Make the Road New Jersey Statement on Release of Martin Soto from ICE Custody

ELIZABETH, NJ — On Tuesday night, Martin Soto was released from ICE custody after eight months in detention, including five months at Delaney Hall where he helped lead a hunger and labor strike inside the facility that brought international attention to the billion-dollar prison industry and their abuses.

In response, Make the Road New Jersey Director Nedia Morsy released the following statement:

“After eight horrendous months in ICE detention camps, Martin is free. What happened to Martin is a window into how much time and money ICE wastes tearing families apart. He was grabbed by masked ICE agents on his way to buy diapers for his children and locked up in a private prison. When he went on a hunger and labor strike to expose the human rights abuses happening inside of Delaney Hall, he was thrown in solitary confinement.

“Our movement is indebted to Martin. His leadership inside of Delaney Hall gave hundreds of people the courage to stand up for themselves, and he showed that fighting back is worth it.

“Martin’s release shows that we can win even when it seems impossible, and we must continue to organize until every person inside is free, detention camps are shut down for good, and ICE is abolished.”