Our brother Braian is a 21-year-old who has lived in the United States since he was three years old. When he was picked up by ICE, he wanted his freedom so badly he immediately agreed to be deported to Argentina— a country he has no memory of. In fact, he was so young when he left Argentina, the country eventually pronounced him dead. The only life he remembers has been in the United States.

Braian grew up in the U.S. helping everyone however he could. He went from house to house to work odd jobs to earn money to share with us and our dad. He would pick up groceries for our grandparents. He loves helping people and bringing people together. When we moved to a quiet neighborhood where people kept to themselves, Braian changed the atmosphere there so it would be more welcoming. He introduced himself to all the other kids and invited them outside to play rugby and handball. During high school, he was on the wrestling team and track team. After school, he worked as a bus boy. He volunteered at our church in his free time. After high school, he moved to Florida so he could be closer to his baby son. He worked hard as a roofer in the Florida heat, leaving before five a.m. and working until five or six at night.

Then one spring day, when he was only 20 years old, he disappeared. When immigrants like our brother are taken to detention centers in the U.S., it’s like they’re a missing person. They just vanish.

We didn’t realize that at that moment, Braian was signing voluntary departure papers. ICE told him if he cooperated, he would be deported within a month. This did not happen. He has now has been transferred back and forth from detention center to center for nearly a year.

He is currently at Glades County Jail, a facility in one of the least populous counties in Florida. People detained at Glades describe horrifying conditions: food with bugs in it, bathrooms with maggots around the toilets, and staff who tell detained immigrants “I hope you die.” In the four months he has spent at Glades, Braian has often been hungry and lost weight. He tells us there are nights he can’t sleep because he’s in pain from hunger.

And every day for nearly a year, he has been held without a trial— waiting for news about when he can be free.

We want Braian to be released. We want to be reunited. We all grew up together, and without him we’re like a puzzle with a missing piece. We want him to be reunited with his son. Our brother was a child when he came to the United States and has as much right to be here as any other child born here. We are scared for him as we hear reports of the pandemic. We are afraid he will die at Glades and we won’t even hear about it.

Braian and thousands of immigrants like him have family in the U.S. who are ready to take them in. Don’t let ICE deport Braian. ICE cannot continue to put his life at risk. They need to be held accountable. Demand that ICE release him NOW. 

--Stella, Rosa and Axel

Please sign the petition, share, and contact your local officials or media outlets to shed light on the injustice that so many people currently face in detention centers around the nation. As we face this pandemic, we demand that ICE stop putting people's lives at risk.