The ofrenda in front of the Oregon Capitol at the vigil remembering people who died in ICE custody on Monday, March 16, 2026. (LAURA TESLER for Salem Reporter)
About 100 people gathered at the Oregon Capitol Monday, March 16, to light candles, listen to speeches and pray for people who have died while in immigration detention or custody.
Oregon farmworker union PCUN and Salem Region Indivisible organized the vigil and procession.
Since October 2025, 23 people have died in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody, NPR reported. That puts the fiscal year on track to have the most reported immigration detention deaths since 2004.
PCUN and other groups have been holding monthly “Day Without an Immigrant” rallies and events, urging immigrants and their allies to avoid work, school and shopping “to stand against ICE and the Department of Homeland Security’s escalating attacks upon immigrant communities,” according to a press release about the event.
An Aztec dancer blesses the ofrenda in front of the Oregon Capitol at the vigil remembering people who died in ICE custody on Monday, March 16, 2026. (LAURA TESLER for Salem Reporter)The crowd holds butterflies at the vigil in remembrance of people who died in ICE custody held at the Oregon Capitol on Monday, March 16, 2026. (LAURA TESLER for Salem Reporter)Dustin Breitweiser carries a sign in remembrance of Alberto Gutierrez Reyes in a march in remembrance of people who died in ICE custody held at the Oregon Capitol on Monday, March 16, 2026. (LAURA TESLER for Salem Reporter)Larry Ramsay holds a sign honoring Alex Pretti at the vigil remembering people who died in ICE custody held at the Oregon Capitol on Monday, March 16, 2026. (LAURA TESLER for Salem Reporter)A marcher carries a sign in remembrance of Ismael Ayala Uribe at the vigil held at the Oregon Capitol on Monday, March 16, 2026. (LAURA TESLER for Salem Reporter)Counter protesters at the vigil remembering people who died in ICE custody held at the Oregon Capitol on Monday, March 16, 2026. (LAURA TESLER for Salem Reporter)A rice painting at the ofrenda in front of the Oregon Capitol at the vigil remembering people who died in ICE custody on Monday, March 16, 2026. (LAURA TESLER for Salem Reporter)The crowd listens to speakers at the vigil in remembrance of people who died in ICE custody held at the Oregon Capitol on Monday, March 16, 2026. (LAURA TESLER for Salem Reporter)The ofrenda in front of the Oregon Capitol at the vigil remembering people who died in ICE custody on Monday, March 16, 2026. (LAURA TESLER for Salem Reporter)Pastor Zach Courter from Saint Mark Lutheran Church addresses the crowd in Spanish and English in front of the Oregon Capitol at the vigil remembering people who died in ICE custody on Monday, March 16, 2026. (LAURA TESLER for Salem Reporter)Maria Hinojos Pressey, deputy director of PCUN and candidate for Marion County Commissioner, speaks about her uncle who she said was abducted by ICE. (LAURA TESLER for Salem Reporter)Local faith leaders lead the march in remembrance of people who died in ICE custody held at the Oregon Capitol on Monday, March 16, 2026. (LAURA TESLER for Salem Reporter)Rodrigo Villas holds a candle in remembrance of people who died in ICE custody held at the Oregon Capitol on Monday, March 16, 2026. (LAURA TESLER for Salem Reporter)Marchers return to the Capitol on Monday, March 16, 2026. (LAURA TESLER for Salem Reporter)Vigil attendees hold candles in remembrance of people who died in ICE custody held at the Oregon Capitol on Monday, March 16, 2026. (LAURA TESLER for Salem Reporter)
Correction: Due to inaccurate information in a press release, this article originally listed the Indivisible group organizing the event incorrectly. It was Salem Region Indivisible, not Indivisible Oregon.
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Laura Tesler has lived in Salem, Oregon for 20 years and is originally from Flint, MI. Laura has been an underwater photographer for 15 years, and is an avid scuba diver. Topside, she has been taking photographs since age 12, and currently works on assignment for the Salem Reporter, and full time purchasing land for fish and wildlife habitat in the Willamette Valley. Laura attended Oregon State University, and has traveled extensively all over the world and the United States.
2 Comments
It was actually Salem Region Indivisible not Indivisible Oregon who worked with PCUN on this event.
Also not sure why Laura Tesler names some people in her photos but not others.
We’ve corrected that – the original incorrect information was in a press release about the event. Our photographers work hard to get individual names at events, and we try to run those photos with identified individuals, but it’s not always possible to get every name in the moment.
It was actually Salem Region Indivisible not Indivisible Oregon who worked with PCUN on this event.
Also not sure why Laura Tesler names some people in her photos but not others.
We’ve corrected that – the original incorrect information was in a press release about the event. Our photographers work hard to get individual names at events, and we try to run those photos with identified individuals, but it’s not always possible to get every name in the moment.