On February 25 our community lost an extraordinary husband, father to a U.S. military servicemember, and ImmDef client after his health rapidly declined following a violent ICE abduction and detention. Despite knowing his son was in the military which meant he had a lawful pathway to permanent residency, and being informed of the severity of his illness and treatment needs - ICE refused to release him. During his final days in ICE custody Julio was handcuffed to a hospital bed. His attorney fought tirelessly for his release, and while we celebrated that victory, the truth is devastating: the damage had already been done. His time in detention caused an irreversible decline in his health. For someone as medically vulnerable as Julio, ICE’s tactics were not just negligent — they were life‑threatening.
Julio’s story is not an anomaly. It is a stark example of how ICE’s detention system routinely endangers people with serious medical conditions. When the government violently abducts medically fragile individuals using racial profiling practices, and then fails to provide adequate care, this result is predictable. Deaths while in ICE custody, and deaths that occur after ICE "releases" people still handcuffed to a hospital bed on the brink of death, are not accidents. That is a consequence of a system allowed to operate without meaningful oversight and we demand better from our federal government.
Julio's passing is a call to action. We need rigorous, independent oversight of detention facilities. We need accountability for the harm inflicted on our detained neighbors. And we need the federal government to be reined in so that no one else faces the life‑threatening conditions that Julio endured.

Please consider honoring his life by donating to the family's GoFundMe: https://tinyurl.com/juliogfm

#ImmigrantDefenders #ICEOutNOW