Union del Barrio plans rally for high school student detained by ICE despite city focus on Dodgers celebration

The Community Self-Defense Coalition, Union del Barrio, Association of Raza Educators and other community-based organizations will hold a press conference and rally to demand the release of Reseda High School student Benjamin Marcelo Guerrero-Cruz, who has been in ICE custody since August 8, 2025.

Union del Barrio is aware that today many individuals will be attending the Los Angeles Dodgers parade, but for the organization, it is another day fighting for the release of Guerrero-Cruz, who is currently detained at the Adelanto Detention Center in San Bernardino.

You may ask how Guerrero-Cruz’s detention relates to the Dodgers celebration. While Dodgers principal owner Mark Walter has declined to make any statement regarding affiliations with immigration enforcement, the Los Angeles Dodgers organization earlier this year donated $1 million to support immigrant families amid ongoing public and social media accusations.

Walter also serves as CEO of Guggenheim Partners, a financial firm that manages over $325 billion in assets.Guggenheim holds a 0.38% stake in the GEO Group, a private prison corporation that operates U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention centers. 

Back in August, a witness who saw the 18-year-old get detained said that Guerrero-Cruz was walking his dog in his neighborhood in Van Nuys when he was taken by masked ICE agents.

According to the GoFundMe page asking for support for family, he is the oldest of four siblings and helps his mother take care of his six-year-old brother and five-month-old twins. He is described as “a devoted son, a caring brother, a loyal friend and a valued member” of the community, “with a kind heart, who has always stepped up for his family.”

Guerrero-Cruz’s former teacher recently visited him in Adelanto and will provide an update on his condition during the press conference. Guadalupe Carrasco Cardona, a member of several organizations organizing the rally, stated that today marks an important moment for the former student, who is scheduled to appear in court. During the hearing, his legal representatives from the Immigrant Defenders Law Center are expected to petition for his release.

United Teachers Los Angeles members will also demand that the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) implement a better policy and protocol to protect students from ICE raids. The shooting in front of Santee Education Complex on October 22nd showed that LAUSD schools and administrators lacked a clear plan of action to protect students when federal agents opened fire and remained in front of the school for several hours. 

When: Monday, November 3, 2025, 5:00 p.m.

Where: LAUSD Headquarters, 333 S. Beaudry Ave. LA, CA 90017