Alexander Esquivel was eating breakfast in his car outside his Washington, D.C. apartment last August when, unbeknownst to him, an ICE agent approached his vehicle. Esquivel was about to leave for his cleaning job and stepped out of the car to dust crumbs off his shirt when the agent grabbed his wrist.

“He said, ‘which border did you cross?’ He asked me that repeatedly, over and over again,” Esquivel said. “I felt so many emotions: What would happen if they deported me? I’ll lose my family, my friends, everything I’ve built, I’ll lose it all in the blink of an eye, all for nothing.” 

When he couldn’t provide proof of citizenship, the officer arrested Esquivel, after which he was transported to Chantilly Detention Center in Northern Virginia.

“They handcuffed us all like animals, at our waists, feet, and arms,” Esquivel said.

Esquivel migrated from El Salvador to the US almost 20 years ago, and he’s one of more than 1,100 people who were detained in D.C. in the two months following President Trump’s surge of federal law enforcement last August, according to Washington Post reporting. Like over 80 percent of those arrested, he did not have a criminal record. While Esquivel is comparatively lucky — he won his court hearing last month, allowing him to remain in the U.S. — he and his family are still among the thousands of D.C. families living in the shadow of the ongoing crackdown. 

“I’m always scared, you know, because even if the police stop us, then they could call ICE agents,” said his daughter Kaylie Esquivel, a 9th grader who is U.S. citizen. Kaylie said she cried every night of father’s detention. “I have this bond with my dad that I didn’t really have with anyone else,” she said.

For his part, Esquivel still has nightmares about his incarceration. “I wake up with that trauma, thinking I’m still detained,” he said.

After Chantilly, Esquivel was transferred to Southwest Virginia Regional Jail, six hours away from D.C.. He was then moved to Farmville Detention Center near Richmond, Virginia, where he was given a yellow uniform indicating his lack of a criminal record. He said he met many people who were in the country legally or were in the process of obtaining legal immigration status.

“They took them without a justification and without reason, solely because of the color of their skin and their Hispanic features,” Esquivel said.

Many of the arrests in Washington D.C. occurred without warrants, according to The Washington Post. Last September, a Supreme Court ruling greenlit the use of racial profiling in immigration arrests nationwide.

Esquivel still thinks about the conditions of the jail. “We heard that there were worms in the food,” he said. (An October 2025 report by the National Immigration Project documented reports of worms in the food at Farmville, and detainees facing retaliation for refusing to eat).  

“Everyone there was very sick — they got sick with everything, the flu, among other things,” said Esquivel, adding that people struggled to get access to medical care in detention. “The treatment was truly inhumane,” Esquivel said. 

The Department of Homeland Security did not respond to request for comment.

While Alex was gone, his wife Dolores says she experienced intense fear, anxiety, and depression. “This wasn’t the life I wanted. Living in fear isn’t living,” she said.

The family received lots of support from their community during his detention, raising over $25,000 to help with his legal fees. Dolores said that while neighbors left food outside for them everyday, it was of limited comfort.

“I don’t want money, I don’t want anything, I want my husband,” she said, of how she felt during those months.

In November, after two months in detention, Esquivel was released on bail. The immigration judge cited his strong family ties and lack of a criminal record. 

“It was so fulfilling, such a joy,” said Dolores of when he finally returned home. “There is nothing better than being with your husband, my husband with his daughters, with his parents. That’s the true value of life, family.”

Even while they continue to celebrate, the family worries that last month’s court win that allows him to stay could be challenged by the Department of Homeland Security. He and his family avoid leaving the house as much as possible for fear of running into immigration enforcement.

Still, Esquivel hasn’t lost hope.

“I’d tell them not to lose faith, to fight as hard as they can,” he said of what he’d tell other people facing detention. “To fight until they give their last ounce of effort, to not give up, because without a fight there is no victor.”

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At his May 27 concert with The E Street Band at Nationals Park in Washington, D.C., Bruce Springsteen made news not just by exhorting “Let ‘em hear you at the fucking White House!” before the chant-along “ICE Out Now!” line of “Streets of Minneapolis,” but by telling the crowd about an upcoming protest concert.

