Naples Vigil Sunday Will Honor People Who Died in ICE Custody, Marking Día de los Muertos
Immigrant rights activists will gather at 5 p.m. Sunday on the steps of the Collier County Courthouse for a vigil and rally honoring people who died in federal immigration custody.
Marking Día de los Muertos, immigrant rights activists will gather on the steps of the Collier County Courthouse at 5 p.m. Sunday, November 1, for a vigil and rally honoring people who died in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody, as well as those fatally shot by ICE and Border Patrol agents, the Naples Daily News reported. The event is organized by Indivisible Gambit SWFL in partnership with the national Disappeared in America campaign.
Organizers said attendees can bring LED candles, carry signs and wear costumes and face paint, and they are collecting socks, undergarments and children's pajamas for Eva's Closet, a local social services organization. June Sanson, the Lee and Collier coordinator for the Florida Rapid Response Alliance for Immigrant Safety and Empowerment, said the event is intended to call attention to conditions in federal immigration detention.
Organizers said the vigil follows a fiscal year 2026 that saw more deaths in ICE custody than any previous year in the agency's history; USA TODAY's tracking, cited in the reporting, found ICE had reported at least 61 deaths in its detention facilities since 2025, with 29 this year as of October 27. ICE said in a statement that it remains committed to ensuring that people in its custody reside in safe, secure and humane environments, with comprehensive medical care provided throughout their stay.
The Naples vigil is part of 'End the ICE Age,' a coordinated series of demonstrations nationwide from October 31 through November 2, and organizers say the memorial will remain nonviolent. It is the latest in a series of immigration-related demonstrations across Lee and Collier counties, including 47 consecutive weeks of vigils along Tamiami Trail.
