“There Is a War Against Us”: Worker Leader, Released from ICE Custody, Speaks Out

On September 12, federal agents detained him outside of his barbershop, beginning a 47-day ordeal in which he was held in the Broadview ICE detention center in Illinois and then moved to the North Lake detention center in Michigan.

The abduction came in the early days of ​“Operation Midway Blitz” as the Trump administration dramatically ramped up the presence of heavily armed, masked federal agents throughout the Chicago area. Giménez González’s community responded with outrage and concern, rallying at the Broadview facility the day after he was detained.

To the tremendous relief of loved ones and supporters, on October 28, Giménez González was released from ICE after his legal team successfully argued it is unlawful for ICE to detain him indefinitely without a bond hearing. 

Members of St. Paul and the Redeemer Episcopal Church picked him up in Michigan and drove him back to his home in Chicago. I spoke to Giménez González — who faces ongoing immigration proceedings — on October 30 and November 6 about what he went through and how he’s doing. He expressed deep concern about others who are still locked up. 

“They should do more to stop this so we can stop living this nightmare,” he told me. 

What I want to say to the Hispanic community is to protect themselves, to be cautious. Sometimes people think that this is a game, but indeed it’s not. I’m saying to people, to immigrants and the Hispanic community, to take good care of themselves, because when we are in jail, we are still waking up from that American dream. It’s not really an American dream because we left our countries with fear and now we’re fearful too.

People should support migrants. It’s like there’s a war against us, and everything we go through is unpleasant.

Sarah: What did you observe during your abduction and detention? How were people treated?

Willian: There was unjust detention. It was all of a sudden. They had my name, and I don’t know if I was on a list or if they checked the plates of my car. So when I was arrested, they took me with them to get other people arrested. So after they got a total of three of us, they got us in a white van that said ​“ICE.” We were handcuffed and shackled. They took us to the police station and then to the processing center here in Chicago. Then they took us inside of a room where there were other immigrants that were detained too. 

I will say that the treatment was inhumane because they deprived us of our freedom. I felt like my mind was going out of control because I was thinking about a lot of things. I had all these mixed feelings in myself. When this happens to you all of a sudden, it just cuts you off. You cannot remember a phone number, you cannot remember anything, and lots of things are happening in your mind, and you’re in shock. 

Regarding the conditions of the Broadview detention center, there were too many people for the small place. We had just one toilet, one sink. If we wanted to drink water, we had to drink water with our hands.

Sarah: Do you want to share more about the conditions at Broadview or North Lake?

Willian: Honestly, what I can tell you is that from the moment you’re detained, those are difficult moments. Those are the things we have to fight through.

For me, it’s a chapter I wish I could close. The bad moments you can go through, beyond the conditions, it’s the fact of being deprived of your freedom that affects you the most. A detention center has the conditions of a jail, but beyond the differences in conditions, and beyond being detained, it’s the mental part that affects you.

We support each other, but it’s all mental because we came here with a goal, and being locked up watching TV 24/7. We didn’t come to this country to be a burden, we came to work and contribute. And being detained is the first thing that throws everything out of control.

Sarah: Do you believe you were targeted because of your role as a worker-leader?

Willian: I cannot give you a specific response about that because I don’t have knowledge of the previous facts before all this took place. I don’t know exactly, but what I know is that they knew where I was. They knew where I lived. It’s kind of odd that they had my name, that they know where I lived.

Sarah: Why do you think you were moved to the North Lake ICE detention center in Michigan? What were the conditions there?

Willian: When I was here in Chicago, a lot of people detained were being sent to North Lake. So then I received a phone call from my attorney, Kevin Herrera. But next to me, there was one of the ICE officers, and the officer overheard my conversation with my attorney. At that moment, my attorney was telling me that they were outside, and they were protesting. After the officer overheard my conversation with my attorney, he said to me that I was going to be sent to Michigan. I said to him that I wasn’t going to sign my deportation. I don’t know if that was the reason why the officer decided to send me there, because he heard my conversation with my attorney.

Sarah: In your statement that was released by Raise the Floor and Latino Union of Chicago, you said, ​“I owe my freedom to being organized.” What did you mean by that?

Willian: I belong to St. Paul and the Redeemer Episcopal Church. I’m an organized laborer and I was with the Latino Union of Chicago and Raise the Floor Alliance. Those three elements led to my freedom.

Sarah: Was it because there were people fighting for you and watching your case?

Willian: I will say also because of that, and, through my wife, I learned that so many people and organizations helped me with that, and I want to give my sincere gratitude. I am thankful for the organizations and for the people in the United States. In the midst of my detention and all this, they embraced me, helped me and supported me.

Sarah: Will you continue to fight for the rights of workers? 

Willian: Yes, of course. I will continue supporting them because, first of all, I’m a human being.

Sarah: Do you have any asks or demands of those in a position of power?

Willian: It’s not just one person they’re detaining — it’s a whole family. We come looking for a better future, and it seems like this has no end.

They should do more to stop this so we can stop living this nightmare.

I wish they could help us get some kind of immigration status that protects us when we go outside. Right now, I’m afraid to go out.

We know the government wants numbers, and if I go outside, they can grab me even though I’ve already been detained.

Sarah: Is there anything you want to share since we last talked? Any updates on how you are doing?

Willian: On one hand, I thank God that I’m free. I’m one of the few people who’s free, and it’s made me feel happy because I’m with my wife and at home. But I’m scared because everything is still the same with immigration. To be honest, I feel both good and bad. Good because I’m free, but bad because I’m imprisoned in my own home. This week has been very confusing, full of anxiety and sadness.

But the most important thing is that I’m healthy and with my wife.

This article is a joint publication of In These Times and Workday Magazine, a nonprofit newsroom devoted to holding the powerful accountable through the perspective of workers. This interview was conducted with the help of interpreters and edited for clarity.