“In the future, we want to keep raising our voices for hope and justice, together,” Springsteen said. “Tom Morello and I will be back again here in D.C. on Oct. 3 for another night of music and resistance. The first-ever Power to the People Festival will be announced to the world, tomorrow. But you’re hearing about it first, here, tonight!

“Tom will be there, Dave Matthews, The Foo Fighters. My friends The Dropkick Murphy will be there. I’ll be back guesting and playing on a few songs with Tom and his band. We encourage you to come out and make a goddamn ruckus along with us.”

Morello, of Rage Against the Machine and other bands, has been performing with Springsteen and the E Street Band on their current tour, which will end May 30 at the Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia.

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By D. Kevin McNeir
Special to The AFRO 

Theatre Washington honored the region’s stellar theater community during the 42nd Annual Helen Hayes Awards, held at The Anthem on the District Wharf on May 18.

This year’s ceremony, hosted by actors Felicia Curry and Derrick Truby, and actor/director Holly Twyford, included performances from the Helen Hayes Awards Ensemble that illustrated the creativity of the local theater community. 

The most-awarded productions of the evening included “Damn Yankees” from Arena Stage with eight honors, followed by “The Inheritance: Parts One and Two” from Round House Theatre, and “Professor Woland’s Black Magic Rock Show” from Spooky Action Theater, each with five honors. Both Arena Stage and Round House Theatre picked up an additional award for “Fremont Ave.,” and “Bad Books,” respectively. 

Amy Austin, president and CEO of Theatre Washington, an alliance that promotes an environment of creative and diverse regional theaters, said with a tradition that spans 42 years of recognizing the best in the industry, those who win or are nominated for an award consider it among the highlights of their career. 

“Many people who live in the D.C. area may be unfamiliar with the Helen Hayes Awards, unless they’re part of the theater community,” Austin said. “But for us, it represents a major accomplishment – it means you’ve been recognized by your peers which is something that doesn’t come easy in this profession.”

“And while we may not have the glitz and glamour of Broadway in New York City, Washington, D.C., has a proud legacy of its own within the theater world. Arena Stage has been here for over 75 years – even before The Kennedy Center. And rather than yield to the discriminatory practices prevalent in the 1950s when it opened, Arena Stage, under the direction of its first artistic director and co-founder, Zelda Fichandler, bears the distinction of being the first racially integrated theater in Washington, D.C.,” Austin continued. “There’s something for everyone on the stages in this region – from Shakespeare’s ‘Merry Wives’ being set in the Caribbean to works being done in both Spanish and English.”

Native Washingtonian Ashleigh King, who served as co-director and choreographer for the awards, said this year’s theme, “Make a Scene,” speaks to the power of words which in a city like D.C., often have life or death implications. 

“Through the words delivered by the actors, staged theatrical performances remind us of the transformative power of empathy and often share portraits of cultures different from one’s own,” King said. “The theaters in the region are among the most diverse in the country with some working with huge budgets and others with more limited funds producing works from church basements. But none of them are afraid to take risks and they’re willing to make bold statements.”

“For two hours, a room full of strangers hear stories, listen to those around them react with laughter and applause, and are touched by human experiences that they may not have felt for a while or ever. But they feel them,” Kind added. “And while change may not happen overnight, those feelings people experienced during a performance go with them as they move forward in their own lives.”

Austin agreed and said this year’s ceremony and chosen theme showcase “the essential role of theater in today’s world as both an art form and a platform for conversation, change, and reflection.” 

The Helen Hayes Awards honored work presented during the 2025 calendar year from 149 eligible productions, including 42 musicals, 107 plays, and 33 world premieres. Awards were presented across 41 categories, including gender-inclusive performance categories. 

Austin said as the awards platform has continued to expand, even smaller theater companies and part-time actors find encouragement.

“Since our founding in 1983, Theatre Washington has emerged as the official representative for the area’s robust and diverse theater scene,” Austin said. “Some only have about 100 seats, while others put on productions in churches or are run by immigrants from Eastern Europe. But even if an actor or a stagehand cannot commit to making theater a full-time job, they can be part of the theatrical community. So, everyone gets a chance to both participate and to be recognized.” 

“We’re the only large scale awards system for the theater community in Washington, D.C. – at least for now. And it’s an opportunity that becomes more exciting each year.”