The First Confirmed Death of 2026

The First Confirmed Death of 2026

by | Feb 12, 2026 | ICE, Opinions, Poetry, Politics

There is no picture of
Luis Gustavo Núñez-Cáceres
that I can find
This 42-year-old
Honduran citizen is
the first confirmed death of 2026
from an ICE Detention Center

~

Arrested on November 17 in Houston
Núñez-Cáceres began at
The Montogomery ICE Processing Center
but within a week
he was moved to
The Joe Corley ICE Processing Center
on Hilbig Street in Conroe, Texas
He died at a nearby hospital
on January 6th at 4:31 am
from complication related to
congenital heart failure

~

Both facilities listed are operated
by ICE-preferred contractor
The GEO Group, Inc
4 of the 7 people who died in December 2025
and at least 45 immigrants
have died while in the hospital
or promptly upon release from GEO Institutions

~

The DHS Appropriations Act of 2018
mandates that ICE
publicize reports of in-custody deaths
within 90 days
ICE claims they are dedicated
to the well-being of the humans in their care
But a guard just pleaded guilty
to sexual abusing a detained immigrant
and no supervisor was charged
It seems there is no justice

~

If screenings and assessments
healthcare and emergency services
are offered
If the well-being of detainees
is important
Why is there no one to hold accountable
Why is there no picture of Núñez-Cáceres

~

Every Person is Important

~

God’s Breath In My Lungs

God’s Breath In My Lungs

by | Feb 11, 2026 | Opinions, Poetry, Politics

My soul hurts today
I have never been raped
but men have touched me
without my permission
and I felt violated
Most of my friends can say the same
or more

~

God did not give permission
for anyone
to hunt, kill, or eat each other
Change can come if we decide
we want it bad enough
We don’t have to work from hate

~

We can work for love of each other
Because I love you and
value you
I want your safety and life
to be honored

~

No longer can we protect sickness
and depravity
You don’t get to steal
God’s breath in my lungs
We must protect life
All of it

~

They Gave Him Pills For The Pain

They Gave Him Pills For The Pain

by | Feb 9, 2026 | ICE, Opinions, Poetry

“Our professionally trained medical staff
including licensed doctors and nurses
provide timely compassionate care
to all individuals in our custody”
said Emily Lawhead
spokesperson for
The Imperial Regional Detention Center Facility
in Calexico, California
at 1572 Gateway Road

~

Luis Beltran Yanez-Cruz
died on January 9, 2026 at 1:18 am
He had been arrested on 11/16/25
in Newark, New Jersey
Within days of his arrival
at The Imperial
he was vomiting
and had pain in his stomach and chest
After a week he was tired when walking
and short of breath
They gave him pills for the pain

~

His daughter was on the phone
with his friend
when she was told he had gone to the hospital
“They were worried because dad hadn’t come back”
While they spoke
a private line called to tell her he died
“I had hoped that my dad would get
out of that place
but not this way”
She never got to  say goodbye

~

Yanez-Cruz was 68 years old
He loved his children
He loved watching his 6 grandchildren
open their Christmas gifts
He was a soccer fan
a painter and construction worker
He enjoyed when his daughter made baleadas
a traditional Honduran dish
He came from Honduras for a better life
He applied for protected status twice
and was denied

~

baleadas

~

God Is Always Good

God Is Always Good

by | Feb 6, 2026 | Opinions, Poetry, Politics

I praise God because He is good
even when no is right
and everyone is right
and the Epstein files are proving
what we already knew

~

I am not disagreeing with you
but I am including all sex abuse crimes
because Epstein Island is the one time that
Black Women were not included in sex abuse
although some might say it was not about sex
but about power and
the genitals just happened to be the way in

~

I’m not looking away and I am not ignoring what I see
I am just no longer shocked
I am just waiting
As someone who has been in need
and yet always forgotten
I am used to humanity
people do as people do unless they decide to change

~

And change must come from within
Change cannot be imposed
Change cannot be forced
Change cannot be man-made
or it wont last
That is why God honors free will
That is why God lets you choose

~

So while I wait
I will praise Him because even though
everyone is right
and everyone is wrong
God is always good

