Ukiah father and business owner detained 19 months ago for undocumented status

UKIAH, CA., 10/17/26 — This story begins, but doesn’t end, with one human being: a son, father, community member, and a friend to many in Ukiah. Santos Gonzales was six years old when he and his family immigrated to the US from Mexico. He grew up in Sonoma County where he attended public schools and learned English, assimilated into American culture, and in his twenties married and started a family.

His self-made Ukiah business, Custom Grafix, provided banners, signs, and wraps for vehicles for over five years. Santos had been raising his family in a traditional all-American way: being involved in his children’s learning and extracurriculars and spending time with his family were his top priorities. Santos feels proud of his stepdaughter, Nyema, an honors student with a passion for learning and life, and his happy, curious son, Santos Jr., who has just turned 3 years old.

Nineteen months ago, Santos couldn’t have imagined that his life, family, and home would be a distant memory, but for him the unimaginable happened. In February, 2025, Santos received a letter from the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement office for a mandatory appointment in the San Francisco field office. He quickly reached out to community members for character references and sought legal representation in hopes of demonstrating his status as a working community member legally married to a US citizen. 

In early March, 2025, he arrived at his appointment and was handcuffed and detained. He was not able to bring his wife into the facility with him, nor was he able to say goodbye to his family. He was transported and imprisoned at the McFarland Detention Center in Kern County. 

Shock was the feeling his wife, Melina, described when she had to drive home alone from the San Francisco office with her infant son crying from his carseat. “I felt so hopeless,” she said. She recalls receiving a text from Santos letting her know they were detaining him. “I was in a parking lot holding my baby, watching everyone walking by living their lives, and I just wanted to scream, `HELP!’”  

Santos’ detainment has completely dismantled not only his own life, but it has caused severe financial and emotional hardship for his family. Melina, a part-time hair stylist and soccer coach, is struggling to pay rent and provide for her family, in addition to paying legal expenses to battle Santos’ case. She also has an upcoming surgery to worry about—wondering how she can afford medical expenses and who can care for her children while she is in recovery.

With Santos’ income lost, Melina relies on SNAP benefits and government assistance while trying to juggle her work and mom-life. Meanwhile, Santos’ Custom Grafix design business has been put on hold, and a relative has taken over the financial aspects, including storing equipment. If Santos is released and able to work, he will need to find a new space to rent for his business. 

“At least he’s not dead” is one mantra Melina tells herself. She thinks of Santos’ detainment as a “stagnant, festering puddle” in which she is learning to stand and allow “what happens to happen.” She tries to stay strong while maintaining a sense of normalcy for her children. However, she can’t help but think of the what-ifs.  If Santos is deported, will she move herself and her children to Mexico to be with him? The thought of leaving her home in Ukiah is only more strife in her life.  

Santos said that he and other inmates receive fliers that offer $1,000 for voluntary deportation. For him, this is insulting: “Where would I go? I don’t know anybody in Mexico. My home and family are here — I was in kindergarten when I moved here,” he said. 

The educational opportunities of living here are privileges that their children, born US citizens, have as a legal right. Melina wonders if she will have to decide between her family and her country. “Mexico is becoming more progressive, but I can’t even wrap my head around that possibility,” she said.

Santos worries about the emotional impacts his family faces, especially his young son: “For the second time in my son’s short three years of life, he will be fatherless on his birthday. How do I explain to him that Spiderman will be there, but I can’t? How do I justify my absence?”

He observed that as his son grows, he is developing more of an understanding that his dad is not there. Communication occurs through videochat: “I tell him I love him every day, but what’s love without a hug or a goodnight kiss after a bedtime story?”

Transferred to the California City facility 

Santos’ worries about his son exacerbate the deeper traumas he and thousands of other detainees are experiencing. A few months after being in McFarland, Santos was transferred to the California City ICE facility in the Mojave Desert, where detainees have petitioned, protested and demanded a stop to inhumane treatment, including sexual abuse, lack of daily fresh air and water, and what the California Collaborative for Immigrant Justice terms violations of basic human rights.

