Testimony of a detainee held by ICE

Three months ago, ICE carried out one of its most violent raids, last July, when more than 200 farm workers were detained in Ventura, northwest of Los Angeles.

During that raid, a Mexican worker lost his life.

In order to protect her identity, I will present the testimony of a woman who bravely shares with us how she was detained and everything she had to suffer during that detention. Today she has an electronic ankle bracelet and was released on bail.

Valiente, as we will call our source to keep her identity anonymous, recounts the moment of her detention during the raid…

Valiente acknowledges that she knew her rights, but says that because of the violence, she couldn’t do anything.

She remembers what time they took them away and what they did to them.

Valiente shares what those moments were like when they took her to the detention center in Camarillo and she even wanted to jump, but fortunately she didn’t.

During her detention, she couldn’t talk to anyone because they took her phone away.

How long did it take for them to let her talk to her family?

She reports that even the Mexican consulate recommended that they return to their country and sign the papers.

Valiente recalls that her situation is complex.

Then they were sent to Calexico… and she remembers how they were treated.

Valiente is a single mother, and she spent a birthday in confinement.

She says that when she left the detention center, she was wearing shackles.

Valiente is hoping for support and medical care because she cannot work, and her family network is supporting her in this process.

This is just one of many cases that members of our community are going through due to the federal government’s anti-immigrant policies.