What Happened to Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness?
- Allan Shedlin
- Jul 16
- 7 min read
Updated: Jul 22
By Scott Beller
Daddying Editor and Associate Director, Daddying Film Festival & Forum (D3F)
Johan Sebastián Durán Guerrero, known to those who loved him as Sebastián, was driving to work in Biddeford, Maine, at 7:15 a.m. this past Monday morning, July 13. His 3-year-old daughter was in the car with him when, with permission granted by the U.S. Supreme Court and current President, he was profiled by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and his vehicle rammed against a curb.
This young Dad from Colombia, who had been living and working in the U.S. legally, was then shot and killed by an ICE agent. As in many of other cases where people of color have been profiled and detained in communities nationwide by roving ICE squads the past 18 months, this agent had the wrong guy. ICE was on a mission to apprehend a completely different person of color suspected of being in this country illegally. But even if any of these suspicions had been legitimate (in this case, they weren't), according to our laws, an alleged infraction would only amount to a misdemeanor.
ICE acted with overwhelming violence, without cause, and without due process. With Sebastián's daughter right there in the car, ICE handed down a death penalty.
Lorenzo Salgado Araujo was a Dad and small construction business owner. He built his own house and he worked hard to put his three sons through college. According to his son Ronaldo, Lorenzo was still in the process of legally obtaining his work permit after living here in the U.S. for more than 35 years. He had no criminal record.
Early Tuesday morning, July 7, during an ICE operation in a predominantly Latino neighborhood in Houston, TX, Lorenzo was profiled after picking up his employees on the way to a job site. Though not the intended target of the operation, Lorenzo's van, like Sebastián's car, was targeted, rammed by an unmarked ICE vehicle. Lorenzo was then shot by an ICE agent during the confrontation. After lying facedown, bleeding and in handcuffs, he later died at the hospital.
There were witnesses, but none of the agents responsible wore body cameras. Now DHS and ICE officials claim there was a bag of meth visible on the van's dashboard. That allegation, made by ICE weeks after the incident, has been refuted by Lorenzo's family and the local DA.
Regardless, none of this warrants the deadly force routinely used by ICE as a first resort.
These are just two of the many stories since January 2025 about the violence, civil rights abuses, family separations, and other atrocities carried out by DHS and ICE on the unconstitutional orders of the current Administration that remains under scrutiny for human rights violations.
Hell, another man, Jesús Manuel Arenas-Silva, died in ICE detention just yesterday while being transferred between detention facilities in Georgia.
It's almost impossible to keep up. And maybe that's the Administration's goal. For us to stop caring. To become exhausted by the daily barrage of horror. For the destruction caused by its policies to fade quickly from the headlines. Or never get there at all.
Renee Good was a Mother and a white American citizen following ICE instructions. It didn't matter. Her skin color didn't matter. She was murdered on a Minneapolis, MN, street by ICE on January 7, 2026. Her story, along with Alex Pretti's, the 37-year-old ICU nurse murdered two weeks later in Minneapolis while trying to protect a woman who'd been shoved to the ground by an ICE agent, received major news coverage for months, and rightly so. The stories of people like Sebastián, Lorenzo, and Jesús deserve the same attention. Their families deserve for justice to be served. And those who shattered these families deserve to be held accountable.
We must not forget any of them.
For the past six years+, we've committed to steering the blog clear of "politics" in order to stay focused on daddying. In our current hyper-politicized nation, there will likely be some readers who will dismiss this post as "political" and that would be unfortunate. We remain hyper-concerned with the loss of any Dads, Moms, and other innocents and the lessons every newly Dad-orphaned daughter and son may learn in a nation that increasingly behaves in a way that denies its historic ideals.
It is our sincere hope that no matter where your perspective may fall along the political spectrum, you will feel the same sense of outrage and betrayal expressed in this post.
We must all stay vigilant at a time when democratic principles are being threatened. And, more importantly, we must continue to call out ICE actions for what they are: inhumane, extrajudicial, and unconstitutional. These abuses of power are a clear and present danger to everyone who lives, works, plays, and parents in our country.
The human rights violations must stop. Please vote accordingly.
Daddy on.
Charlotte Clymer, Army veteran, LGBTQ advocate, writer, and Daddying contributor speaks on ICE
* * *
EDITOR'S NOTE: The following post first appeared on the blog this past April 9th. Reprinting it now because, unfortunately, the message somehow becomes more and more relevant by the day here in our perpetually Under-Siege States of America:
Why Not Speak the Truth to Our Kids Through History?
