Speech Delivered during Protest Outside of SF Field Office

Hello, 

My name is Jonathan Jair Montes Diaz.

I am five days away from my thirty second birthday. I have been fighting my case for thirteen plus months, adding to the six and a half years I was in prison, making this close to eight years that my children, family, and friends have suffered alongside me. They are the reason that I fight. I fight for my life. I fight to stay in the only place I have ever called home. I am currently located at the McFarland ICE detention center: Golden State Annex and earlier this month have been part of both labor and hunger strikes to bring attention to all of the issues to those with power and or influence to correct these issues. In my time here, I’ve seen dirty conditions in common areas such as restrooms, showers, toilets, hallways, outdoor recreational areas, and chow halls. I have experienced long wait times for medical and when I need to be seen I am told that ICE deems my procedure to be too expensive, so I am placed at the end of the list. A list I have been on for thirteen plus months. 

Right now, I am a dorm representative and one of my roles is to assist those with limited English to address the injustices that they face - which happens frequently. I have addressed these issues with administration and most have not changed. Some have even worsened. I have now since the start of this strike, talked to two different ICE officials - one who was polite, but both with no power to make any changes, which is why we are here today asking Moises Becerra and Director Lechleitner to address these issues that we’ve already sent to them by various avenues and have yet to respond. You have our complaints. You have our demands. We politely await your response.

Speech Delivered during Protest Outside of SF Field Office

Good morning,

My name is Juan Carlos Corona Avalos. 

Throughout national modern American history, we have seen or learned from individuals who witnessed discrimination, oppression, and injustices of all types. And it was these very individuals who decided to take a stand against what had been either normalized or ignored by society and those in power, not necessarily for self interest or personal gain, but for the greater good. Because it was simply the right thing to do and most importantly to bring about change, not only for themselves but for future generations. 

Today, we come together in unison with one voice for one common cause: a peaceful but powerful demonstration directed towards ICE officials with oversight over the Mesa Verde and Golden State GEO detention centers. For years, individuals like myself and my brothers have advocated for change. Not only during COVID when lives were endangered, but also through a labor strike in 2022, a hunger strike in 2023, and a current labor and hunger strike in July of this year. Our grievances are ignored, unfounded, or manipulated. PBNDS standards and safety guidelines are repeatedly violated with zero accountability for it. And conversations with ICE officials and facility administrators have been fruitless. 

In addition to all of this, the free phone call program has ended which has limited detained individuals’ ability to communicate with family and obtain evidence for their immigration proceedings. The pro bono program is ending August 1, 2024 which will make it close to impossible for individuals to obtain legal representation for their immigration proceedings interfering with their due process. We are aware that this is not the first time that people have gathered and advocated for change inside and out of these detention centers. But from personal experiences I assure you that this time it’s different. People are tired and our protests, our voices, our advocacy will not stop until ICE stops violating their own standards, and we see individuals who have not resolved their cases in 6 months being released, ending and the shutdown of these detention centers altogether. Immigration detention is unnecessary, inhumane, unjustifiable, and in many cases, double jeopardy. These are civil proceedings that can take place outside of detention centers where individuals can take care of their families, be productive members of society, and have a fair chance at obtaining legal representation and obtaining all documentation and evidence necessary to have a fair outcome in their case. 

We’re tired of being ignored and our inhumane living conditions and treatment being minimized. We want San Francisco Field Office Director Moises Becerra and ICE Director Patrick Lechleitner to hear our voices, hear our demands, and take immediate action. 

Thank you. 

My name is Victor, I have been on hunger strike with the rest of my dorm since Thursday, July 11th. I have a child custody case in family court, and I was attending the court hearings before I was here in detention, and once I was in detention, at first I could also attend the hearings. About two months ago, I was already detained here at Golden State Annex, my social worker sent me the information for my family court hearing in the mail, and I gave it to GEO and they put me through by video to the court hearing. I have another family court hearing coming up on Tuesday, and I gave GEO the info and now they are saying they can't help me. That I can only attend immigration court hearings. I have a son who is going to be three years old in September. Not being able to attend the hearing makes me feel very bad. For the court it's going to look like I don't want to participate, don't want to be there for my kid, but I do. I want to be part of his life. This feels like retaliation for being part of the hunger strike.