A federal judge in Denver is set to hear arguments over whether an immigration and labor activist who took refuge in Colorado churches to avoid deportation during the first Trump administration should be freed from detention
ABC NEWS
A federal judge in Denver will hear arguments on whether Jeanette Vizguerra, a prominent labor and immigration activist who sought sanctuary in Colorado churches during the first Trump administration, should be released from detention. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrested Vizguerra on March 17, citing a “final deportation order” from her 2009 case involving a fraudulent Social Security card—though her lawyers argue the order is invalid since she voluntarily left and re-entered the U.S. in 2012. Judge Nina Wang has temporarily halted her deportation, calling the case legally “complex” due to its unique circumstances.
Vizguerra, a mother of four, became a symbol of resistance after evading deportation by taking sanctuary in churches from 2017 to 2021. ICE claims she “received legal due process,” but her petition contends the agency lacks grounds to reinstate removal. The case revisits her 2019 lawsuit, which stated she unknowingly used another person’s Social Security number.