Immigration Advocates Protest Trump’s Detention of Jeannette Vizguerra

Undocumented migrant Jeanette Vizguerra takes sanctuary astatine the First Baptist Church successful Denver, Colorado, connected May 5, 2017. Credit - John Moore—Getty Images

In 1997, Jeanette Vizguerra near Mexico City for Colorado, wherever she became a janitor and migration betterment advocate. Twenty years later, she was 1 of the astir influential radical successful the world. Now, the parent of 4 and National Domestic Workers Alliance subordinate has been detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the NDWA told TIME, amid President Donald Trump’s politicized deportation crackdown that has appeared to ramp up successful caller days.

“We’re urgently moving connected collaborating with partners to request her contiguous release,” National Domestic Workers Alliance media relations manager Daniela Perez told TIME connected Tuesday. “Lawless ICE detainments and deportations are attacks connected each of our freedoms. We volition not let ICE oregon leaders who stoke fearfulness and part to terrorize our loved ones and neighbors.”

Vizguerra was arrested astatine a Target successful Denver connected Monday, Jordan Garcia of the American Friends Service Committee told the Associated Press.

Denver Mayor Mike Johnston said the apprehension of Vizguerra is “not astir safety. This is Putin-style persecution of governmental dissidents.” Protestors calling for Vizguerra’s merchandise gathered extracurricular a detention halfway successful the Aurora suburb, wherever her household said she is being held.

Vizguerra roseate to prominence for surviving successful Denver churches for 3 months successful 2017, yet winning a two-year deportation hold aft Colorado Sen. Michael Bennet and erstwhile Rep. present Gov. Jared Polis, some Democrats, introduced bills to assistance her and different Mexican migrant stay successful the country.

In 1 of his archetypal actions of his 2nd term, Trump rescinded a Biden-era argumentation that protected “sensitive” areas, including schools, hospitals and churches, from ICE arrests. The Department of Homeland Security past issued a directive, titled “Enforcement Actions successful oregon Near Protected Areas,” that gave ICE agents unbridled entree to these places.

Read More: How Schools Are Navigating Trump’s Immigration Policies

Vizguerra was featured successful TIME’s TIME100 database successful 2017—for which actor, producer, and activistic America Ferrera wrote: “Jeanette moved to the U.S. to beryllium a janitor, moving arsenic an outspoken national organizer and gathering her ain institution earlier becoming an advocator for migration reform—a bold and risky happening for an undocumented immigrant. … The existent Administration has scapegoated immigrants, scaring Americans into believing that undocumented radical similar Jeanette are criminals. She came to this state not to rape, execution oregon merchantability drugs, but to make a amended beingness for her family. … This is not a crime. This is the American Dream.”

Vizguerra again sought structure successful a religion sanctuary successful 2019 aft her deportation enactment was not renewed, earlier leaving the religion grounds successful 2020 and attempting to get a U visa, which is sometimes fixed to victims of crime, according to Garcia. Vizguerra fled Mexico aft her husband, who was a autobus driver, was held up astatine gunpoint 3 times, according to a 2011 documentary astir their migration ordeal.

While historically migration enforcement has prioritized those who endanger nationalist information oregon nationalist safety, Trump has expanded enforcement priorities during his archetypal and 2nd terms, successful keeping with his run committedness to prosecute “mass deportations.” Vizguerra is the parent of 3 U.S. citizens and 1 alleged “Dreamer,” a recipient of the Obama-era Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) programme that provided enactment permits to and shielded from deportation definite undocumented immigrants who came arsenic children. Trump rescinded DACA during his archetypal term, though President Joe Biden reinstated it. Vizguerra would person been eligible for the akin Obama-era Deferred Action for Parents of Americans and Lawful Permanent Residents (DAPA) program, which Trump besides rescinded during his archetypal term. At the commencement of his 2nd term, Trump besides revoked Biden’s migration enforcement priorities, which included focusing connected those with “serious” transgression records, successful favour of a broader effort to ace down connected each unauthorized immigrants.

John Fabbricatore, a erstwhile Denver tract bureau manager for ICE, said successful a station connected X connected Tuesday that the Biden Administration prevented him from deporting Vizguerra years earlier. “She should person been deported successful 2009 arsenic well,” Fabbricatore, an outspoken Trump supporter, wrote. “She is simply a criminal, hates Trump, and is an open-borders, abolish-ICE advocate. Bye!!!!”

Besides entering the state unlawfully, Vizguerra was convicted successful 2009 of misdemeanor possession of forged documents, which she said she needed for employment, aft which a justice successful 2011 issued a deportation bid but allowed her to stay successful the U.S. nether ICE supervision. Vizguerra’s lawyers told the AP that ICE is present trying to deport her based connected that order, which they accidental was ne'er valid.

“The lone happening that I’ve done is usage mendacious documents to enactment nutrient connected the array of my family,” Vizguerra said done a translator astatine an code to supporters and media extracurricular a Denver religion successful 2017.

Vizguerra filed a suit successful 2019 alleging that ICE “carried retired a yearslong campaign” to deport her without “valid justification.” She aboriginal dropped the lawsuit, according to the AP.

As of precocious Tuesday, ICE and DHS person not publically confirmed Vizguerra’s detention nor commented connected caller developments related to her case, and neither the bureau nor the section instantly responded to TIME’s requests for this story.

Contact us astatine [email protected].