Google translated English version of this Honduran article:
https://tiempo.hn/noticias-de-usa/2025/12/24/intentaba-escapar-redada-ice-hondureno-muere-ahogado-nueva-orleans/
By Abigail Ramirez, December 24, 2025
Staff Report.
Walter Francisco Cerrato Cabrera, a Honduran worker, lost his life after jumping into the water to avoid being arrested during a raid by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on the afternoon of Thursday, December 18, in the Chalmette area of New Orleans, United States. Cerrato worked as an oyster harvester and had been living in the United States for more than 20 years. According to the testimony of a coworker, they were both working on a boat when immigration agents arrived around 2:00 p.m. Fearing arrest, they jumped into the water to hide.
The survivor recounted that he fought for his life for several minutes and was on the verge of death. But he managed to stay afloat by clinging to some branches until he was rescued by a boat, after the officers had left the scene. Cerrato’s body was found around 5:00 p.m. after several hours of searching, confirming his death. Initially, there had been hope that he might have survived due to his swimming experience.
Grief in the Honduran Community
Walter Cerrato was originally from the village of El Terrero, in the municipality of El Porvenir, Francisco Morazán, and resided with his family in Texas. Coworkers and members of the Honduran community in the United States remembered him as a hardworking, supportive man dedicated to his three children. His family will hold a wake on December 24th before repatriating his remains to Honduras, where he will be buried, amidst the profound grief caused by this tragedy that has saddened the Honduran community abroad.