🎃 Happy Halloween, friends! Wishing everyone a day filled with laughter, sweet treats, and a little spooky fun!
As we celebrate Halloween, People Power United is also preparing for Día de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, observed on November 1 and 2. 1 This beautiful Mexican tradition has roots in Indigenous practices of honoring the dead, later shaped by Catholic observances. Through photographs, candles, marigolds, and offerings, families celebrate the lives and memories of those they love.
On Día de los Muertos, we remember the people who died in immigration detention and those killed during encounters with federal immigration agents. We honor their humanity, mourn their absence, and recognize the families and communities still searching for answers.
They were more than headlines. More than immigration records. More than statistics. They were human beings.
They were mothers and fathers. Sons and daughters. Workers, neighbors, artists, and friends. People who laughed, loved, made plans, and imagined futures that would never come.
Renee Nicole Good was a mother of three who loved poetry and singing.2 Alex Pretti was a Minneapolis resident whose death during a federal immigration operation sparked questions about the use of force.3 Johan Sebastián Durán Guerrero was remembered by his family as a devoted father and loving partner.4
Their lives cannot be reduced to the circumstances of their deaths.
And the growing number of deaths demands public attention.
The Department of Homeland Security and ICE have acknowledged 36 deaths in custody in 2026.5 But even that staggering number may not tell the whole story. Reports indicate that some people have died shortly after being released from detention, including individuals allegedly released into unsafe conditions or while gravely ill.
Since August 2025, Congress has reportedly provided ICE more than $113 billion, over ten times its typical annual budget, while the agency has dismantled internal oversight mechanisms.6 Meanwhile, medical experts have raised serious concerns about delayed treatment, inadequate medical care, and deaths that may have been preventable.
When the government takes someone into custody, it assumes responsibility for their safety and well-being. That responsibility does not disappear because a person was born somewhere else, lacks immigration status, or faces removal proceedings.
Human dignity is not conditional. Due process is not a privilege.
Behind every investigation is a family seeking answers. Behind every delayed medical response is a question about whether someone could have survived. Behind every incomplete public report is a need for transparency and accountability.
Día de los Muertos teaches us that remembrance is an act of love.
Today, we are creating a space for that remembrance.
We invite you to look into their faces. Learn their names. Remember that each person deserved dignity, safety, and the opportunity to return home to those who loved them.
Some families are still awaiting investigations. Others are seeking records, explanations, and accountability. Their questions deserve serious answers.
We cannot restore the lives that have been lost. But we can refuse to let their stories disappear.
We remember them not because of how they died, but because of how much their lives mattered.
🕯️ Take Action: Honor Their Lives. Remember Their Names.
This Día de los Muertos, we remember the lives lost in ICE detention and during encounters with federal immigration agents. Honor their memories by showing up, speaking out, and demanding accountability.
🌼 View the Memorial Gallery » May their memories inspire us to speak out, show up, and build a better tomorrow for generations to come.
Día de los Muertos Memorial Gallery 
Día de los Muertos Memorial Gallery 
Día de los Muertos Memorial Gallery 
Día de los Muertos Memorial Gallery 
Día de los Muertos Memorial Gallery 🕯️ Find a Día de los Muertos Event Near You » From October 31 through November 2, communities across the country are gathering for vigils, building memorial altars, and calling on Congress to remove ICE from our communities, redirect its funding, and close ICE detention centers.
📢 Tell Congress: We Need Immigration Reform Now » Demand meaningful immigration reform, stronger accountability, and respect for human rights and due process.
On Día de los Muertos, we honor the lives of those we’ve lost, remember the love they leave behind, and recommit ourselves to building a world where every life is valued and every person is treated with dignity.
May their memories inspire us to speak out, show up, and build a better tomorrow for generations to come.
Laurie Woodward Garcia
(paid with hugs and kisses, not bought by special interests)
Leader, People Power United
The future is not lost. It is being built — by us, right now.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Day_of_the_Dead
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/woman-killed-by-ice-agent-was-mother-of-3-poet-and-new-to-minneapolis
https://www.mprnews.org/story/2026/01/24/alex-pretti-was-fatally-shot-in-minneapolis-by-us-border-patrol-officer
https://www.mainepublic.org/immigration/2026-07-16/partner-of-biddeford-man-killed-by-ice-says-he-was-a-loving-partner-and-devoted-father
https://www.ice.gov/detain/detainee-death-reporting
https://www.americanimmigrationcouncil.org/fact-sheet/the-cost-of-immigration-enforcement-and-border-security
These continuing tragedies are not being talked about by the media, politicians nor the citizens in the land of the "free". This must also be a priority on day 1 in our new Congress! Please vote for those who can't!
May the rest in peace, and those who are responsible be held to account as soon as possible.