TikToker Documents Desperate Fight To Free Boyfriend From ICE Detention
An American TikToker, Eric Duran, is using the social media platform to share his difficult struggle to free his boyfriend, Juan, from custody. For over a month, Duran has been posting updates on his efforts to locate and release Juan, his partner of more than a year.
Juan is currently being held in a Louisiana facility by the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), after being moved from holding centres in Colorado and Arizona. Duran only confirmed his boyfriend’s location after another detainee’s family member contacted him with the information.
A calculated effort to deny due process.
Duran alleges the system is deliberately designed to be confusing and obstructive. He claims authorities moved Juan just before a scheduled bond hearing, preventing him from receiving fair consideration.
“This is all an intentional and calculated effort by the system to make sure he doesn’t get his due process, because Tuesday was his bond hearing and they moved him before that,” Duran said in a recent video. He described the process as “physically exhausting and labour-intensive and mentally taxing.”
The only human experience out of all of this…
Amid the frustration, Duran has thanked his online followers for their help. He confirmed Juan’s location in Louisiana not through official channels, but through the community that has grown around his story.
“The only human experience out of all of this is being able to build a community and being able to show up and support each other,” Duran explained. “It’s on us to make sure we know where our loved ones are.”
A GoFundMe campaign was created to assist with legal fees and other costs. Supporters have already donated over ninety per cent of the $5,500 goal, showing a powerful response to the couple’s situation.
