Standing with Victor on “holy ground”
El Refugio stands with Victor Puertas, an indigenous climate activist tased and arrested at a music festival on March 5, who was charged with domestic terrorism related to #StopCopCity protests. Victor was released from the DeKalb County Jail after three months, and then he was detained by ICE at Stewart Detention Center (SDC), where he now faces deportation.
Clergy and activists held a rally outside SDC on June 29 calling for Victor’s release, while some clergy visited him.
“You should meet this human who embodies so much peace, so much love, joy, and care for all, building community inside SDC,” said the Rev. Darci Jaret, pastor of Advocacy, Arts, and Worship at Park Avenue Baptist Church in Grant Park.
Friends described Victor as a “water defender” and “suncatcher,” similar in spirit to Manuel Esteban “Tortuguita” Paez Terán, who was murdered by police on Jan. 18 in the Weelaunee Forest. Victor traveled great distances to chop wood, repair roofs for older people, and help out in any capacity.
Tortuguita’s mother, Belkis, spoke at the rally, saying, “I am here because [my child] cannot be here.”
The Rev. Dave Dunn of Unitarian Universalist Metro Atlanta North Congregation said, “We are standing on holy ground.” He said he visited Victor at the DeKalb County Jail, and that he “lives for human connection and is detained in a place devoid of human connection.”
Nilson Barahona-Marriaga, who was detained at the Stewart and Irwin detention centers, advocates for the abolishment of immigration detention. “This is what brings me back to Stewart,” he said. “I know what it feels like to hear that door shut behind your back. It feels like they are crushing your soul.”
