A group gathered outside the Havemeyer building on Greenwich Avenue Thursday for a vigil to honor lives lost detainees of US Immigration and Customer Enforcement, “ICE.”
The group included US Representative for Connecticut’s 4th congressional district Jim Himes, State Rep Hector Arzeno (D-151) and State Rep Steve Meskers (D-150).
Among those who attended the vigil to honor ICE detainees who lost their lives were Congressman Jim Himes, State Rep Steve Meskers and State Rep Hector Arzeno. July 23, 2026
Organizers of the vigil noted while many are familiar with the names Renee Good and Alex Pretti, who were killed by federal agents in Minneapolis, Lorenzo Salgado Araujo and Johan Sebastian Duran Guerrero died this month during separate encounters with ICE.
They were described as fathers, workers and beloved members of their families and communities.
People who attended the vigil held candles and signs. July 23, 2026
“Lorenzo was driving with his crew to a job sit. He was not under investigation and was not a suspect, said Laurie Heiss Grealy. “Joan was a young father and worker in Maine. He was not the person ICE agents were looking for, yet he was still shot and killed during an enforcement operation. Their families and communities deserve the truth, transparency and accountability.”
Organizers said leaders in Houston and Maine were asking communities across the country to support full and independent investigations, the release of and protection of witnesses, the end to local collaboration with ICE – including an end to city and state agreements, information sharing and other forms of local cooperation that enable ICE operations without meaningful accountability – and demand Congress use their oversight and funding authority to hold ICE and DHS accountable – including conducting hearings and opposing additional enforcement funding until there is an independent investigation and protections for all witnesses.
State Rep Hector Arzeno (D-151) and State Rep Steve Meskers (D-150) attended a vigil to honor ICE detainees who lost their lives. July 23, 2026
According to the the National Immigration Project as of early April ICE, continues to hold over 60,000 immigrants in detention.
In 2025, ICE reported 33 detainee deaths, the highest total in more than two decades. (Mourning Those Who Have Died in ICE Custody).
“Numbers alone cannot hold the weight of grief or the significance of the lives lost,” said Michele Greenberg, one of the vigil organizers. “The people who have died in immigration custody had names. They had friends and family who loved them…Their lives mattered and their deaths mattered too.”
State Rep Hector Arzeno (D-151), Peter Berg and Laurie Heiss Grealy at the vigil. July 23, 2026
At least 52 people died in ICE custody during the first 500 days of the second Trump administration, spanning from January 20, 2025, to June 4, 2026.
Organizers read many of their names aloud.
Geraldo Lunas Campos
Luis Gustavo Núñez Cáceres
Luis Beltran Yañez-Cruz
Parady La
Heber Sánchez Domínguez
Víctor Manuel Díaz
Lorth Sim
Jairo García-Hernández
Alberto Gutiérrez Reyes
Emmanuel Cleeford Damas
Pejman Karshenas Najafabadi
Mohammad Nazeer Paktiawal
Aled Carbonell Betancourt
Denny Adán González
Mamuka Artmeladze
Jesus Manuel Arenas-Silva
Genry Ruiz Guillen
Serawit Geahegen Dejene
Maksym Chernyak
Juan Alexis Tineo-Martinez
Brayan Rayo-Arzon
Nhon Ngoc Nguyen
Marie Ange Blaise
Abelardo Avellaneda-Delgado
Jesus Molina-Veya
Johnny Noviello
Isidro Perez
Tien Xuan Phan
Chaofeng Ge
Lorenzo Antonio Batrez Varas
Oscar Duarte Rascon
Santos Reyes-Banegas
Ismael Ayala Uribe
Hasan Ali Moh’D Saleh
Gabriel Garcia-Aviles
Kai Yin Wong
Francisco Gaspar-Andres
Pete Sumalo Montejo
Shiraz Fatchali Sachwani
Jean Wilson Brutus
Fouad Saeed Abdulkadir
Delvin Francisco Ridriguez
Nenko Stanev Gantchev
After the vigil, State Rep Steve Meskers said, “It’s important that as an elected official we be present to be a witness.”
“Our country is so polarized right now that even actions that result in the deaths of United States citizens or residents attract little notice, ” he added. “We have normalized much that I find that is deeply troubling.”
State Rep Arzeno talked about SB 397, legislation he supported in the latest legislative session in Hartford.
The bill was signed by Governor Ned Lamont in May. It limits federal immigration enforcement actions.
“The other side voted no, saying it was unconstitutional, but we do not pass laws that are unconstitutional in Connecticut,” Arzeno said.
“They claim that SB 397 violates the Supremacy Clause which says federal law preempts state law, but it does not say that the federal government is supreme.”
“SB 397 doesn’t conflict with federal authority. It provides measures to take enforcement action if federal agents violate federal law or generally applicable state law.”
“This is personal to me. I am an immigrant,” said Arzeno, a naturalized citizen who came from Argentina. “Instead of just having immigration laws, having quotas – and certainly we are in favor of deporting criminals – we are terrorizing and separating families. We are taking children off to nowhere. It’s very personal to me and I will stand up.”
Arzeno said he joined lawmakers intervening to seek the release of the teenage son of an employee of JFS, who was previously a U.S. military interpreter in Afghanistan for five years.
“We all stood up for him,” Arzeno said of the teen, who was detained by ICE during a green card appointment. The teen was released on bond after being detained for four months. “He lost 40 lbs in prison and returned with marks from being chained.”
Jen Nappo and Sheila Phelan read Amanda Gorman’s the poem “For Alex Jeffrey Pretti” in 2026 to honor his memory, that reads, in part: “We wake with no words, just woe & wound. Our own country shooting us in the back is not just brutality; It’s jarring betrayal; Not enforcement, but execution. A message: Love your people & you will die.”
People who attended the vigil held candles and signs. July 23, 2026