Voices from Detention

People in immigration detention are speaking out and protesting to be released immediately.

From hunger strikes to work stoppages to filming videos to expose conditions, people inside detention are bravely doing everything they can to fight for their lives and freedom. The following map depicts protests in detention since March 2020 in facilities across the country.

  • Embedded thumbnail for Petra: Adelanto Detention Center, 2015

    Petra: Adelanto Detention Center, 2015

    Petra Albrecht has spent over 15 months at the Adelanto Detention Center in California and remains detained there. During this time her health has greatly deteriorated to the point of needing to use a wheelchair. In the video, she highlights that because she speaks German, she has been verbally abused and ignored by the detention center staff. Community Initiatives for Visiting Immigrants in Confinement (CIVIC) and her family are actively fighting for her release.

    Special thanks to CIVIC for coordinating the interview.

  • Embedded thumbnail for Lissett: Karnes Detention Center, 2015

    Lissett: Karnes Detention Center, 2015

    Lissett Pineda and her 11-year-old son, Alexis, spent nine months locked up at the Karnes Family Detention Center in Texas. She fled Honduras to protect her son, after learning about the death of one of Alexis’ close friends. Lissett arrived to the United States seeking asylum but instead was put behind bars. Fortunately, Lissett and her son were soon released shortly after this recording was completed.

    Special thanks to RAICES for coordinating the interview.

  • Embedded thumbnail for Oscar: Etowah Detention Center, 2014

    Oscar: Etowah Detention Center, 2014

    Oscar Quintero was detained for nearly ten months at the Etowah Detention Center in Alabama. He describes his treatment as inhumane due to the constant abuses he and other men experienced.

  • Embedded thumbnail for Elder: Eloy Detention Center, 2013

    Elder: Eloy Detention Center, 2013

    Elder Virgilio Gomez López is a father of two young children. At the time of this recording he had been detained for over six months at the Eloy Detention Center in Arizona. In 2000, Elder was shot in the stomach while living in Guatemala, leaving him with a colostomy bag. As a result, he has severe and ongoing health issues, which leave him unable to swallow solid food. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) denied him appropriate medical care while in detention, putting his life in jeopardy.

    Special thanks to Puente Arizona for coordinating the interview.

  • Embedded thumbnail for Maxi: Stewart Detention Center, 2013

    Maxi: Stewart Detention Center, 2013

    At the time of this recording, Maxi Sopo had been detained for 20 months at the Stewart Detention Center in Georgia where he spends up to 23 hours locked up. He has asked for an inspection of the detention center by the government to expose all the horrible abuses that take place like the constant medical negligence.

    Special thanks to El Refugio Ministry for coordinating this interview.