LONG BEACH, Calif. — Chanting “What do we want? No ICE. When do we want it? Now,” more than 200 people gathered at Bixby Park in Long Beach for a candlelight vigil honoring lives lost in immigration detention and during encounters with Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Organizers said at least 32 people died in ICE custody in 2025, with eight additional deaths reported so far in 2026, figures that immigrant advocates say reflect a sharp escalation in enforcement and detention practices nationwide under the administration of Donald Trump.
The vigil was organized by ÓRALE (Organizing Rooted in Abolition, Liberation and Empowerment) alongside the Long Beach Justice Fund Coalition, Filipino Migrant Center, United for Economic Justice, United Cambodian Community, Long Beach Tenants Union, clergy leaders and community organizations.
Among the faith leaders present was the Rev. Dr. Antonio Gallardo, rector of St. Luke’s / San Lucas Episcopal Church in Long Beach, who described the fear that spread through immigrant congregations after Trump returned to power.
“Earlier last year when President Trump took power and spoke openly about what they were going to do, there was fear among all the congregants who would be affected,” Gallardo said. “We were surprised that they continued to come.”
Gallardo said the church responded by creating safety protocols to protect worshippers.
“We educated ourselves and learned there was a way to protect people while they were on campus,” he said. “We established gate monitors, trained people on how to interact with ICE, and created a protocol. They use walkie-talkies. We lock the gates during services. People feel protected — and our attendance has gone up.”
In an interview during the vigil, Gallardo framed immigration enforcement as a moral crisis.
“They are trying to instill fear so we stop acting. But in our faith, we commit to respecting the dignity of every human being. Right now, that dignity is being violated.”
Gallardo, himself an immigrant and naturalized U.S. citizen, said the escalation in deaths under ICE custody should alarm the public. In 2025, more people died in ICE custody than in any single year in the past two decades. “Think about that,” said Gallardo. “That’s cruelty.” He cited the recent release of a detained child, Liam, noting the family was reportedly sent 1,500 miles away.
“What’s the point?” Gallardo said. “It’s to make people fearful.”
Speakers emphasized that public pressure can still produce results, pointing to recent protests in Minneapolis that prompted officials to announce a pullback of certain ICE operations.
“The power is in us,” Gallardo said. “We need to keep protesting, resisting and finding ways to act.”
Organizers also stressed that participation does not require marching in the streets.
“Some people say, ‘I’m too old to protest,’ or ‘I feel unsafe,’” Gallardo said. “There are many ways to help — prayer, donating to bond funds, calling elected officials, countering misinformation, protecting those who are protesting. We need everyone.”
For many immigrants, speaking out represents a break from long-instilled survival instincts. He recalled a moment of personal reckoning.
“When President Trump took power, I thought for a second, ‘If I speak up, they could take my citizenship,’” he said. “Then I decided I’m not going to live in fear.”
Community members echoed concerns about the long-term consequences of inaction.
Janet, a Long Beach resident holding a handmade sign, said her message was simple.
“I didn’t vote for him. I don’t agree,” she said.
Ruth, another resident, said the stakes extend far beyond the present.
“What’s happening now is going to shape future generations,” she said. “If we don’t clean this up now, they’re going to have a harder time in 10 or 20 years.”
Representatives from the Filipino Migrant Center called for recognition of all lives lost.
“We want to honor everyday people who have died in ICE custody and those still enduring subhuman detention,” said Romeo, a community organizer. “My hope is that we experience healing through collective action.”
ÓRALE organizers said the vigil was intentionally slow and reflective, naming individuals often missing from public discourse, including Keith Porter, a Los Angeles resident whose death they said has been as publicized as others.
“These names need to be remembered,” said Denisse, an ÓRALE community organizer. “We want people to feel empowered to organize together and understand there are many ways to do that.”
Advocates are also urging the Long Beach City Council to strengthen the Long Beach Values Act, a policy first adopted in 2017.
Maribel, associate director of ÓRALE, outlined three demands: prohibiting the use of local resources or use of public spaces for ICE activity, banning surveillance technologies such as license plate readers and facial recognition, and establishing a private right of action allowing families to sue if the policy is violated.
“We’ve always experienced ICE persecution — families have been separated for decades,” Maribel said. “We need to be bold and demand our elected officials step up now.”
As candles burned and names were read aloud, organizers said the vigil was both a memorial and a message.
“We are instruments of light,” Gallardo said. “This government wants us to live in darkness — and we’re not supposed to do that.”
