We Hold These Truths to be Self-Evident…
As we mark the 250th anniversary of the United States and the feast of St. Catherine of Siena, we begin this first issue of Silent Voices, Big Truths in a spirit of reflection. We are all immigrants in some way, and we offer this project as part of a broader 250th Anniversary initiative—inviting reflection on key national moments through the lens of Dominican values, especially Veritas, truth rooted in lived experience, and asking what that calls us to today.
St. Catherine is remembered not only for her spiritual wisdom and public witness, but also for her compassionate connection to prisoners. In 14th-century Italy, she regularly visited people who were imprisoned—especially those awaiting execution. Rather than keeping her distance, she entered into their suffering, offering prayer, counsel, and a sense of dignity at a time when they were often abandoned or feared. Her example pushes us to draw close to suffering that is often unseen, and to recognize the dignity of those who are too often pushed aside or forgotten.
Rooted in this same commitment to truth, Silent Voices, Big Truths shares brief, at times anonymous, reflections from immigrant experiences in our communities, letting lived truth speak for itself. In this first issue, we turn to a painful reality: individuals who have died in custody or been killed in encounters with ICE since September 2025. In remembering them, we are invited into grief, accountability, and a deeper commitment to truth, dignity, and solidarity.
BIG TRUTHS
Below are words from our elected officials about the current condition of detention centers across the United States.
We Pray
Persons who have died in custody or were killed by ICE since September 2025. Please hold these names in the silence of your heart, as you pray.
- Silverio Villegas González – September 12, 2025
- Francisco Gaspar-Andres – December 2025
- Geraldo Lunas Campos – January 3, 2026
- Renee Good – January 7, 2026
- Victor Manuel Diaz – January 14, 2026
- Alex Pretti – January 24, 2026
- Pejman Karshenas Najafabadi – March 1, 2026
- Mohammad Nazeer Paktyawal – March 14, 2026
- Perez-Jimenez – March 16, 2026
Call to Action
Write your members of congress and share the above names of persons who have died in custody or at the hands of ICE to express your concerns about these deaths, inhumane treatment, and conditions in detention centers.
Share with your friends, parish, and wider circles so these stories and people are not forgotten.
- Copy and paste the link to this blog post in emails: https://www.grdominicans.org/silent-voices-big-truths-living-and-dying-in-detention/
- This document is also available to view, print, and share as a PDF.
Merciful God,
We remember those who journeyed far in search of safety, hope, and dignity, yet met their end in places meant to hold, not to harm. Receive them with compassion, restore their peace, and honor the stories that were cut short.
Comfort those who mourn across borders and languages. Stir in us a deeper sense of justice and mercy, that no life is forgotten and no suffering ignored.
May their memory move us to build a world where every person is treated with humanity and care.
Amen.
