Hello All,

This GoFundMe is being created for a local high school scholar in Los Angeles, named Gabriel Garcia, his mother, Gilberta and father, Pedro — a family whose strength, humility, and love for one another have carried them through unimaginable hardships. This past Sunday, November 2, 2025, at approximately 7:45 a.m., Gabriel’s father, Pedro, was detained by ICE while waiting for a friend he occasionally works with to assist in running his small swapmeet-style business on the streets of Los Angeles.. Pedro helps this friend by organizing shoes, , sweeping, packing up, and doing anything he could to earn an honest living.

Pedro is in his mid 70s, battling a serious intestinal condition that requires a fourth surgery very soon, yet he has never stopped fighting to provide for his family. Since the swapmeet job is unsteady, he also collected metals and recycling throughout the community to bring in a few extra dollars so his family would never go without food or basic necessities.

Gabriel’s mother, in her late 60s, is blind, physically disabled, and has multiple health conditions. She depends on both Pedro and Gabriel for daily care, from preparing food, providing needed medication, to simply getting around.

Gabriel, a 12th-grade scholar on the autism spectrum, carries more responsibility than most teenagers. Despite the weight he bears, he never misses a day of school. He shows up every morning balancing homework, caregiving, and worry, and yet still finds time to smile. On weekends, he would always join his father collecting cans/bottles/plastics and metals to help keep the family going.

In 2022, their world was turned upside down when their landlord evicted them. With nowhere else to go, they began living in an old RV on the streets of Los Angeles. Even then, they never complained. They held on to faith and to each other. They have tried again and again to find stable housing but have been turned away each time due to unable to meet basic rental prerequisites like steady income, a checking account, or proof of stable employment, etc. Every door that could open has remained shut, but their hope has never faded.

Now, with Pedro detained, that fragile stability has shattered. In addition to that, the government shutdown has cut off their access to EBT benefits, leaving them uncertain where their next meal will come from. Gabriel’s mother is devastated, and Gabriel, who should be focused on his senior year and prepping for graduation is instead living in fear and heartbreak.

All donations will go directly toward legal and attorney fees to fight for Pedro’s release, and to help cover basic living needs such as food, medication and daily essentials to keep Gabriel and his mother safe during this painful time.

This family has lost so much, yet their hearts remain full of love. They are kind, humble people who have never stopped believing that better days will come. Please, if you can, find it in your heart to help. Whether through a donation or by sharing their story, your compassion can make a difference. You can help a mother see hope again, help a son hold onto faith, and help a father come home to the family who needs him.

Personal message from Gabriel to you all: “Thank you to anyone who can help me with this. Thank you for the donation if you donated or if you shared. It will help a lot for me, and my parents. I have so much rage because my family is being separated especially with my dad’s medical condition. I have to turn off my emotions to stay calm for my mother in order to continue supporting her because I know this is what my dad would want me to do. But I am hurting inside very deeply”

-Gabriel, mother and father provided verbal consent for this information to be shared on 11/3/25

Since I am a minor, my cousin Maria Azucena Castillo is the beneficiary of this fundraiser and will be managing funds on my behalf.