San Diego, California – (Editor’s note: This article originally appeared in our sister bilingual publication, Tribuno del Pueblo.) Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead), a respected Mexican tradition celebrated on November 1 and 2, honors those who have passed away. This vibrant celebration involves creating altars, offering gifts, and taking part in heartfelt remembrance ceremonies to honor departed loved ones. For many years, activists and grassroots groups have embraced this tradition to remember and memorialize people who have died due to violence or injustice.
On October 29, Detention Resistance, Free Them All SD, the American Friends Service Committee, and Friends of International Friendship held a vigil outside the Otay Detention Center. These groups promoted it through flyers, social media, and a press release, inviting community members to bring items for the altar and to participate in its collaborative creation. Since 2020, they have come together to honor those who have lost their lives at Otay Detention Center. For Friends of International Friendship Park, this marks their second year of participation and support in this remembrance effort.
In recent years, these organizations have united to build altars and hold vigils specifically for those who have died at Otay Detention Center, a tragic outcome of the inhumane neglect by the private company CoreCivic and the INHUMANE IMMIGRATION SYSTEM. Since the start of this year, the current administration has seen the total number of deaths in detention centers rise to 23 across the United States.
The gathering emphasizes the tragic reality of 2025, which is expected to be one of the deadliest years in recent history for detained immigrants.
Community members attending the Día de los Muertos vigil and memorial service felt encouraged to share the meaningful items they brought, such candles, and marigolds flowers, and helping to build the altar together in a spirit of community and solidarity. It was a heartfelt act to remember those currently detained at the facility and to stand against any mistreatment by CoreCivic staff.
The organizers’ agenda was clear, conveying that no individual should lose their life due to immigration or migration to a country in pursuit of a better life. At the beginning of the event presentation, Pedro Rios, Director of AFSC in San Diego, said the following (see the video below by Nanzi Muro):
It was a meaningful vigil marked by a display of solidarity as participants built an altar with community members who understand and are willing to assist in taking action to prevent further loss of lives among brothers and sisters in these horrific detention centers operated by private companies. During the event, the names of those who lost their lives this year across the nation were called out, accompanied by messages of awareness. The purpose was to ensure that their lives are not forgotten and to remind everyone that no one should die simply for seeking to immigrate or migrate in search of a better life.
To learn more about the victims who died nationwide this year in detention centers, please visit:
