Wednesday morning at 5:45 a.m., a 21-year-old Latino man was on his way to work. He took his boots, hard hat, and lunchbox, and got in his Honda sedan, ready to drive to his construction job. On his way to work he encountered agents from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and called his mom, Jessica, to let her know.
Jessica then heard ICE officers break his front right window, telling him he did not have the right to make a call.
A little while later, she got a call from his boss confirming her instinct: He didn’t make it to work.
The 24 hours that followed have been a time of uncertainty and fear for the community in Southwood Apartments.
The Richmonder is omitting the last name of the family, as well as the name of the man arrested, at the family’s request. The reporter was given access to cell phone videos and spoke with other witnesses who backed up the family’s account.
Jessica spoke in Spanish on Thursday morning, sobbing. A friend held her arm, whispering to remind her to breathe.
“All these people [being detained] are hard workers, and they’re all Hispanic,” Jessica said.
This detainment follows the detainment of five unhoused community members from the park right next to the apartment complex.
Thursday morning, state Del. Michael Jones (D-Richmond) held an emergency press conference at Southwood where he spoke alongside community leaders on the importance of the right to due process, as well as the vitality of showing up for the community, especially right now. The press conference featured community leaders from faith groups in the area as well as organizers from New VA Majority.
Within Jones’ message was an appeal to his fellow community members and representatives.
“No one should live in fear in the United States of America. Nobody should. Fundamentally, there is no one that’s illegal,” Jones said.
Community members fear that the looming threat of ICE will prevent people from speaking up when they need help. Already, Richmond Police Chief Rick Edwards said the department has seen a 34% drop in 911 calls from the neighborhood.
According to Josue Castillo, a community organizer, members of the neighborhood are too afraid to testify as witnesses in cases, even cases around shootings, preferring to stay silent.
Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin has supported the detainments, and previously said ICE is taking “violent criminals who are here illegally.”
The man detained on Wednesday morning has multiple traffic violations on his record. He has been charged with assault and battery twice, once as a juvenile, but both times the charges were dismissed. According to Jones, RPD said there were no active warrants for his arrest.
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Jessica, the man’s mother, shared the family’s story of coming to the United States from Honduras.
She said they crossed the border legally, seeking asylum. When the pandemic hit, their court date was canceled, and when it was eventually rescheduled, she said no one notified her. This led the family to miss its case. Currently they are undocumented. Jessica now lives with her 1-year-old son, for whom she is the primary caretaker.
Another son, a twin of the man detained on Wednesday, was deported to Honduras after facing a criminal charge last year.
The man detained on Wednesday was currently providing for the household with his work. Jessica said she was worried about what she will do.
She said her detained son called her from a detention facility, telling her to take care of his little brother. When she called the number back, she said they refused to give her any information on her son.
She felt that she was without options.
“I’m scared to ask, because what if they sent me back? And what about my kid? I think about my baby,” she said in Spanish.
The man is currently being held at Riverside Regional Jail. A week ago, the jail entered into an agreement with ICE, allowing the jail to hold detainees. Three days ago, the Times-Dispatch reported that the Prince George County jail asked for more ICE inmates to be sent to their prison to cushion their budget shortages.
“The request is driven by a pressing fiscal need and desire to occupy vacant space in the jail,” the paper quoted Col. Jeffery Dillman, who is in charge of the prison, as saying in a meeting.
Speakers at the press conference spoke to community fears specifically surrounding masked and unidentifiable ICE agents. One of the biggest challenges facing local representatives is the fact that ICE is a federal agency. When asked what he planned to do, Jones directed listeners to legislation written by Virginia Senators Mark Warner and Tim Kaine. The legislation proposes more transparency from ICE.
“We can’t stop them. But you know what? I should be able to see your face. I should know your badge number, your police number. There’s some basic things that we know that we should have as citizens in this country, as people in this country,” Jones said.
“The only thing I can do as a legislator, honestly, is write legislation, and so I need to make sure that I’m writing the best legislation possible to ensure the common good for our Commonwealth.”
Pastor Robert Winfrey spoke on the responsibility he sees Black community members hold.
“It only reminds me of how our people were taken in chains, however they weren’t led on an airplane, they were led on a boat and brought to a country that they don’t even want us, so it is important that we stand in solidarity,” Winfrey said.
Contact reporting intern Juliana Vandermark at jvandermark@richmonder.org.