Colorado Activist Released from Immigration Detention
A well-known advocate for immigration and labor rights in Colorado, Jeanette Vizguerra, was released from an immigration detention facility on Monday. This development comes after she spent nine months in custody. The American Friends Service Committee, which has collaborated with Vizguerra’s legal team and her family, confirmed her release.
Vizguerra stepped out of a detention center located in the outskirts of Denver after a judge allowed her to post a $5,000 bond. Photos shared by the advocacy group depict Vizguerra, a mother of four, reuniting with her daughter, son-in-law, and grandson just outside the Aurora, Colorado facility.
She first rose to prominence for seeking sanctuary in churches across Colorado to evade deportation during the initial Trump administration. In recognition of her efforts, Time magazine named her one of the world’s most influential people in 2017. Vizguerra was apprehended earlier this year while at her workplace, a Target store in the Denver area.
On Tuesday, the Department of Homeland Security issued a statement affirming that Vizguerra had been granted “full due process” and emphasized its commitment to enforcing immigration laws. “We will find, arrest and deport illegal aliens regardless of if they were a featured ‘Time Person of the Year,’” the statement read.
Originally from Mexico City, Vizguerra has been residing in Colorado since 1997. Her legal battles against deportation began in 2009 following a traffic stop in suburban Denver. During this incident, authorities discovered she possessed a fraudulent Social Security card bearing her name and birth date, but with a number assigned to someone else, a discrepancy she was unaware of, according to a 2019 lawsuit against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Her legal representatives argue that ICE’s attempts to deport Vizguerra were based on an invalid order, a claim they are contesting in federal court. A federal judge recently mandated a bond hearing in immigration court to assess whether Vizguerra should remain in detention as her legal proceedings continue.
In a message relayed by the American Friends Service Committee, Vizguerra expressed gratitude to her lawyers, who have largely worked pro bono on her case. “They understand that this case is bigger than me. This fight is about the constitutional rights we all share, human rights and dignity for all people,” she stated.
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