Free Byron Press Conference held on the 100th day of his detention, with a judicial ruling coming tomorrow morning

Movimiento Cosecha held another Press Conference today as part of their ongoing Free Byron campaign.

May 14th marks 100 days that Byron has been at the Geo Group-owned detention center in Baldwin, Michigan. Byron was arrested on February 3rd in Grand Rapids, where ICE, in collaboration with ATF and GRPD, arrested him on false pretenses, which was the focus of a Press Conference held on February 23rd.

A spokesperson for Movimiento Cosecha stated:

Byron was never given the opportunity to identify himself or present proof of his asylum case. Instead, agents forcefully pulled him from his car and slammed him against it as he desperately pleaded to show his paperwork. Witnesses describe a terrifying scene in which Byron was then thrown onto a snowbank, his face pressed into the freezing snow so hard that he struggled to breathe.

A week into his detention at the GEO group North Lake private detention center, Byron developed a facial infection that went untreated for 9 days until Movimiento Cosecha Michigan and our allies like GR Rapid Response to ICE, community members in Grand Rapids and Kalamazoo ran a campaign and a phone zap demanding the proper medical care since his face became defigure and the infections was getting to the point of live threatening. Finally he received the medication he so desperately needed and this action saved his life. 

We would like to highlight that his untreated condition is not isolated and many detainees have similar instances where their lives are in danger because of the precarious conditions. People in North Lake have taken action and went on a hunger strike demanding basic human rights like access to health care, nutritious food and the due process for their civil immigration cases. Movimiento Cosecha stands in solidarity with these efforts and supports those demands that violate basic human rights.

As far as Byron immigration case, he won his Habeas Corpus case in federal court but an immigration judge denied his release on bond under the bogus accusation by ICE that Byron was resisting arrest and therefore he was a violent person but we all saw the video where ICE agents assisted by a federal ATF agent and local GRPD were violent push into a snowbank and he couldn’t breath and we could clearly see who was being violent on the video. Since then Byron has been suffering trauma and nightmares inside North Lake where his mental health has also been taking a toll with anxiety and depression. 

Cosecha organizer Gema Lowe then provided a chronological list of accomplishments in the Free Byron Campaign, which included Press Conferences, an Email campaign to ICE officials, a medical care phone zap, legal representation for Byron and a court victory, a vigil, community support letters ongoing visits and other types of community support. To read about all of the efforts in the Free Byron Campaign go here.

The next person to speak was with GR Rapid Response to ICE who made three specifics points about the Byron Martinez case.

• First, that the GRPD was present at his arrest with clear evidence of GRPD collaboration. This is something that they have on video, which you can watch here.
• Second, when Byron was first arrested he was taken to the Kent County jail, and eventually transported to the Northlake Detention Processing Center. The Kent County Jail is also collaborating with ICE, by providing holds for Immigration Customs Enforcement.
• Third, Byron’s has an asylum hearing on Friday morning and if he is denied asylum, then he will be deported. This means that both the City of Grand Rapids and Kent County have played a role in Byron’s case, causing him tremendous harm and demonstrating that local government’s and local cops are complicit in the unjust deportation of immigrants that came here seeking a better life.

The last speaker was Joana from the Southwest Michigan Coalition, who stated:

Tomorrow, May 15, Byron will attend his final asylum hearing. If the judge rules against him, his future will become deeply uncertain. Byron’s case has become highly visible within his community, and the violence he once fled in Ecuador has once again resurfaced through threats directed at his family. Byron knows very well that if he returns to his home country, his life will be in danger. He has been warned that returning could cost him his life.

After enduring the unjust suffering of being detained without an arrest warrant, surviving a life-threatening medical situation inside detention, and being denied timely medical care, Byron continues to carry deep emotional and psychological trauma. The violent arrest left him traumatized, and while detained he has suffered nightmares, anxiety, and depression.

Even now, after more than 100 days in detention, Byron faces an uncertain future. If the judge denies his asylum case, he cannot safely return to Ecuador, yet he also does not know where he will be able to go or what will happen next.

Today, we are asking the community to continue standing in solidarity with Byron, to continue supporting him, and to continue lifting him up with hope and positivity as he prepares for this critical moment in his life. Tomorrow, May 15, after more than 100 days in detention, Byron will finally face the final hearing in his asylum case.

Community members who would like to support Byron and contribute toward his release can donate through:
CashApp: $kbabk888
Venmo: @kbabk888

Any amount is deeply appreciated and urgently needed.