‘We Remain Committed:’ A Statement from Thresholds President and CEO Mark Ishaug
On October 15, immigration agents detained Omar Huerta Cisneros, a permanent U.S. resident living with schizophrenia, near his home in Chicago. His family had no information about his whereabouts for nearly two weeks, and reports indicate he was released far from home without support. (read the full Block Club Chicago story here)
This case is an especially troubling example of the kind of trauma we have seen communities experience from federal enforcement activity. Omar’s extreme vulnerability due to his serious mental illness meant that being detained without communication put him at significant risk and caused profound distress to his family. This situation demonstrates the failure to protect one of our most vulnerable community members and highlights the urgent need for systems that prioritize care and compassion.
At Thresholds, we remain committed to protecting individuals living with serious mental illness and ensuring they are treated with dignity, safety, and respect. We will continue fighting for a community where no one is ever left at risk or alone, and we will work to make sure incidents like this never happen again.
– Mark Ishaug, Thresholds President and CEO