P. Stetler on ICE's detention of a man with Down syndrome
What if the "police" arrested and incarcerated an immigrant who had disabilities?
Over on The Nation, Pepper Stetler published an article on 25 March 2026 entitled, “The Overlooked Crisis Facing Immigrants With Disabilites: Gregory Javier Laguna, who has Down syndrome, and his brother have been detained for almost five months. Under Trump, ‘it feels like we have no recourse,’ said one advocate.” She explained about how Victor and Gregory Laguna, who were seeking asylum in the US, were apprehended by local authorities in Athens (OH, US) in September 2025 while doing their jobs delivering medical supplies. They were subsequently incarcerated by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement and, although they twice petitioned courts to honor their rights and they no longer have criminal charges against them, they are slated to leave the US voluntarily by early April 2026. As Professor Stetler explained, Victor Laguna is the guardian for his brother, Gregory, who has Down syndrome. Their plight illustrates the difficulties encountered by immigrants who have disabilities and their families.
Although US laws protect people with disabilities, local and federal authorities ignored the brothers’ rights. Difficulties for individuals with disabilities persist despite efforts by organizations such as The Arc, efforts to help law enforcement officers understand disabilities and interact accordingly, and efforts to change the culture and laws.
Here is Ms. Stetler’s lede:
Victor Laverde Laguna and Gregory Javier Laverde Laguna, who are dual citizens of Venezuela and Colombia, arrived in the United States in September 2024 as legal asylum seekers. Victor, 62, is the guardian of his brother Gregory Javier, who is 50 years old and has Down syndrome. They settled in Columbus, Ohio, and Victor eventually found a job on Facebook for him and his brother to deliver medical supplies.
In late September 2025, Victor walked back to his car after dropping off a package and heard a gunshot. Five or six Athens County law enforcement agents pushed him to the ground while other agents dragged Gregory Javier out of the car. Neither of the men speak much English, and Gregory Javier’s speech is limited. He yelled for his brother as two agents handcuffed him and put their knees on his back. Victor shouted at the agents, “my brother is Down,” several times in English, but their brutality did not change. Both men were dragged on gravel to a nearby police car and put in the back seat.
Pepper Stetler, who is a professor of art history at Miami University, previously published a related about special education in The Atlantic. Special Education Today covered it in a post on 1 November 2025. She is also the author of a book about IQ that is based on her experience as the mother of a young woman who has Down syndrome, and she has also contributed additional works.
The full article in The Nation is behind a paywall. One can read the first few paragraphs or can surrender an email address to obtain a “trial subscription” that permits access to three articles for free.
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Publishing in or the Athens County Independent on Dani Kington had “Brothers held by ICE denied bond, again” on 11 March 2026 and “After months in ICE custody, brothers to pursue voluntary departure” on 14 January 2026.