Traveling ‘Immigrant Crosses’ memorial of ICE-involved deaths launches in Illinois

A collection of more than 100 white crosses has launched to memorialize people who died in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention centers or during enforcement operations since 2020. Each three-foot by two-foot cross bears the name of a deceased individual.

Father Brendan Curran, a Dominican priest, helped maintain a memorial in Franklin Park, Illinois, for Silverio Villegas González. Villegas González, a 38-year-old father of two, was shot and killed during an ICE operation on Sept. 12, 2025. On Oct. 8, 2026, the family of Villegas González filed a legal claim against the government alleging that employee misconduct caused his death.

The National Immigration Project reported that at least 28 people died in ICE custody as of Oct. 5, 2026, following 33 deaths in 2025.