Eliel Cruz (@elielcruz.com)

@whitneycwimbish.bsky.social Oct 12, 2026, 1:02 PMReposted by @elielcruz.com

A new statement from @maketheroadny.bsky.social says that Oscar Belgal, the man immigration agents shot in NYC last week, hasn't eaten since Thursday and still has the bullet in his neck. He urgently needs surgery, but instead, the government has him locked up in solitary.

New York, NY –– The Legal Aid Society and Make the Road New York, counsel for Oscar Belgal, issued the following joint statement in response to the deplorable conditions Mr. Belgal has endured while detained at the Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC) in Brooklyn, including solitary confinement, lack of access to food, and inadequate medical care despite a bullet remaining lodged in his neck and his urgent need for surgery:

“Since Mr. Belgal was shot in the neck by ICE agents on Thursday, with his five-year-old child in the car, he has endured horrific conditions at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, a facility federal judges have described as ‘barbaric’ and ‘inhumane,’ where officers have been characterized as ‘contemptuous of human life and dignity. All the while, a bullet remains lodged in his neck.

“Mr. Belgal is living through an unimaginable nightmare. While he is currently in solitary confinement, a bullet remains lodged in his neck, the left side of his face is numb, and he can barely hear out of his left ear. Doctors have told him he urgently needs surgery, but that the procedure was too dangerous to perform Thursday evening without a specialized surgeon present. Although he was instructed to return to the hospital this week, he has been left in the dark about whether that surgery will even happen. He is also suffering from a shoulder wound caused by shattered glass during the incident.

“Rather than receiving the urgent medical attention, care, and compassion he desperately needs, Mr. Belgal reports being confined to a solitary cell, where he is forced to relive the terrifying moments of being shot. He says he has not eaten a single meal since Thursday and has been told that the only water available to him comes from a bathroom sink.

“The deliberate indifference Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents showed toward Mr. Belgal when he was shot on Thursday, and the treatment he has endured in detention since, are further examples of the cruelty and disregard for basic human dignity that have long defined this agency. We will continue to fight for Mr. Belgal’s immediate release from detention and to ensure that he receives the medical care, due process, and basic human dignity to which he is entitled under the law.”

@elielcruz.com Oct 11, 2026, 8:25 PM

I'm hosting and can match donations up to $500. Buy a ticket or donate:

givebutter.com/jsmvii/eliel...

@prisonculture.bsky.social Oct 7, 2026, 11:59 PMReposted by @elielcruz.com

we do not have to live this way.

@elielcruz.com Oct 8, 2026, 12:52 AM

This is not new money. It was announced in June and this pot of money has been fought for by advocates for many years pre-Mamdani. I was there when Mamdani announced it and notably, he didn't say it was for youth (although it is).

@advocate.com Oct 6, 2026, 10:21 AMReposted by @elielcruz.com

ACT UP and the Gender Liberation Movement accuse the hospital of turning away new minor patients as federal pressure reshapes access to gender-affirming care.

@melindamagpie.bsky.social Oct 2, 2026, 7:26 PMReposted by @elielcruz.com

“People moved to NYC because of its shield law for trans kids. These hospitals have completely left them behind and shirked responsibility. They have not even been told whether they can receive continuity of care.” Eliel Cruz, a co-founder of Gender Liberation Movement

@advocate.com Oct 3, 2026, 12:15 AMReposted by @elielcruz.com

ACT UP and the Gender Liberation Movement accuse the hospital of turning away new minor patients as federal pressure reshapes access to gender-affirming care.

@elielcruz.com Oct 3, 2026, 12:02 AM

As hospitals make deals with Trump ending trans care, protesters warn NewYork-Presbyterian: Don’t follow them

www.advocate.com/politics/sta...

@genderlib.com Oct 2, 2026, 4:33 PMReposted by @elielcruz.com

We're not letting up! Join us on November 5th. More info to follow.

Sign up to stay up to date: actionnetwork.org/forms/hold-n...

@elielcruz.com Oct 2, 2026, 3:29 AM

I led/participated in five mobilizations in the last four weeks and am tiredd. Will be resting this month pending the sky falling.

@genderlib.com Oct 1, 2026, 11:26 PMReposted by @elielcruz.com

Over a hundred protesters picketed NewYork-Presbyterian for ending care for trans youth. We're picketing a hospital on the first Thursday of each month through Pride. See you on the streets Nov. 5

@elielcruz.com Oct 1, 2026, 11:24 PM

We want to scale so we can hire people ASAP 😫

@prisonculture.bsky.social Oct 1, 2026, 8:14 PMReposted by @elielcruz.com

Defunding policing was and is the floor.

@elielcruz.com Oct 1, 2026, 5:52 PM

Thank you 🙏🏽

@genderlib.com Oct 1, 2026, 3:40 PMReposted by @elielcruz.com

As hospitals across the country cave to the Trump administration’s threats to cut federal funding and abandon trans youth, actor Elliot Page speaks out. In New York City, NYU Langone, Mount Sinai, and NewYork-Presbyterian abruptly ended care for trans kids in response to these threats.

@elielcruz.com Oct 1, 2026, 5:21 PM

I have worked on nonprofits where I've had to convince my superiors on comms and mobilization strategy and its SO nice to build @genderlib.com with a friend where we can just do what is needed in this moment.

@elielcruz.com Oct 1, 2026, 3:47 PM

Elliot is a gem for being down to film this in such a chaotic environment

Gender Liberation Movement@genderlib.comOct 1, 2026, 3:40 PM

As hospitals across the country cave to the Trump administration’s threats to cut federal funding and abandon trans youth, actor Elliot Page speaks out. In New York City, NYU Langone, Mount Sinai, and NewYork-Presbyterian abruptly ended care for trans kids in response to these threats.

@elielcruz.com Oct 1, 2026, 12:27 AM

I loveee working on cool things for @genderlib.com

@elielcruz.com Sep 29, 2026, 3:01 PM

NYC COME THROUGH!

@genderlib.com Sep 26, 2026, 2:59 PMReposted by @elielcruz.com

We're not letting up! Join us on Thursday, October 1st at 430pm at 525 E 68th St. We are picketing New York Presbyterian, which has also ended care for trans youth, and is likely speaking to the DOJ about a settlement too. Join us! 🏳️‍⚧️🪧