~

He Can Not Go Home

He Can Not Go Home

by | Feb 3, 2026 | ICE, Opinions, Poetry, Politics

Victor Manuel Diaz
died in ICE custody
at Camp East Montana
on Digital Road in El Paso, Texas
They found in unconscious
and unresponsive on January 14, 2026
Diaz is the third human to
have died there
since they opened last year

~

Diaz was 36-years-old
he came to The United States
to earn money to build a house for his mom
He was arrested on January 6
in Minneapolis
His family in Nicaragua learned of
his detention
through his employer

~

“I don’t believe he took his life
He was not a criminal
He was looking for a better life”
said his brother
in response to ICE saying
it was suicide
No one knows why his body
was sent to Fort Bliss
instead of the local medical examiner

~

Diaz had his mother
two sons and siblings
back home
They say he was not depressed
What happened so that he can not go home?

~

Rent Is Due

Rent Is Due

by | Feb 2, 2026 | ICE, Opinions, Poetry, Politics

They’re all wearing masks
They don’t identify themselves
They are driving around in
unmarked vehicles
with tinted windows
They change their license plates
all the time

~

In response we blow our whistles

~

There is no one who is safe right now
Rent is due at the end of the month
and income earners have been stolen

~

We live in a war zone
because of their lawlessness
There is need of those
who document what is happening
Deliver food and medicine
Take children to school

~

If you can help:

Disclaimer: Summer D Clemenson is not affiliated with any of these organizations. My goal is help you help others through art. Summer D Clemenson and Clemenson Enterprises, LLC does not keep track of the resource levels of the organizations listed here. Please be kind to the people that help you regardless of the limits of these organizations.

~

The First Blanket of 2026

The First Blanket of 2026

by | Feb 2, 2026 | Community, Yarn

If you crochet you know you do it because you must. Just like anything you love, it is because you love it. Like my writing. I must do it. The other day, as I was finishing the first blanket of 2026, Karen G Clemenson asked me if I ever thought that I would be still doing this when I first learned how to crochet. I told her: I probably didn’t give it much thought because I was nine.

As I was weaving in the new yarn, I was thinking about that. I had started writing poetry at about the same time. But I started writing short stories before that. I told her that I had started writing stories when I was in first grade. One of my teachers had shown us how and I had kept doing it. I would illustrate them too. I am sure my mom has some of them. But I remember when I started writing poetry because Nana had bought me a journal for Christmas and that is what I was writing my poems in. I had had another teacher show us about poems. Eventually, after high school, I stopped writing short stories. I like poetry, nonfiction articles and editorials. I like to explore the truth.

I think that is why I like crochet. It lets me think about a lot of things while I work with the yarn. I have made a lot of blankets, booties, even a few sweaters, many hats, my favorite is bags…but it is hard to find my market. You can never sell anything for what it is worth. My work is good quality. I like better quality yarn. I create work that your grandmother doesn’t generally make. I put a lot of time into it. People are used to Walmart prices. They don’t mind if it breaks. They don’t care if you will mend it.

So, my needles are easy to put away. I have a few people that love my work and use the things I will make for them. It was fun to hear that the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 1045 handmade baby blankets. They even give me yarn to create them. So now when I watch TV I have someone to create for. It makes me heart happy to think about a new person being wrapped in my gift of love.

If you would like to donate any yarn to me or any blankets to Living Ministries, I am the person to contact for that. You can also donate yarn or crocheted baby blankets at Wellness Works NW which is located inside Forever Fit Gym at 1211 18th Ave, Longview, WA.

~

Feel free to leave your comments below!

My name is Summer. That is how you can call me. I hope that I am a blessing to you. I am not perfect. I will fall again. But I am forgiven. For anyone reading this that isn’t a Christian, unapologetically, I am a Jesus Follower, but I believe there is room for lots of beliefs and religions in the world. It is not my intent to offend people with different beliefs than I have and I would be open to open-minded conversations with no goals of changing anyone’s mind, but sharing information. If you are interested in becoming a Jesus Follower…Do you know Jesus? Do want the Holy Spirit to fill you and give you understanding and salvation? Ask Him. Want someone to pray with you? Contact me.

