In August of 2025, our dear friend Tomás was abducted off the street by ICE while
going to look at an apartment listing. He and 3 other men were walking to their car while
speaking Spanish, when they were spotted by the NYPD, then arrested. They have labeled the cause of his arrest to “entering the
country illegally”, which the police had no evidence of. He has no criminal record. He
was arrested for the way that he looked and the language he spoke. 

Upon his detainment, he was sent to 4 different prison facilities in 6 days, most of which
were standing room only because of how packed they were. He was given little food
and water, unable to sleep due to a lack of beds and chairs, before finally landing in a
tent camp in Texas. He was
one of the first groups of people to be sent to this new facility in the middle of the desert
with no windows, makeshift walls, and freezing conditions. There is no medical attention. Tomas himself has lost
15 lbs since living in this facility. During the first 50 days of opening, the conditions at the camp violated
at least 60 federal standards, according to ICE’s own detention oversight unit. 

Anybody who has the pleasure of knowing Tomas knows what an extraordinary
individual he is. He is a gentle, kind, and curious man, always working hard and caring
for his family and friends. From a young age, Tomas dreamt of coming to the States and
bravely made the journey to NYC from his home in Guatemala almost 4 years ago. He
learned English at a lightning-fast speed and climbed the ladder in the hospitality
industry, starting as a busser and quickly learning the skills to bartend at two of
Brooklyn's busiest neighborhood bars. He always had a smile on his face. He loved to
take selfies with his friends. He takes his coffee with milk and 2 sugars, and would
always tell you to get home safe.

Not only is Tomas a pillar of his community in Brooklyn, but he is also the primary
caretaker for his family back home in Guatemala. He supports his sick mom, providing
her with medication, financially supporting her necessary medical surgeries, and funding
her rent. He financially and emotionally supports his nieces and nephews, whose
mother (Tomas's sister) tragically and suddenly passed away a few years ago. Their
father is not a part of their lives, making Uncle Tomas a role model and father figure for
his young family members. He pays for their educational costs, clothes, and food.
Tomas's aging father is unable to work, and he relies on Tomas's earnings for his living
costs. Tomas's hard-working undertaking in the US made all of this possible. But now,
because of his detainment, he is unable to provide for the basic needs of his family.

This is an extraordinary humanitarian situation that justifies immediate release, yet Tomas has been detained for over six months in a facility that was only meant as a temporary processing center, and has denied him asylum, bond, and habeus
corpus. Every legal route has been exhausted. His last resort option is asking for voluntary deportation, which he is slated to request on March 12th. If he does not request this, he is at risk of involuntary deportation, which could land him in a completely random country with no resources,
family, or access to aid. We are aiming to get him released before this date arrives. Despite having documentation to support that Tomas has abided by all laws, is not a
criminal, and has done nothing wrong, he is still being involuntarily detained in an inhumane condition. The immediate priorities that we need support for are:

1. Strength in numbers: showing ICE and the DHS that they cannot disappear people. Show them that there are people in his community that care about him and will show up for him in any way, shape, or form.  

     2. Donate to help cover important legal fees and basic living costs for Tomas and
the family: bit.ly/teamtomas

    3. If you have any connections with media outlets, lawyers, journalists, or anyone else that can help with raising awareness for Tomas' case,    please reach out and let us know. 

No form of support or direct action is too small. We need everyone. Giving our time and
attention to this makes all the difference not just for this one person but also helps our
neighbors being impacted by this violence to know they are not alone and that people
will stand up for them. We are sending a message to DHS and ICE that we will not sit idly by and let people be disappeared.