Santos believes he was transferred for speaking out against conditions at McFarland, where he listed similar concerns to those at California City. During a phone interview in May, 2025, Santos described crowded bunks, poor ventilation, only two hours of daily outside time dependent on detainee behavior, and lack of regard to inmate medical needs.

Santos worries about the thousands of others who are going through similar experiences of missing their families, lacking physical connection, and wondering if human kindness exists anymore: “It’s not me I want others to know about, I’m just a grain of sand,” Santos explained during a recent phone interview. “Since I’ve had the privilege of living here and learning English, I’ve been able to help others.” Santos explained he has advocated for other detainees, from translating their medical situations to their needs for sweaters. 

While Santos was in McFarland, Melina was able to experience a few hourly supervised visits with prior authorization when she was able to make the 8-hour drive. Now, a window is between them with no physical contact allowed. Since his transfer, Melina has not brought the children to see him. “With a window between them, and no hugs, I couldn’t put the kids through it,” she said. They are able to talk on the phone and video-chat, an upgrade from a prison sentence. “Santos has always had a positive outlook,” said Melina.

Santos spends much of his time focusing on art, bringing joy to others in and outside the detention center.  “I didn’t know how good of an artist he was until he began texting me pictures of his art,” Melina said. 

“Art has helped me immensely while in detention not only because it’s therapeutic for me, but a lot of individuals seem to like my art,” Santos said. “They pay me to do portraits of their loved ones, birthday cards, and even designs for future tattoos.” The money he earned helps pay for video-calls with his family and his lawyer. He has honed his passion for art, often depicting Biblical figures such as Christ and Mary Magdalene. 

Santos’ drawings have captured the attention of those researching the experience of  detainees and were recently exhibited at Princeton University. Frankie Solinsky-Duryea, a San Francisco-based journalist and recent Princeton graduate, heard about Santos from another renowned artist from within the California ICE facility, and was able to gather original pieces sent to family members to display as part of his final thesis project.

Solinsky-Duryea is interested in Santos’ unique style and use of religious motifs. “His work is heartbreaking, and also shows how much he cares,” Solinsky-Duryea  said. “You can really see emotions in his work.”

Another point of interest is the media Santos uses—his drawings are on birthday cards, fliers, anything he can access from within the facility. Solinsky-Duryea noted that if basic art supplies are so difficult for detainees to come by, what other supplies and more prominient needs for detainees are denied at California City? 

The subjects of Santos’ art also bring up forgiveness and redemption, which strike a hard chord when debating the dilemma of immigrant detention. Many immigrants have criminal backgrounds, and many do not. As a teenager, Santos found himself in minor trouble. He was taken into custody by ICE at this time and then released without a criminal charge. But once his DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) expired, he wasn’t able to renew it. 

As an adult, Santos was charged with a couple DUIs. These were likely tied to his ICE arrest, though they were local, unmandated detention charges. Santos joined a sobriety program and focused on raising his family and growing his Ukiah business.  “This is not about my past, I’ve served my time,” he said. “This is about  the irreparable harm that my prolonged detention has caused. I fear my son will have memories of this period in time, and will suffer lifelong consequences,” he wrote in a message. 

His voice, relaying these sentiments and more, was recorded for the “Hugs Beyond Bars” campaign led by the California Collaborative for Immigrant Justice, and was heard  by hundreds of people who gathered outside the San Francisco ICE facility on August 5 (Hugs Beyond Bars). 

In his previous facility, Santos was able to continue attending A.A. meetings. These services are not available in the California City facility: “I’m still sober, and I can’t believe I’m saying I wish I was back at McFarland where I could still attend meetings,” he said. The U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants directly links incarceration with “increased depression, anxiety, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, and substance use,” even when facilities offer somewhat “benign” conditions (refugees.org). Santos and other detainees wonder if they will ever see or be with their families again. The ripple effects of this experience may produce generational stress and trauma; effects that can be devastating and long-term. 

Santos has submitted petitions for habeas corpus as well as permanent residency, and awaits another court date in late October. He has gathered what his legal team believes is sufficient evidence based on USCIS (US Citizenship and Immigration Services) standards to release him, and he is hopeful a judge will do so.