If you would like to know Jesus as your friend, but want to make this amazing commitment by yourself please pray something like this: Thank you Jesus that You are the Son of God, the God that created heaven and earth. Thank you Jesus that You came to earth in the form of a man so that You would be able to empathize with my humanity. Thank You that You did this in order to fulfill the promises You made at the foundation of the world. I realize that I am a sinner and do things that hurt myself and keep myself away from you. Thank You that You died for my sins so that You could defeat death and bring me into Your life. Please forgive me. I ask You to be Lord of my life. I ask you to heal my hurts and show me what my new life, empowered by You looks like. Thank You for Your mercy.

~

I Hear His Cries

I Hear His Cries

by | Feb 2, 2026 | ICE, Opinions, Poetry, Politics

The 5th person to die in ICE custody
this month
in the first 16 days of 2026
Herber Sanchez Dominguez
was only 34-years-old
He has a wife
and children

~

Dominguez was found unresponsive
at 2:05 am on January 14, 2026
at The Robert A Deyton Detention Facility
in Lovejoy, Georgia
on Hastings Bridge Road

~

We knew when he got here in 2023
he was captured
and released
with a notice to appear for an
immigration violation

~

On January 7, 2026
Dominguez was arrested
for driving without a license
Language barriers compound
the obstacles immigrants must overcome

~

Transparency 
and access to care
could save lives
Just because Heber was born in Mexico
his mental health should have counted

~

I hear his cries

~

Parody Was A Real Person

Parody Was A Real Person

by | Feb 1, 2026 | ICE, Opinions, Poetry, Politics

Parody La was a 46-year-old male
La was last seen in Upper Darby Philadelphia
He left to get groceries on January 6, 2026
He had been detained
for hours before his family
knew he was gone

~

La came here as a refugee
when he was 2-years-old
He’s never been to Cambodia
He’s really an American man
even though he lost his permanent residency
after some bad choices between 1992 and 2022

~

Experiencing drug withdrawal
La was placed under medical observation
at the ICE Detention Center on Philadelphia Street 
His family questions the use of naloxone
when medical finding cite
anoxic brain injury
shock and multi-organ failure
He was not overdosing

~

Parody was a real person
People loved him
He has a daughter named Jasmine
He died on January 6, 2026
after 2 days in the hospital
one of 32
to have died in detention
Every Person Is Important

~

All I Really Got

All I Really Got

by | Jan 31, 2026 | ICE, Opinions, Poetry, Politics

“Its gonna be hard to break me
because I have a strong spirit
and I grew up with a whole lot of love”
Keith Porter was shooting his gun in the air
celebrating New Years 2026 in Los Angeles
when an off-duty ICE agent shot him
adding to their record of making false and distorted claims

~

“I got two beautiful young girls
and I’m going to raise them
the way I’m supposed to”
Porter held multiple jobs
and was a student aid to kids
with special needs
His friend says its hard to hear people
sully his reputation
“He loved to make you smile”

~

“I pray I talk to God
I talk to family
Because at the end of the day
that’s all I really got
I feel rich”
He used to call his mother every day
to say I love you

~

A Neighbor

A Neighbor

by | Jan 27, 2026 | ICE, Opinions, Poetry, Politics

Alex Pretti never touched
the gun in his holster
the one he was licensed to carry
the one our second amendment protects
He had no criminal record

~

Alex Pretti wasn’t a protester
he was a witness
He was an ICU nurse at the VA Hospital
He was helping a woman up
off the ground

~

10 shots were fired
in less than 5 seconds
3 shots in his back
He had additional wounds
in his chest and neck

~

Four or five ICE agents had him
on the ground
Even though it didn’t appear
he was trying to resist
Yet they felt the need
to shoot him
until and even after he was dead

~

Pretti is the 2nd United States citizen
shot by federal officers this month
The media called the woman a protester
but she was a neighbor
said the business owner
who knew both of them

~

3 Shots

3 Shots

by | Jan 27, 2026 | ICE, Opinions, Poetry, Politics

“I’m fine Dude
I’m not mad at you”
Renee Good‘s last words

~

DHS Policy Says
ICE can shoot at a moving car
if it poses imminent threat of death
or serious bodily injury
to the officers or someone else

~

But why?
Can dead people control where
their car crashes?

