Albert Lea, MN – Fourteen months. That is how long Eliud Jahdiel de la Luz Baéz, a 23-year-old Minnesotan, has been unjustly detained by ICE. On October 18, dozens of protesters organized a noise demonstration outside of the Freeborn County Detention Center to lift the spirits of the detained immigrants and demand the release of Eliud and the tens of thousands of other immigrant detainees from across the United States.

Organizers from the Minnesota Immigrants Movement (MIM) and the Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee (MIRAC) condemned the targeted violence from ICE and the Trump administration against immigrants and community members. During the demonstration, Eliud’s mother shared her nightmarish experiences over the last 14 months, stating, “All I want is Eliud’s freedom.”

Over the phone, Eliud also reflected on his own experiences in ICE detainment. Coming to the U.S. as a baby, his life here is all that he knows. Despite having immigrated with legal status, ICE wrongfully arrested Eliud with no due process and has kept him in detention for over a year and counting. Eliud’s story is not unique. In Minnesota alone, there are nearly four thousand immigrants currently in ICE detention.

MIRAC member Aizar Cabrera emphasized, “We are here to represent hundreds of thousands of people who cannot speak. Today, we advocate for those who have been terrorized by violence, for those who are humiliated by segregation, for those who still fear tomorrow. Know this, you are not alone!”

MIRAC continues to demand that Governor Tim Walz sign an executive order to declare Minnesota as a sanctuary state. If you are interested in our full demands and would like to sign our petition to urge Walz to listen to the will of his constituents, please visit: miracmn.com/current-campaigns.

#AlbertLeaMN #MN #ImmigrantRights #ICE #MIM #MIRAC #Eliud #TimWalz