago
- 2 min read
By Christopher Samuel ‘26 (Editor-in-Chief)
Thirty-two in 2025. Eight in January of 2026. These numbers represent the reported deaths related to the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and are the highest in over two decades. Countless more Hispanic people have been detained or deported in the past year. The issue is not solely political or restricted to one area of the United States; the poor living conditions of detainees and the tragic loss of life have made the issue of ICE a humanitarian one that affects us all. Given the deaths’ wide-reaching impact and importance, Friends’ Central community members were asked to give their thoughts on what’s happening in the country.
Most responders immediately identified a reaction of sadness for the loss of precious lives resulting from ICE attacks and connected violence. One interviewee noted that the loss of life wasn’t the only thing weighing on her mind: just as sad as the deaths is the idea that there are Americans who support killing people. As someone with immigrant parents, she empathized with the victims of ICE who were simply trying to come to America for better opportunities in life.
Students also pointed out that not everyone who died was undocumented or even an immigrant at all. While no more unfortunate, one student noted, their deaths seem to further reveal that ICE is out of control. The student claimed that the problem isn’t ICE alone, pointing out that corporations like Coca-Cola are aggravating the situation by facilitating ICE raids on their undocumented immigrant workers. Another interviewee mentioned feeling saddened that people were dying, but also noticed desensitization to violence, contending that ICE’s broader, long-term motives are to ensure that Americans are jaded enough about death that ICE can become even more rampant, and power can be consolidated in the central government.
While many of the testimonies from the community naturally focused on the unfortunate deaths and circumstances, there were also moments of hope. One responder compared the current state of the nation to the recent Black Lives Matter movement and stressed the need for communities to unite at this critical time. The student pointed out the strikes, walk-outs, and marches happening in other parts of the country, lifting up the efforts of those who are bringing attention to the deaths and resisting the actions of ICE. The responder also called on everyone in the community to hold the victims in the light; so please, let’s hold Luis Gustavez Núñez Cáceres, Geraldo Lunas Campos, Víctor Manuel Díaz, Parady La, Renee Nicole Good, Luis Beltrán Yáñez-Cruz, Heber Sánchez Domínguez, Alex Pretti, the 32 victims of 2025, and all the other unknown and unnamed victims in the light.
To learn more, check out these articles: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jan/28/deaths-ice-2026-
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