~

20 years on the job
This ICE agent was an Iraq Vet
This was his second vehicle related incident

~

3 shots
One in her arm
One in her breast
One in her head
Maybe this agent needs to retire

~

Good was a mother and wife
She was a singer of songs and author of joy
And she will never pick up her son from school
again

~

Piano Music at 7 AM

Piano Music at 7 AM

by | Jan 14, 2026 | Poetry

There are Energizer Bunnies
wearing skates made of razor blades
running down my back while they pound on drums
they wear around their necks
More of them are populated between my shoulders and fingertips
And also my knees and toes
And sometimes my feet burst into flames

~

There are Crash Test Dummies 
working diligently in my hips
and a Sumo Wrestler 
squeezing my head with his thighs
Fibromyalgia sucks
Sleep has been a test
I am not sure I passed

~

I turned on some piano music
To lull the sound of life outside of this room
I want to chase sleep for a bit longer
Every joint ricochets in consecutive order as I
slowly turn over and place my ear over Karen’s heart
A sound that grounds me
Makes me feel safe because I am home

~

Broken by the bullets of notifications

~

“Honey, why do my friends send me messages at 7 am?
They are smart people
They know I am not up yet?
If I remember to turn my notifications off
I might not remember to turn them back on
And then I will miss them altogether”

~

She kisses my head
“They are just excited to talk to you”

~

The Late Show January 7, 2026

The Late Show January 7, 2026

by | Jan 8, 2026 | Art, Opinions, Poetry

An armed attack against Greenland
is an armed attack against NATO
and we don’t want to attack NATO
because the United States is also
a member of NATO
and right now we are crazy

~

Proof being that ICE just shot
a 37-year-old single mother in the face
A United States citizen
who just didn’t want to be detained
without due process
for an unknowable amount of time
because she has a 6-year-old
But now her child is an orphan
And I don’t believe the words of Kristi Noem

~

Venezuela is still standing
however we are still stealing their oil tankers in the sea
Our Sex Offender and Chief is drooling over barrels of oil
that he is counting in his mind
while he is wondering when he will be impeached
And we are all laughing at the Food Pyramid
RFK Jr has turned upside down

~

Heck ya!
Things I never thought would happen
Are here
The Late Show
Is just trying to help us find a way to laugh
instead of cry

~

You Always Know What to Do

You Always Know What to Do

by | Jan 3, 2026 | Poetry

I am so thankful
that I don’t have to know what to say to You
You already know
that I am scared
that we are scared
that they are scared
that we don’t know what to do

~

You always know what to do

~

I haven’t lived long enough
to know what to do
I am comfortable with the fact
That You have always been here

~

You always know what to do

~

There are people that are hurting
There are people that have lost their homes
There are people who have been lied to
There are people who don’t have enough
Some of us need medical care
All I can say is
Please help

~

You always know what to do

~

I want You to shine
I want You to win
I want us to feel safe
I want us to know we are loved

~

Please help

~

I Wish You Joy

I Wish You Joy

by | Dec 24, 2025 | Poetry

~

Whether you believe Jesus is the reason
or you light candles on a Menorah
If you celebrate Enlightenment or Yule
You are preparing for Kwanzaa or you are an Zoroastrian
If you are a Muslim
or you just like the lights and presents
I wish you joy

~

Whatever your reason is to sing
or celebrate life
be thankful for your loved ones
Whatever reason you stop and
breathe in
the scent of your favorite food and drink
be merry
Know you are loved
You are valued

~

Wherever you call home
be there
No matter what gift
you give or get
make sure someone smiles or laughs
because you are there
Share your light
because yours is different from anyone else’s
You are special because
the breath in your lungs
is from your Creator

~

You are a gift

~

Read More:

~

The 2nd Baby Blanket of 2025

The 2nd Baby Blanket of 2025

by | Nov 19, 2025 | Community, Yarn

Announcing the 2nd Baby Blanket of 2025. This has been fun getting back into yarn art. Especially since I have not bought the yarn. It is a challenge to to work with yarn that is a surprise. In fact I ran out of yarn that was given to me and I had to choose from the 3 balls of yarn I had left over from old projects and the red won out. I think this blanket is fun and brilliant in color. I hope that whoever gets this feels the love.

