Please Support the Menjivar Family

On June 10, 2025, ICE agents detained Douglas Menjivar—a devoted husband, father, and beloved community member—during a routine immigration check-in. His detention has devastated his wife, Monica, who is in fragile health after years of fighting cancer and other chronic illnesses. Monica’s Medical Struggles Monica recently completed three years of grueling treatment for aggressive breast cancer: chemotherapy, a modified radical mastectomy, additional chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and more surgery. She was scheduled for major breast reconstruction surgery on June 18, but it had to be canceled when ICE refused to parole Douglas so he could care for her. In addition to her cancer battle, Monica suffers from serious chronic illnesses that require regular IV infusions. She was also scheduled for another major surgery, which has now been postponed because she has no caregiver. Monica is in excruciating pain, and her health continues to decline without these urgently needed procedures. Three weeks ago, doctors discovered three new breast masses. Although biopsies showed they were benign, Monica must undergo ongoing surveillance and removal to reduce the risk of malignancy. The stress of Douglas’s detention has only worsened her conditions, triggering fainting episodes and further compromising her health.

Douglas’s Detention

Douglas is being held at the Montgomery Processing Center (MPC) in Conroe, TX, a sister facility to Joe Corley, where he endured repeated sexual assault while detained in 2013. He is now suffering from PTSD, has expressed suicidal thoughts, and was placed in solitary confinement. ICE and GEO have denied him proper medical care, including access to critical diabetes medication. Douglas has been in the U.S. over a decade, and although the US government has determined that Douglas has a credible fear of returning to his home country due to previous threats on his life and persecution, immigration policy only allows him to apply for Withholding of Removal. As a result, whether he wins or loses his case, Douglas would be deported to a third country as a refugee.

How You Can Help

Douglas and Monica have always been generous, helping others with their time, finances, and talents. Now they urgently need our support. With no family nearby and their life in the U.S. upended, we can step in to help in meaningful ways:

A Call to Community

Monica and Douglas are facing a heartbreaking and uncertain future. No one should be forced to fight life-threatening illness alone, without their partner and caregiver. By coming together, we can help lift the heavy burden they carry and give them the chance to rebuild their lives with dignity and hope.