On 8/28/14, thanks to all of your support, Elder was released from detention!  His deportation case is still open, so we may be calling for your support in the future.  Getting Elder released from detention after 3 years is a huge victory!  Si se puede!

Update 4/5/2014: Anselma walked 60 miles to Eloy Detention Center demanding the release of her son, reclaiming a space of terror and trauma as a place of power and community. Standing outside of Eloy, Anselma spoke into a loud system booming into the detention center: “Elder, I love you and I won’t stop fighting for you.”

Update 3/10/2014: Anselma, Elder’s mother, went on hunger strike for 14 days outside of ICE, demanding her son’s release. Even after she was hospitalized because of fasting while diabetic, Anselma returned to fast an additional 5 days outside the ICE Central Office in Phoenix to demonstrate the strength of her commitment to her son.

Elder Gomez-Lopez (A# 087-455-416), the father of two young children, has several serious health conditions that are rapidly deteriorating and he is being denied appropriate medical care while in detention.  In 2000, he was shot in the stomach by gang members while living in Guatemala, leaving him with a colostomy bag.   Now, in detention for more than 6 months, he has severe and ongoing health issues, including gastritis, ulcers, and a stomach infection, all of which leave him unable to swallow solid food.  He has been in the hospital three times in the last month.  

ICE is refusing to follow Elder’s doctor’s orders, denying him medications and the specialized diet he needs, therefore, risking his life. He was in segregation for over 2 weeks,  after an interaction with a guard in which he refused to follow orders that directly contradicted his doctor’s advice.  He is being punished for requesting appropriate medical care.

Sign the petition and tell ICE that it is urgent that they release Elder and grant him humanitarian parole. His life depends on it!

Categories: Deportation Cases, Victories