I will continue to crochet these love blankets for the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 1045 and my beloved, Karen G Clemenson, just reminded me that she will be filling out the paperwork for us to become official auxiliary members.

If you would like to donate any yarn to me or any blankets to Living Ministries, I am still the person to contact for that and once it is in my hands, I can donate anything to any nonprofit I desire or I am told to by the donator. You can also donate yarn or crocheted baby blankets at Wellness Works NW which is located inside Forever Fit Gym at 1211 18th Ave, Longview, WA.

FYI Forever Fit Gym is hosting a food drive to benefit several nonprofits in the area, including Life Works. If you can help, please bring your nonperishable items there. In case you didn’t think about it, cooking oils and powdered milk are a God send for those cake mixes and mac and cheese mixes, as well as any herbs and spices to make things taste good…canned apple sauce can take the place of eggs. 🙂

~

Feel free to leave your comments below!

My name is Summer. That is how you can call me. I hope that I am a blessing to you. I am not perfect. I will fall again. But I am forgiven. For anyone reading this that isn’t a Christian, unapologetically, I am a Jesus Follower, but I believe there is room for lots of beliefs and religions in the world. It is not my intent to offend people with different beliefs than I have and I would be open to open-minded conversations with no goals of changing anyone’s mind, but sharing information. If you are interested in becoming a Jesus Follower…Do you know Jesus? Do want the Holy Spirit to fill you and give you understanding and salvation? Ask Him. Want someone to pray with you? Contact me.

If you would like to know Jesus as your friend, but want to make this amazing commitment by yourself please pray something like this: Thank you Jesus that You are the Son of God, the God that created heaven and earth. Thank you Jesus that You came to earth in the form of a man so that You would be able to empathize with my humanity. Thank You that You did this in order to fulfill the promises You made at the foundation of the world. I realize that I am a sinner and do things that hurt myself and keep myself away from you. Thank You that You died for my sins so that You could defeat death and bring me into Your life. Please forgive me. I ask You to be Lord of my life. I ask you to heal my hurts and show me what my new life, empowered by You looks like. Thank You for Your mercy.

~

The First Baby Blanket For 2025

The First Baby Blanket For 2025

by | Nov 4, 2025 | Art, Community, Opinions, Yarn

I haven’t crocheted for a long time. In fact it has been about two years (except for the patch job I did on my nephew, Kaison’s baby blanket) since I made Kaison’s baby brother, Riyder’s baby blanket, because he just had his 2nd birthday. But Karen G Clemenson has been volunteering at the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 1045   when she has time. She isn’t a war veteran, but she is Army and once you are Army, I am told you are always Army. She enjoys visiting with her kind. Even though she is not a war vet, they have been talking about her becoming an auxiliary member and since they have been talking to her, and she talks a lot, they found out I crochet.

Apparently there is a shortage of auxiliary members that crochet, so now they are talking about me becoming an auxiliary member too. I haven’t begun that process at this point, but since someone sent a bag of yarn home with my wife, I decided to make use of it. Apparently there is a quota to be met and they are having trouble making it. I would hate to think that someone didn’t have a lovely, homemade blanket to wrap around their new baby. So here is the first baby blanket for 2025.

I don’t have all the information for how to do this. We are pretty sure you have to have a military affiliation to be part of the auxiliary, however, if you would like to donate any yarn to me or any blankets to Living Ministries, I am still the person to contact for that and once it is in my hands, I can donate anything to any nonprofit I desire or I am told to by the donator. You can also donate yarn or crocheted baby blankets at Wellness Works NW which is located inside Forever Fit Gym at 1211 18th Ave, Longview, WA.

FYI Forever Fit Gym is hosting a food drive to benefit several nonprofits in the area, including Life Works. If you can help, please bring your nonperishable items there. In case you didn’t think about it, cooking oils and powdered milk are a God send for those cake mixes and mac and cheese mixes, as well as any herbs and spices to make things take good…canned apple sauce can take the place of eggs. 🙂

~

Feel free to leave your comments below!

