The escalating violence of Homeland Security operations now affects both immigrant communities and U.S. citizens. The Guardian article, ‘2025 Was ICE’s Deadliest Year in Two Decades,’ reports that at least 32 people died in ICE custody. Recent reports cite inhumane conditions, including inadequate food, sleep deprivation, and lack of medication in detention centers. In neighborhoods, Homeland Security and masked agents have used tear gas on protestors, and there are documented instances involving firearms. Within a week of 2026, an incident occurred in which Minneapolis resident Renee Nicole Good, was shot and killed by an agent while alerting others of ICE’s presence.
To this day, the administration denies any accountability for the murder of Good and the lives they have forever changed. The world is watching in real time as our government is trying to justify the murder of an innocent woman. This is not normal, and we should be outraged. We are currently living in a 24-hour cycle where breaking news happens, and this should not be “just another headline” we come across. We are underreacting because we have been desensitized to the lawlessness of this administration.
We are not to be made examples of. No community should be forced to live in fear of being torn apart or fear of not making it home. It is imperative that our community continues to raise its voice. Now more than ever, is the time we need to stand together against the atrocities this administration is committing.
Where there is darkness, there is light. Following the news of Good’s murder, what followed was a demonstration of community solidarity and unity across the nation. Community members flooded the streets, as voices rang loud with chants and all under a uniform message: we will not be silenced! These were more than just protests; they were acts of resilience and resistance.
The same can be said about the Rio Grande Valley, whose community has always remained resilient in the face of adversity and welcomed its neighbors fronterizos with open arms. However, the over-militarization of our home and the harmful rhetoric remain prevalent. The same day DHS shot Good, the head of DHS, Kristi Noem, visited the southern border to announce the installation of more deadly buoys along the Rio Grande River. As our state continues to pour billions of dollars into deadly, anti-immigrant tactics and aids in spreading harmful lies about the Valley, La Union del Pueblo Entero and our community-based Immigration Committee are helping combat those efforts by keeping the community informed and safe. Porque un pueblo unido jamás será vencido.
Under the umbrella of our new campaign “Valle Fuerte, Valle Libre,” in December of last year, LUPE began training community members to distribute Know Your Rights kits throughout the RGV. In addition, we have placed yard signs in verified locations where family separations, kidnappings, and disappearances at the hands of Homeland Security have taken place. Every Valle Fuerte, Valle Libre yard sign we install symbolizes the families who are being torn apart, and with every kit we distribute, we are safeguarding the rights of our community.
Our immigrant communities, our allies, and U.S. citizens who have stood side by side with our brothers and sisters are no strangers to intimidation, pepper spray, shoving, or violent restraint. This only fuels our commitment to organize, report, and keep one another safe. But now, the violence has escalated. As one of our Immigration Committee members told local news outlets, “we live in a time where apathy is not neutrality; it is a form of compliance. While millions are spent to sow fear and tear families apart at the hands of ICE agents, it is up to us to become informed, raise our voices, and take action to support those who are being harmed today by the power that lies, abuses, and shows contempt for the law.” It is in times like these that we must adjust and fortify our strategy to meet the moment and not fall for desensitization tactics. Our work is not symbolic; it is essential. Every action we take, every kit we distribute, and every yard sign we place is a declaration of our commitment to the people of the Rio Grande Valley: we will not allow fear, intimidation, or violence to dictate the lives of our community. We will continue to stand together until every family is safe, every right is protected, and justice is real for all.
