FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

January 21, 2026

Press Contacts:

Ashley Chambers, Ella Baker Center for Human Rights

comms@ellabakercenter.org, 925-953-2302

Norma Orozco, Ella Baker Center for Human Rights

norma@ellabakercenter.org, 707-367-1242

Ella Baker Center Speaks Out Against ICE Terror in Our Communities

“We will not be silent while our communities are terrorized — again”

OAKLAND — In response to continued violence and recent murders committed by ICE across the nation, the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights released the following statement:

“We feel deep grief and mourn with our comrades whose communities have been ravaged by ICE resulting in the murders of loved ones from Minneapolis to Los Angeles — Renee Good, Keith Porter, and more than 32 others in ICE detention. The presence of ICE has never made our communities safer. ICE terror and control has only exacerbated fear for people to show up at work, for students to attend school, for community members to visit their families, for neighbors to protest in solidarity against state violence. We continue to speak out and stand firmly against ICE, a government entity that has continuously proven they are not here to keep Americans safe, but to disrupt, terrorize, traumatize, and harm our communities.

“While the murders of Renee Good and Keith Porter have seen widespread attention, we also mourn and remember those who have died while being held in abhorrent conditions in ICE custody. To date, more than 32 people have lost their lives while in ICE detention, including the following people this year:

  • Parady La, 46
  • Luis Beltran Yanez–Cruz, 68
  • Geraldo Lunas Campos, 55
  • Luis Gustavo Nunez Caceres, 42

“What ICE is doing is violating people’s civil and human rights to serve an authoritarian agenda. We demand that the federal government suspend all ICE activity, and hold them accountable for the harm they have caused. Our streets are not a battleground for ICE terror. While Governor Gavin Newsom has taken steps to resist immigration enforcement at California schools and hospitals, we also demand action that limits state prison cooperation with ICE. We need protection for all our people, not just a select few. We demand that our elected officials stop funding ICE and reallocate those funds to support healthcare, housing, jobs, education, and social services. We demand justice and accountability for the murders of loved ones and the thousands of people currently in ICE custody. We will not back down. We will not be silent while our communities suffer casualties and are terrorized — again. We will continue fighting for liberation for our people.”

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For 30 years, the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights has advanced people-powered campaigns for racial and economic justice — and we are winning. Named after civil rights hero Ella Baker, we shift resources away from prisons and punishment towards opportunities that make our communities safe, healthy, and strong. ellabakercenter.org