I first met Agustin Castro-Honorato in the spring of 2019. We wanted to build a brick patio on the side of our Salt Lake City home. I reached out to my network for recommendations and a friend eagerly suggested Agustin. He bid the project and completed it within a few weeks.
This started a years-long friendship with Agustin. He was congenial and lovable. He had a round face and a bright, disarming smile. He spoke broken English and most times I could hardly understand his Spanish. But it was impossible not to be charmed by him.
I recommended Agustin to friends and family. He completed at least five jobs for my parents and they formed a warm relationship. When my father died unexpectedly, Agustin called me in tears to express his condolences. He completed 10+ jobs for my siblings and in-laws as well. When my father-in-law passed away last year he dropped everything to help freshen up the house for his funeral.
At least half of my friends have used Agustin to build fences, mend sprinklers, and lay sod. He often showed up a day late or hours after you expected him. But once he arrived he worked tirelessly. And he was honest.
Agustin had been in the United States for over 15 years. When Trump took office for the second time, I told Augstin to be careful. I knew from Trump’s first term that ICE indiscriminately picked up immigrants and shipped them out of the country. And I suspected that Trump would feel more empowered having been reelected. I didn’t know for certain that Agustin was here illegally. But I suspected as much.
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Last week, a friend mentioned that he needed landscaping help. So I called Augstin. But an unfamiliar voice answered the phone. She said that Agustin was unavailable. But when I pressed, she broke down in tears and let me know that Agustin had been picked up by ICE and was in a Las Vegas detention center.
I spent the next several days trying to understand what happened and where he was. From what I could gather, there was an incident at a party and he was apprehended by the police. What occurred that day or how he was involved is a mystery because, as far as I can tell, he was never formally charged with anything. Instead, he was turned over to ICE and shipped off to a detention facility.
I was able to track down Agustin’s Alien Number and found that he was being held at the Nevada Southern Detention Center, a facility run by a private organization called CoreCivic. I called and an official informed me that there was no way for me to contact Agustin. I couldn’t send him an email or leave him a note. The official could only confirm that Agustin was held there.
I called an immigration attorney and tried to arrange for someone to represent Agustin. But the lawyer let me know there was nothing I could do. An attorney cannot contact him. ICE will likely hold him at the detention center, have a brief hearing in front of an ICE official, and then ship him out of the country. His ICE hearing date is scheduled for July 14, 2025 in Las Vegas and there appears to be no way for a lawyer to properly prepare and defend him.
This is not only a tragedy for those who know and love Agustin. But it is a violation of the United States Constitution. The 14th Amendment states that the government shall not “deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.” It’s important to note that this protection applies to “any person,” not just citizens of the United States.
Make no mistake. Agustin has been deprived of his life and liberty without due process. If I were picked up for a similar issue, I would be charged and tried in front of a jury. I would hire an attorney and prepare a defense. But Agustin will not be granted any of those protections. There will be no trial, no jury, and no opportunity for representation. There is neither due process nor equal protection.
In addition to being unconstitutional, the way that ICE handles immigrants like Agustin is immoral and inconsistent with American values. The Declaration of Independence declares that “all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” All men have unalienable rights, even illegal aliens. And those rights come from God himself. Ultimately, those who violate those rights will have God to answer to.
Kimball Dean Parker is the head of the AI Lab at the University of Chicago Law School.
