Why this petition matters- Antonio Cruz Cardenas is being held by ICE in one of the most abusive and inhuman immigration detention centers. Antonio has fought for his freedom countless times and it is truly unfair for it to not have been given back to him.  Antonio is my cousin and our whole family is fighting for his release. We believe that he deserves a second chance at life. We believe that he does not deserve to suffer abuse at the hands of ice in the NWDC. We are asking for signatures so that he is able to be released and recover from the mental and physical trauma that he has suffered in this place. No person should be put through this. Our goal is to save him from this place before it is too late. 

Antonio’s statement- My statement is simple and it’s only fair. I’ve been incarcerated since I was a juvenile. The court was going to decide if I was going to be released, but I lost. Then I was transferred, where I fought my case but lost again. I was sentenced for 50 years for life. In 2023 I presented myself in court and I was suitable for parole under a juvenile bill called SB-260. I reported a second chance to live life. Then I was transferred to the detention center around July 2023, where I continue to fight for my freedom. I find it unfair that I have to fight four times in total for the same case. That is why I find it difficult to fight my case here because oftentimes here we are limited to everything. We are only allowed three phone calls to get into contact with our families, attorneys, and in general make contact with the community as a whole. I find the conditions at the detention center cruel and inhuman, upon arrival here in the Northwest Detention Center. I was put in a holding cell that had food stains. Well that’s what I thought they were. Upon living here for a month, I came to find out the medical support they have here is inadequate. The food here is horrible. Many of us began to have stomach issues. We are not sure if it is the food or water that we are drinking.Overall, I want to bring attention that many of us have been put into solitary confinement. I believe no detainee should be into solitary confinement. The person's freedom has already been taken away; there is no need to do this. It is terrifying for me and the detainees. I am no different from anybody else. I would like to be treated fair, more proper and more humane. #FreeAntonioCruzCárdenas 

Cases at the NWDC- After doing extensive research of the NWDC in Tacoma Washington we have learned it is the worst place a person could ever step foot into. There are so many basic human rights being abused. There is currently a hunger strike happening as a form of protest for the lack of rights that the people being held in the center receive. There is lack of hygiene in this center which Antonio mentioned in his statement and after fact checking we have found an article which mentions that the conditions in this center are so bad that ICE & the GEO is not even letting inspectors into the center which is why they are currently being sued. There are countless stories of ICE officials in the NWDC abusing their power against the people being detained. Many deaths have also occurred in this center the most recent one being of Charles Leo Daniel’s this poor man spent four years in this detention center and a total of 811 days in solitary confinement no human being deserves this type of treatment no one deserves to have this much mental abuse happening to them Daniels died while in solitary confinement he deserves justice just like all of the others in this detention center. Antonio speaks on solitary confinement in his statement which is so dreadful to think about and the NWDC is known for having two of the longest lasting solitary confinement experiences in the whole nation. First one being when a man from El Salvador spent 817+ days in solitary confinement and second one being when a man from Trinidad y Tobago spent 811+ days in solitary condiment. If you were to put yourself in the place of Antonio or another detainee you would want justice to be done. 

Citations-

1.)  Talbot, P. (2024, February 5). Wa lawsuits seek to enforce state oversight of Tacoma NWDC | Tacoma News Tribune. ICE won’t let inspectors into Tacoma immigration lockup despite court order, state says . https://www.thenewstribune.com/news/local/article285024477.html 

2.) Marcos, A. (2024, March 28). NWDC conditions research update: Charles Leo Daniel’s death at NWDC in context. Center for Human Rights. https://jsis.washington.edu/humanrights/2024/03/15/nwdc-conditions-research-update-daniel-death-in-context/