By Scott Beller
Daddying Editor
The other day, I asked my high-schooler what she was learning about in her AP U.S. History class. She said she was studying World War II. I then asked whether the lessons of that conflict were also being used to provide context for news and events that have transpired over, say, the past 14 months.
Without hesitation, she said, "no."
I thought that was a shame. An opportunity lost.
Even though she'll be able to discuss "current events" next year when she's a senior and gets to take AP government, history and decisions affecting her generation's future are being made now. Lessons from the past, especially those leading up to, during, and beyond WWII, are vital to understanding and confronting our increasingly unstable world today and the people responsible for it.
And while fewer and fewer media sources remain committed to providing adults and students, alike, with factual, propaganda-free news content, it seemed to me that there are few better places for discussing these important topics objectively with our kids who have reached or are about to reach voting age than in history classes, where facts in evidence prevail.
While we here at the Daddying blog try our best to be apolitical, so many current events and issues affecting students and parents have become politicized to the point they cannot be ignored. The time has long past for "staying above the fray" and remaining silent on wars of aggression and other issues that could affect all our children, like:
Gun violence and classroom safety
Repressive and unwarranted book bans
My kids know where I stand on these issues, and I've encouraged them to talk freely about them. We've attended more than one protest and polling place on election day together. My oldest cast her first election ballot last fall. My youngest will cast hers in the next presidential election. So, I feel like I've been leading by example not just lecture.
But I guess until next year, when sociopolitical discussions are "officially" allowed in school with her teacher, parents like me will be the one asking the questions and prompting students to examine how they feel about what's going on in the world. Of course, as a parent, teaching my kids the difference between human rights and wrongs, how to speak up for themselves and others, and how to show compassion for those who are suffering injustice has always been my responsibility. But at a time when facts are scarce, it would be nice to have more backup from those who have the truth of history at their fingertips.
Daddy on.
Daddying Film Festival & Forum (D3F)
The Daddying Film Festival & Forum (D3F) 2027 Call for Entries is finally underway on FilmFreeway! Students, Dads/Granddads, Moms/Grandmoms, dad figures, indie filmmakers AND podcasters can submit films/videos through November 23, 2026. So, plenty of time to create your films or videos demonstrating the importance of having or being an involved Dad/dad figure, including Instagram Reels, Tiktoks, music and dance videos!
Since 2022, we've received submissions from 60+ countries and we're excited to present another amazing collection of the best daddying stories told by students (3rd grade-undergrad), Dads/Granddads, Moms/Grandmoms, dad figures, and indie filmmakers from around the world! Check the D3F website or our FilmFreeway page for more inspiration, submission details, and Atticus Award winning films from previous years!
SAVE THE DATES: The 6th annual, virtual Daddying Film Festival will take place on Eventive, January 11-20, 2027, and our LIVE Daddying Film Forum, at American University in Washington, DC, will screen select Atticus Award winners, finalists & more Jan 29-30, 2027.
Scott Beller is the proud, imperfect crew Dad of two teen, mighty girls, imperfect partner of their rock-star regatta mom, a truth teller, purveyor of banned books, former youth soccer coach, championship basketball coach, retired part-time driving instructor, late-night filmgoer, Editor of the Daddying blog, Director of Communications for DCG and Associate Director of the Daddying Film Festival & Forum (D3F). He's a seasoned writer and PR agency veteran with more than 35 years of experience helping organizations of all sizes and individuals reach audiences and tell their stories. Prior to launching his own creative communications consultancy in 2003, he led PR teams with some of the world’s most respected agencies, including The Weber Group and Fleishman-Hillard. As a consultant, he’s helped launch two other parenting advocacy nonprofits with DCG founder Allan Shedlin, REEL Fathers and Dads Unlimited. His first book, Beggars or Angels, was a ghostwritten memoir for the nonprofit Devotion to Children's founder Rosemary Tran Lauer. He is formerly known as "Imperfect Dad" and Head Writer/Editor for the Raising Nerd blog, which supports parents in inspiring the next generation of scientists, engineers, and creative problem solvers. He earned his BA in Communications from VA Tech so many years ago. You can follow him and his frequently salty language on Instagram and BlueSky.
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