#Not1More Deportation

#Not1More Deportation Hunger Strikers Bios

Starting on April 8th members of our communities will have our last meal and start a hunger strike. We’ve watched the debate in public and suffered in private. We have gone to bed with our arms empty, aching for our loved ones, and now it is time to make that suffering known to the world. Politicians may tell us to be patient. Advocates may say that our tactics are misdirected. But if there is not room for us, mothers who miss our sons, at the center of this conversation, than we hope our empty stomachs change that conversation.

As long as we keep our suffering to our kitchen tables and half empty beds, they will call for reviews and meetings and ultimately keep their policies the way they are.  Our sons’ imprisonment hasn’t been enough to get them to act. We hope our hunger strike will.

Ask the White House to Meet with the Strikers And Let Their Loved Ones Go.

Read More About Us and Who We’re Striking For

ON HUNGER STRIKEFOR OUR LOVED ONES
Coming SoonJaime ValdezJaime Arturo Valdez Reyes (A#102-288-309) lived in the U.S. since 1999 with his parents and his two brothers.  He worked in a restaurant and fixed computers in his free time.  According to his father, he always dreamed of being an astronaut as a child. In the summer of 2013, Jaime was pulled over in a Maricopa County traffic stop. He was poorly represented throughout his case, and was encouraged to sign a paper by his lawyer who told him it would resolve everything. As of the misrepresentation, Jaime found himself with a conviction and transferred to ICE for deportation. After a year in detention, where he acted as a jailhouse lawyer and began reporting conditions to his family, ICE retaliated against Jaime during his and his father’s hunger strike to free him from detention. First put in solitary confinement, then deported while he had a pending appeal, Jaime has now returned to petition for humanitarian parole and reunite with his family. Jaime’s family has already suffered the deportation of Jaime’s two brothers, one of whom was killed by violence in Mexico immediately after he was deported.
Coming SoonArdanyArdani Rosales Lemos (A#098-918-011) is the father of two U.S. citizen children, Pablito and Naila.  Before coming to the U.S. in 2005, he helped youth stay out of gangs in Guatemala, work that made him the target of threats and brutality. He was pulled over for a minor traffic violation and detained in Eloy Detention Center. He has spent almost a year away from his family, months in which he missed two important events in his life: his wedding and the birth of his second child, a beautiful daughter who he has only met at detention visitation. His previous lawyer so poorly represented him that she is sending a letter to ICE to ask that they reopen his case, given her inadequate work. To be with his children and remain safe, Ardani must return home to Arizona.
Coming SoonJ Cruz LopezJ Cruz Lopez (A#205-920-821) is the loving father of four children– – two permanent residents, Yaritza, 20, Lizeth, 15, and two U.S. citizens, Leonardo, 5, and Uriel, 2.  He was on his way home from an evening Christmas party with his wife, Lourdes, and four children when they were stopped by the police. Without so much as a breathalizer test, he was wrongfully arrested for a DUI,  an act of racist injustice that his children witnessed and have not forgotten. Since her dad left, Yaritza has been working over 80 hours a week to make enough money to pay the family’s mortgage and her father’s lawyer fees at the same time. Lourdes participated in the hunger strike to bring J Cruz home from detention in Phoenix, Arizona and is continuing to struggle for justice, walking to Eloy Detention where her husband is detained.
Coming SoonElder Gomez-Lopez Elder Gomez-Lopez (A# 087-455-416) is the father of two young children and a leader who has advocated for civil rights for all detainees since he has been incarcerated. He fled Guatemala after he was shot in the stomach by gang members, leaving him with a colostomy bag. He has now been in Eloy Detention Center for nearly 3 years, where he has suffered severe and ongoing health issues, including gastritis, ulcers, and a stomach infection, all of which leave him unable to swallow solid food. Elder and his mother, Anselma, are desperate and afraid that that Elder will be killed when he reaches Guatemala or die first in detention. They went on hunger strike and most recently his mother, Anselma, walked 70 miles to Eloy with Elder’s brother, Jose Carlos, 19, and his son, Jonathan, 6, before coming to Washington to fight for his release.
Coming SoonMaria del RosarioMaria Del Rosario (A# 077-394-984) had lived in the United States for over 18 years, since she was 14 years old.  She is a loving mother and wife, who worked and studied hard in order to give her children a better life.  She and her daughter, Cynthia, a U.S. citizen, were at home in their pajamas when ICE raided their house in Phoenix, Arizona.  Maria was deported within two hours of her arrest. Cynthia has since become a powerful advocate for her mother’s return and for the reunification of all migrant families. In March 2014, Maria joined 150 deportees crossing the border to return home asking for humanitarian parole. Maria was detained at the entry point and is now in immigrant detention in San Luis, Arizona. Cynthia continues to fight for her mother’s release.
Coming SoonHector Danilo Ruiz Hector Danilo Ruiz (A# 098-556-377) is a member of the New Orleans Congress of Day Laborers and the father of a two young United States citizen daughters. He has lived in the United States for over nine years and is the only economic support for his family. On November 11, 2013, he was arrested in front of his wife and children as they were on their way to bible study. Targeted by the Criminal Alien Removal Initiative (CARI), a pilot deportation program operating in New Orleans operating based on racial profiling. When they pulled into the parking lot, immigration agents approached in an unmarked van, entered the home where the bible study was being held, and questioned all of the men present. They handcuffed Hector while his children and wife watched from the parking lot. Hector was detained at an immigration detention center in Basile, Louisiana for one month. Hector has now been released, was granted a 3 month stay of removal until June 5th 2014, when he is supposed to buy a ticket to leave the United States. Both the New Orleans ICE office and ICE Headquarters have denied granting a one-year stay or closing his case, arguing that his prior deportation and a non-violent misdemeanor plea of disturbing the peace make him priority for deportation.  
Coming SoonEdgar Godoy ValladaresDEPORTED – Edgar Godoy-Valladares (aka Luis Flores, A#095-608-614) has lived in the United States for over 13 years and is the proud father of 3 US citizen children. On November 9, 2013 Edgar and his wife had a domestic dispute and the Kenner Police Department arrived on the scene, without an interpreter. While police originally arrested and cited Edgar with domestic violence, the District Attorney’s office reduced the charge given the facts of the case and troubling police conduct. He was planning to contest the charge, with his family’s support, however, he was turned over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement and was deported before he had a chance to do so. The District Attorney’s office asked for a continuance in the trial because they were not prepared to go forward, and the matter had been reset for May 2014. However, he was deported the week of April 10th. Immigration cited holding Edgar because he has tattoos on his body. These tattoos represent Edgar’s favorite music groups and honor his loved ones, but ICE is interpreting them as potential signifiers of being in a gang. The interpretation of these tattoos by ICE is troublesome, erroneous, and stigmatizing. Edgar has requested ICE to release the tattoos to his family and advocates so that they can be reviewed by an independent expert, but ICE has responded that they should file a Freedom of Information Act, which could come through months after Edgar has been deported.

