For 25-year-old Catherine Rax, another day inside a cell at the Flagler County Jail is another day spent wondering what comes next.
“It’s not living — it’s surviving,” she told the Tallahassee Democrat.
You may not recognize her name. You may not even remember her face at the local eatery. But you have seen her before — in headlines, across social media, in that traumatic moment captured on surveillance video. A moment that would change her life and the lives of those around her forever.
Locals gather at Chile & Chili’s for an ‘ICE Out: Let Us Live’ rally
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A woman holds two signs during an “ICE Out: Let Us Live” rally held at the West Tennessee Street location of Chile & Chili’s, which has recently closed after workers were detained by ICE, Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2026. One sign reads “Tally loves Chile & Chili’s. We see you, we hear you, we will stand with you.” The second sign reads “Hitler’s playbook: demonize minorities. 70% of detainees have no criminal history.” (Alicia Devine/Tallahassee Democrat)
On Friday, Sept. 25, a traffic stop that escalated into an immigration-enforcement operation at beloved local food establishment Chile & Chili’s Taqueria became the center of a broader conversation about immigration enforcement in Tallahassee.
Days later, nearly 100 local community members rallied around the Mexican eatery at its now permanently closed West Tennessee Street location with the help of the Tallahassee Community Area Response Equipo (TCARE), which is the Leon County hub for the Florida Immigrant Coalition as well as the Tallahassee Immigrant Rights Alliance.
Wednesday night made it evident that the space that once served as a designated hangout spot to indulge in a taste of Oaxaca and catch up with friends has been stained with the events of that day.
Activists chant as they hold signs and flags during an “ICE Out: Let Us Live” rally held at the West Tennessee Street location of Chile & Chili’s, which has recently closed after workers were detained by ICE, Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2026.
“The people united… will never be defeated,” the crowd chanted as they held signs and waved their flags. Children and elders, students and young professionals of every background gathered in front of the trucks that Wednesday night.
Among them were Rax’s friends, who held up a tablet so she could see the crowd gathered in her honor. From inside the jail, she watched the community rally around her, an attempt to lift her spirits and remind her that people cared.
While that 20-second surveillance video may make the impact feel distant, the Tallahassee Democrat came face-to-face with Rax through a tablet inside the county jail. For 10 emotional minutes, she shared her story before the call timed out.
“Honestly, I’m very sad… they’re not just my coworkers; they’re my family,” Rax said, clinging to the phone for strength as she held back tears. Rax has no immediate family with her in Tallahassee.
Seen via a video call on an iPad is Catherine Rax, 25, who speaks with the Tallahassee Democrat from the Flagler County Jail after she was detained by ICE, along with two others who worked at Chile & Chili’s with her on Friday, Sept. 25, 2026. Five days later, Rax wipes away her tears as she fears for her future.
Rax worked the stand, where coworkers had become some of the people she leaned on most.
Every dollar she earned carried more weight as her mother battles cancer, she’d often send the money she made back home to help with the family and medical expenses. Before her detention, survival meant showing up to work, helping her family and making it through another day. From inside the walls of the county jail, survival looks a lot different.
Now, Rax is separated from her family and loved ones, waiting inside the county jail, and she has no idea what awaits.
“What questions do I have? I have so many. When am I going to get out of here? How long am I going to last here? How long will I be here? When will I be able to see my family?… I didn’t ask to be illegal,” Rax said.
Along with Rax, two men were detained, including her partner.
Owner of Chile & Chili’s, Marco Tenorio shares how his workers being detained has impacted him and his business during an “ICE Out: Let Us Live” rally held at the West Tennessee Street location of Chile & Chili’s, which has recently closed after workers were detained by ICE, Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2026.
One of them is now in the state-run immigration detention facility nicknamed “Deportation Depot” in Baker County. All three were originally from Guatemala.
“We were a family … always cheerful, always dancing, there was always music, working, and cooking … wholesome, good-hearted people. Remembering the innocence of such good people, what is happening hurts deep in the soul,” Chile & Chili’s owner Marco Tenorio said.
Hours after the rally, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) sent a statement to the Tallahassee Democrat confirming the operation, stating that they did not “target the taqueria” and the three detained at the taco stand “attempted to flee” and “entered the United States illegally.”
“They don’t realize the mental harm they are causing, and that all of this will have consequences … But on the other hand, I feel very good about how the people are supporting us. The outpouring of support has been incredible … it gives you that feeling where you say to yourself, ‘I did something right,’ ” Tenorio said.
Zolia Virgen Verduzco, by way of Quincy, made her way through the crowds, thanking individuals for showing their support.
Zoila Virgin Verduzco shares how she is encouraged by seeing the community come out to show support for the three people who were detained on Sept. 25, as she attends an “ICE Out: Let Us Live” rally held at the West Tennessee Street location of Chile & Chili’s, which has recently closed after workers were detained by ICE, Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2026.
For Verduzco, the rally hit close to home; just recently, her brother, who lived in the country for 45 years, was detained and deported to Mexico, she says, despite having legal counsel and documentation processes underway, and thousands she’s paid in legal fees.
“It means a lot to us because sometimes it feels good to know that someone cares,” she said. “I really feel, honestly, that it’s time for all of us to get together, to be united.”
Kyla A Sanford covers dining and entertainment for the Tallahassee Democrat. She can be reached at ksanford@tallahassee.com. Let me know at ksanford@tallahassee.com.
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: As Tallahassee rallies after ICE raid, woman waits for answers in jail