Ever Daniel Velasquez has been trapped in ICE custody for over 3 months while his pregnant wife and 6-year-old daughter have been left to fend for themselves. They were forced to move out of their apartment and go into hiding with loved ones, no longer able to afford their rent. When Ever was kidnapped, ICE ransacked their vehicle and stole the keys and license plate. This forced his wife to pay $600 to recover the car after it was towed, and they have not been able to drive it since. In a matter of minutes, Ever’s wife and daughter were completely dispossessed of their home, transportation, and loved one.

If this were not bad enough, prior to Ever’s kidnapping ICE maced their entire family inside of their own vehicle, then brutalized Ever by slamming him on the ground, injuring his head and knocking him unconscious before dragging him away leaving behind bloodstains on the concrete. The vile injustices this family have faced are a grotesque display of the state’s sadistic methods of control over the immigrant population. They strangle all recourse from people, leave children in precarious situations without both their parents leading to unimaginable trauma, assuming those children are not outright kidnapped and trafficked as well, and instill widespread fear that this could happen to any family at anytime anywhere.

Ever’s baby on-the-way is expected to be born on November 17th, the same day as his upcoming court hearing. Instead of being with his family for one of the most important moments of their lives, he will be held captive in the Pearsall concentration camp, awaiting a date with a judge who may order for his deportation.

His wife has expressed constant anxiety and fear that she will not see Ever again. She has no idea what their lives will become if Ever can’t raise their two children alongside her. A pregnant mother should never have to face this degree of stress, which is known to cause serious health complications for herself and her unborn baby. Texas, a “pro-life” state, has never cared in the slightest for the livelihood, health, and survival of immigrants. In fact, they make it their mission to subjugate, degrade, and murder these people, in order to keep a potentially rebellious group in check.

The only thing keeping Ever’s family afloat is the support of their church, which they have been attending as a family every week for years. Their fellow parishioners were disturbed by what the state has done to this family and came together to write letters for Ever, attesting to his outstanding character and demanding his release from ICE custody.

We are calling on immigration attorneys who can help bring Ever home to his family. He needs representation for his upcoming court hearing, and for an attorney to present his letters of character to a judge in order to advocate for his release.

A movement capable of ending the brutalization of immigrant families at the hands of ICE, and more broadly at the hands of a rotten system of oppression, needs strong and dedicated people’s attorneys to stand alongside the victims of the state’s crimes as they fight their way through the legal system.

Not only lawyers, but the participation of people from all walks of life will be necessary to create a crisis that is able to threaten the status quo currently bulldozing the lives of immigrants and ultimately bring an end to the monolith of oppression the people of this country face everyday.

¡VIVOS SE LOS LLEVARON, VIVOS LOS QUEREMOS!

¡LIBERTDAD PARA LOS SECUESTRADOS!