Since Edgar and his family began to fight his deportation publicly, we stopped him from getting on a plane 3 times, thanks to support from people like you and his community. ICE told Edgar and his family that they needed to file a complicated motion in limited time. They have complied and filed all the motions and requests that ICE has indicated are necessary to evaluate his case. Edgar’s case has also been given to White House staff for review, as well as to close advisors to DHS Secretary Johnson.

Coming SoonFernando Figueroa BarajasFernando Figueroa Barajas (A#200-537-719) is a civil rights defender, currently involved in defending his own rights, he is married to a US citizen, has deep roots in his community, and is a victim of serious crimes in Michoacan, Mexico. Fernando left Mexico after he was persecuted by a drug cartel in Mexico stemming from a personal dispute, unrelated to the cartel’s drug activities. Before coming to the US he was a victim of kidnaping by this group and received several death threats. When he came to the United States he was stopped at the border by Border Patrol, and given a voluntary departure. Because it was in English, he did not understand what he was signing, and although he expressed fear of returning, he was never granted a credible fear interview. He returned to the US the next day, and settled to live in Mississippi, eventually marrying his US citizen wife, Ms. Lashay Moore.

In August 2013 Fernando was stopped at a roadblock and charged with driving without a license. The local police officers told Fernando that they would take him to jail due to his immigration status. One month later, ICE officers apprehended Mr. Figueroa-Barajas and took him into custody. When Fernando refused to sign the papers presented to him and asked to speak to an attorney, he was beaten and kicked by the ICE officers while he was shackled hands and feet. While being transferred to another immigration detention facility, he was refused medical care although he was vomiting blood. When he attempted to speak about the abuse he had suffered, he was categorized as suicidal and placed in solitary confinement. In response to that incident, Fernando has submitted a Complaint to the Department of Homeland Security Office of Civil Rights and Civil Liberties, a complaint with DHS General Counsel and the Office of Principal Legal Advisor, and is filing a federal civil rights complaint in the US District Court for Mississippi. This makes Fernando an individual engaged in legitimate efforts to protect his civil rights, one of the factors to be taken into consideration when considering prosecutorial discretion. The New Orleans ICE office denied Mr. Figueroa-Barajas a stay of removal on February 27th, and his attorney has requested Headquarter Review, which is pending while he is in detention.

