05/10/2026
“Roughly 60,311 people were being held in ICE detention as of April 4, according to the most recent data from the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse, a nonpartisan research center at Syracuse University. Of those detainees, about 70.8% had no criminal convictions, either none at all or only minor offenses like traffic violations.”
“That first night after her arrest, every bed was taken. Araya-Davis was given a mat and told to find space on the floor, where she slept until a bunk bed opened up days later. Before she could settle in, she needed water.”
“Water was available from a single sink shared roughly by 150 women in her pod. What she did not have was a cup. Those had to be purchased through the commissary, an in-detention store where detainees with funds in their accounts can order basic items like hygiene products and snacks. Orders were placed Sundays and delivered Tuesdays. She had just arrived on Tuesday.”
“People think, 'Just apply for citizenship or a green card,' she said. ‘But when you actually try to figure out how to do that, you end up going in circles. There's no clear answer.’
It's why she continues to speak out publicly. She wants people to better understand how difficult the immigration system can be to navigate and why, she believes, reform is needed. Many people, she said, assume undocumented immigrants are "cutting the line," when in reality, the line is unclear, inaccessible or does not exist for them at all.
In many cases, she added, eligibility depends on having a qualifying family member or employer willing to sponsor them. Not everyone has that option, and even those who do can face years-long backlogs. For example, the federal visa bulletin, which tracks when certain immigration applications are being processed, shows that some petitions filed more than a decade ago are only now being reviewed.”
Excerpt From
“She grew up in Palm Springs from age 4. Then ICE arrested her”
The Desert Sun
Milena Araya-Davis grew up in Palm Springs and went on to college, a career and marriage. But her arrest by ICE upended her life. Hear her story.
