Community members gather in East Boston for vigil honoring two activists detained by ICE – The Boston Globe

Catalina “Xochitl” Santiago and Carlos Chang, were remembered as vibrant, law-abiding citizens by friends and family who spoke during the nearly two hour gathering.

“Carlos is an amazing person who supports the community, and he deserves to live in this country, because he’s a good person and doesn’t have any problems with the law,” said Erika Arevalo, who said he worked for five years with Chang at Cosecha Massachusetts, an advocacy group.

Chang, an undocumented immigrant from Guatemala who lived in Lawrence, was detained by US Customs and Immigration on July 29 at his workplace in Maine. He has been in the United States for 17 years and is now at a detention center in Tampa, Miranda said.

“It’s been incredibly painful for me to have a family member in detention and not be able to communicate with him,” said Josias Orozco, Chang’s cousin, through a translator.

Santiago, who lived in Massachusetts from 2016 and 2020, was detained at an airport in El Paso Aug. 3 while traveling for work. She came to the U.S. legally at age 8 on the federal Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, the federal program better known as DACA that protects undocumented people who arrived as children.

Santiago’s detention, despite her DACA status, shows an “escalation” of the Trump administration’s immigration policies, said Miles Meth, her friend for nearly 10 years.

“Her case is like a test from the administration to see how much people are willing to turn away or how exhausted they are with everything going on in the world,” he said.

Meth and Miranda called Santiago’s detention “unlawful,” and protests against her arrest have been held across the country, including in Texas and New Mexico.

In a statement to local El Paso news outlet KFox14, Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said Santiago had a criminal history including “charges for trespassing, possession of narcotics and drug paraphernalia.”

At the East Boston vigil, two tables were strewn with flowers and candles in honor of Santiago and Chang. Attendees were encouraged to write letters to Chang, which organizers will mail to him.

As organizers, the pair were well known for their work to pass the Massachusetts law that allows undocumented immigrants to apply for a driver’s license. Chang and a cousin were known to play drums loudly at rallies and marches.

“This community has suffered a lot – a lot of people have been detained,” said Meth, who has known Chang since 2019. “Spirits could get really low, and he was always the person who was bringing so much joy to places.”

Santiago was “fearless” with “a lot of personality,” Meth said.

Emily Spatz can be reached at emily.spatz@globe.com. Follow her on X @emilymspatz.