How Is Elder Doing?
A number of our team members had the opportunity to speak with Elder over the phone this week. Here’s what one had to say about their experience:
“Press 1 now”, said an automated voice. At least I think that’s what was said; the sound was so garbled I could barely hear it. Then we waited. The voice came back on, unintelligible at first, but then clearly I could hear “this call will cost 11 cents per minute.” My colleague in charge of the call tells me the calls used to cost 23 cents per minute. I have no idea what a phone call costs for me, but I’m certain it is much less than 11 cents per minute. I feel like it is 1979, and I am back in college, calling my parents collect on a Sunday night.
Finally, we hear a sunny “hello?” It is Elder. We have found each other. The connection continues to be weak, going in and out, but we can talk. We ask how he is doing, he says fine, we introduce the community members he does not know, he thanks us for being a part of his team. Another colleague takes over the call to discuss legal matters, because there is important information to pass onto Elder and we don’t know how long we have. The rest of us listen in silence. We are all relieved to hear his voice, to hear he is okay, at least for today.
Did You Know?
ProPublica published an article featuring Elder this week. Sharing with your community is highly encouraged.
These Immigrant Kids Were Once Protected. Under Trump,Their Deportations Have Tripled
“My Uncle Elder is very loving. I miss him day after day. The house has an enormous emptiness without him. This separation is causing my little siblings and me so much sadness and my mom is even more sad, and I see her cry everyday. We are suffering so much without him.”
An enormous emptiness. So reads the letter pictured above, written by Erik, Elder’s 10-year-old nephew. This letter, in the words of another child directly impacted by detention, describes how devastating Elder’s detention has been, not only for him, but also for his nieces and nephews. Elder assists his sister (his legal guardian) with caring for his nieces and nephews. His detainment denies his family much-needed love and care.
Elder’s family was able to participate in this week’s vigil in Gasden, Alabama (read on for more about that).
How much does detaining Elder cost? One of our team members, a data analyst, has created a tiny, but mighty spreadsheet. This spreadsheet, which updates automatically on a daily basis, has five pieces of data:
Elder’s Date of Detention: 12/30/25
Today’s Date: 7/8/26
Days In Detention: 190
Daily cost per contract at Winn for 1 detainee: $70.00
Total spent on Elder so far: $13,300
This money comes from federal taxpayer-funded contracts. This is an excellent point to highlight in communications with elected officials.
Our website team is working to add this feature to our website so the daily numbers will be easily accessible. Stay tuned!
Our Community In Action
Our community continues to grow and to take action to bring visibility to Elder’s case.
Last week, Pennsylvania. This week, Alabama. Last night, Alabama-based members of our community held a prayer vigil for Elder (FB Live link here). Sponsored by Mosaic Family of Gasden, the outpouring of love, compassion and community was shining for Elder, as 45 courageous Alabamans showed up to hear from Elder’s family and teachers, to write letters, to pray together and to lift up Elder. This morning, Elder sent the following message to one of his teachers, who was in attendance at Tuesday’s vigil:
Muchas gracias por haber acompañado a mi hermana estoy muy agradecido con cada uno de todos ustedes por apoyarme en esta dificil situacion estoy muy agradecido con lo que estan haciendo les mando un grande y fuerte abrazo a todos
Thank you so much for being there for my sister. I am deeply grateful to each and every one of you for supporting me through this difficult situation; I truly appreciate what you are doing. Sending a big, warm hug to you all.
Nick Valencia, independent journalist and former CNN journalist, will be interviewing members of Elder’s team, as well as ProPublica journalist, Mica Rosenberg at 3:00 pm on Thursday, July 9. Watch the program live (or later, if you can’t make it tomorrow) on Nick’s channels on YouTube or Substack. Nick is a fantastic source for immigration news that is not currently being covered by other media sources. Follow Nick on all the socials: @nickvalencianews.
Actions You Can Take Today
- Write/Call Elder’s federal officials – While all communications help, Alabama residents are especially needed to communicate with their representatives in Congress. Click here for contact info and templates.
- Share the ProPublica article featuring Elder with your community – getting the word out about Elder is an easy and effective way to support Elder and his family. The more people hear about Elder and his case, the better.
- Follow our social media accounts. – Facebook has been added! Find us there at Free Elder Now. Find us on IG: @freeeldernow and on Tiktok: @freeeldernoww. Share with your community and on your accounts to help get the word out about Elder and to help Elder’s story rise in the algorithm.
- Write to Elder – Can you write a letter or send a card to Elder? Communications from supporters give detainees a huge emotional boost. Check out the attached flyer for specific details.
- Elder’s Chair Coloring Pages – Before Elder was detained, he built a handsome chair in his school’s carpentry workshop (There’s a photo at the end of this update of Elder and his chair). We’ve created a coloring page of Elder’s Chair, which you can download here. Because Elder was a minor when he was detained, it is our hope that children will color and decorate the page in honor of Elder. In the coming weeks, we’ll provide information about uploading the pages. We’ll then pass them on to Elder’s federal representatives, so they can see the robust and diverse community supporting Elder. Please make sure only first names or initials appear on the finished pages.
Thank you for joining the community to Free Elder Chavez Carranza.