Coming SoonIsrael Resendiz HernandezIsrael Resendiz-Hernandez (A#079-737-080) is detained at Pike County Correctional Facility. He is the father of 2 US citizen girls, who are 9 and 3 years old and has been living in the United States for over a decade. He is a small business owner in Norristown, Pennsylvania, known for caring about his community, and donates money to churches, and the local police and fire departments. Israel was picked up by ICE on January 27, 2014 as he was closing his business and was taken to the local county jail. He had to return to Mexico in October of 2013 because he father died and he wanted to be present at his funeral. He tried to return immediately after the funeral but was detained at the border, and he was deported in November of last year. Israel was on hunger strike for 19 days in order to call attention to his case and deportations. The Immigration and Customs Enforcement Field office in charge of his case argue that they have not made a decision on prosecutorial discretion because the reasonable fear interview process is on-going, but they have also refused to release him, which his attorney argues is a de-facto denial. His family and advocates fear that if the reasonable fear interview is denied, the ICE office will remove him from the country without a chance for prosecutorial discretion to be considered. The ICE field office has also refused to use prosecutorial discretion to release him.
Coming SoonJose Luis PiscilJose Luis Piscil-Gonzalez (A#205-277-374) is the sole provider for his family, including his ten-month-old U.S. citizen son, Luis Piscil San Pedro, who suffers from a heart condition. He has lived in the U.S. for over 7 years, since he was 18, has no criminal record, and is not a danger to the community. Luis has been a hard-working resident of Connecticut since 2007. He came to the attention of Immigration and Customs Enforcement after he got into an argument with his cousin regarding the security deposit for the apartment that they shared. To spite him, the cousin called the police and reported that Luis was threatening him. Mr. Piscil-Gonzalez was arrested and charged with two misdemeanors, which were later dropped, but was transferred to ICE custody through the Secure Communities program and placed in deportation proceedings. During his detention, his wife and children did not have any income. After he was bonded out, his son was born with a heart condition. He and his wife are troubled enough by his medical condition. Luis’s removal case is pending in court. The Office of Chief Council denied his attorney’s request to administratively close his case using prosecutorial discretion, siting prior interactions with ICE as making him priority for deportation.
Coming SoonNoe Adan Carlos HerreraMr. Noe Adan Carlos-Herrera (A#088-772-137) is the proud father of his two-year old daughter. He is currently detained at the Dodge Detention Facility in Wisconsin. He came to the US to get away from the violence of the border town in which he lived. Noe works to support his daughter and send money to his father in Mexico who has heart problems, and is currently detained. He only wants the opportunity to keep working hard, and to be someone his daughter can be proud of. He has no criminal history, but he has had several encounters with Immigration and Customs Enforcement. In March he will be going in front of a judge requesting asylum, however, knowing that it is hard to prove asylum cases, if that petition is denied, he will be asking for prosecutorial discretion, and based on his immigration history, it is likely that it will be denied by the Chicago Field office.
Coming SoonMelba Lilian Carrasco PalmaMelba Lilian Carrasco Palma (A#071 559 163)  is a 50 year old grandmother who has lived in Texas for 20 years. She came to the United States escaping the violence of her husband in Honduras, and raised her two daughters. One of her daughters is a legal permanent resident, while her other daughter is applying for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program. Her husband is also in the U.S. legally, under Temporary Protective Status. Now a loving grandmother to 4 U.S. citizen grandchildren, Melba is fighting to stay with her family and stop her deportation. Melba came to the attention of ICE in 2009 an acquaintance called and accused her family of using fake papers. When ICE showed up at their home they did not arrest anyone, but did take note of Melba’s car. A few days later ICE detained her while she was driving. When she was stopped Melba had an anxiety attack and had to be taken to the hospital. As she recovered, immigration told her she would have to start reporting to the ICE offices, re-opening a deportation in absentia from 20 years ago.
Coming SoonManuelManuel Martinez-Arambula (A#092-191-951) 
spent his childhood, adolescence, and formative years in the United States, calling this place home since he was 8 years old. He has lived in the United States for over 40 years. His common-law wife of 18 years is a permanent legal resident, with whom he has a 13 year old US citizen daughter. Mr. Martinez-Arambula is a civil rights leader, who had been on hunger strike for 10 days, protesting the conditions inside the Joe Corley detention center. On the morning of his 50th birthday, Manuel was deported. He is one of over a dozen organizers who have been deported due to their hunger strike while inside detention, and who are now fighting to return home.
 
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