Jesse Alejandro Cottrell

Published Jul. 15, 2026at12:41pm Add The Standard as a preferred source on Google On July 3, during a heat wave that topped 100 degrees, Tania Choto’s husband Fernando sat roasting at ICE’s Farmville Detention Center in Virginia. The previous evening, she had spoken on the phone to Fernando, who told her the air conditioning had stopped working, and he was fending off heat exhaustion by breathing slowly. Choto called the facility’s main line and pressed the button to proceed in Spanish.

Add The Standard as a preferred source on Google When the lawyer for the court told 72-year-old Debbie Brown that she would be evicted at 6 a.m. the following day, her mouth hung open in disbelief. “You can’t do it for one more week?” asked Brown, clutching the sides of a podium in the gallery. “The court does not have jurisdiction to grant that,” the lawyer said, relaying the ruling of the judge, who sat in his chambers. “I’m sorry.” A shocked silence fell on the packed court.

Since finding an eviction notice taped on the front door of her apartment in March, 92-year-old Sue Yeng Yan hasn’t slept much. Often, she paces the floor after midnight, consumed by fears of homelessness. A few weeks ago, on a pre-dawn stress walk, she tripped and severely bruised her wrist. “I am so afraid,” Yan said in Chinese, her voice trembling. “I’m constantly anxious.