My name is Summer. That is how you can call me. I hope that I am a blessing to you. I am not perfect. I will fall again. But I am forgiven. For anyone reading this that isn’t a Christian, unapologetically, I am a Jesus Follower, but I believe there is room for lots of beliefs and religions in the world. It is not my intent to offend people with different beliefs than I have and I would be open to open-minded conversations with no goals of changing anyone’s mind, but sharing information. If you are interested in becoming a Jesus Follower…Do you know Jesus? Do want the Holy Spirit to fill you and give you understanding and salvation? Ask Him. Want someone to pray with you? Contact me.

If you would like to know Jesus as your friend, but want to make this amazing commitment by yourself please pray something like this: Thank you Jesus that You are the Son of God, the God that created heaven and earth. Thank you Jesus that You came to earth in the form of a man so that You would be able to empathize with my humanity. Thank You that You did this in order to fulfill the promises You made at the foundation of the world. I realize that I am a sinner and do things that hurt myself and keep myself away from you. Thank You that You died for my sins so that You could defeat death and bring me into Your life. Please forgive me. I ask You to be Lord of my life. I ask you to heal my hurts and show me what my new life, empowered by You looks like. Thank You for Your mercy.

~

I Can’t Do This Without You

I Can’t Do This Without You

by | Oct 21, 2025 | Opinions, Poetry, Politics

~

I am made in my Creator’s image
I am white
I am female
I am a United States Citizen
I am just like you

~

Jesus turned over tables
where they sold offerings
for money
But He gave Himself on the cross
for free

~

You are just like me
I am black
I am queer
I am houseless & I can read
But the freedom of my Spirit
does not match my Constitution

~

Some say the government
should only provide the laws & foundation
That citizens must create
the opportunities they desire
But when taxes are so high we can’t dream
How do we free those that can’t breathe

~

We are the same
I am disabled
I am a veteran
I am a tree-hugging peace-lover
I can’t do this without You

~

Photo Credit: Aesthetic Aristocracy on Tumblr

~

Choose Light

Choose Light

by | Sep 30, 2025 | Poetry, Politics

~

What if there was no left or right?
What if there was no black or white?
What if we saw the beauty
and truth that is everywhere
That you are light
that inside the truth is that
together we are all right?

~

What if instead of shaking each other down
or calling each other names
we saw how far we have come?
What if we celebrated
our victories
instead of recounting our shame?
What if we chose to be together
instead of divided by hate?

~

We don’t have to listen to the propaganda
We don’t have to bring guns to the fight
We could reach out for our neighbors
and hold hands instead of rancor
Love could be our connection
instead of a missed target
Choose light

~

Inappropriately

Inappropriately

by | Sep 24, 2025 | Poetry, Politics

~

I am a woman
Many of my friends have been raped
All of my female friends have been
touched inappropriately
or made to feel uncomfortable
in the presence of a man or men

~

I was related to the man that touched me
My friends knew their rapists
But society can be uncomfortable
the rules are unfair
the expectations are hypocritical
No one is safe

~

Women and children are not safe
So many gone
So many go missing daily
Some return forever broken
Some never return
Yet we protect the guilty
Because we know too many
people in authority
are not innocent

~

White Knuckles

White Knuckles

by | Sep 24, 2025 | Poetry, Politics, Queer Community

~

I hate the hatred God
How can they hate
someone they have never met
How can someone say they love You
but hate Your creation
The confusion makes me so tired
I hold onto You with white knuckles

~

It scares me so much
to look at my neighbors
and wonder if they hate me
because I have a wife
because I call her
my gingerbread cookie
or both
What if we adopt a child and
they’re born in the wrong body
I’ll have two parts of my heart
to be afraid for

~

I want to love my enemies
I pray for them like You told me
I fell like prey
I feel like it is a matter of time
before the ships surround me
My only strength is in You
so I will keep listening for You
even though my arms are so tired

~

PS: My 3 year old great-nephew took this picture with my phone. He is amazing!

~