Latest news with #Vizguerra
CBS News
20-05-2025
- Politics
- CBS News
Who is Jeanette Vizguerra, immigrant rights activist fighting deportation in Denver?
Jeanette Vizguerra, an immigrants' rights activist and herself an immigrant fighting deportation from Denver, has yet to face a federal court hearing to determine if her detention by immigration officials was lawful and if her deportation will go forward. Currently being held at the Aurora ICE Processing Center -- operated by the private prison company GEO Group -- Vizguerra came to Colorado from Mexico in 1997, working as a janitor before becoming a vocal advocate for the rights of immigrants in the United States. Current and former immigration officials say Vizguerra came to the U.S. illegally and has evaded deportation before. She and her supporters believe immigration officials are targeting Vizguerra for "political theater" and retribution for her activism and speech while ignoring dangerous criminals, who should instead be their focus. Who is Jeanette Vizguerra? A 53-year-old mother of four and grandmother, Vizguerra -- whose full name is Jeanette Baez Vizguerra-Ramirez -- fled violence in her former home of Mexico City. She came to Colorado in 1997 and worked as a janitor and union organizer in Denver. She entered the United States illegally but had applied for a visa in the hopes of getting a legal path to citizenship. A 2017 attempt to have her deported stemmed from a 2009 arrest for possessing a Social Security card so that she could work. She pleaded guilty to that charge in 2009, and in 2011, a federal immigration judge issued a final order of deportation, an Immigrations and Customs Enforcement spokesman said at the time. "The only thing that I've done is use false documents to put food on the table of my family," she said at the time through a translator. A 2011 Getty Images file photo shows undocumented Mexican immigrants Jeanette Vizguerra and her husband Salvador holding their 3-month-old daughter Zury in their family apartment on May 30, 2011 in Aurora, Colorado. John Moore / Getty Images For months throughout 2017, she took refuge in a Denver church, as places like churches and schools were long considered "sensitive locations," off limits to immigration officers. President Trump revoked that policy this year, just hours after his inauguration. Rev. Mike Morran of the First Unitarian Society of Denver said at the time that Vizguerra was welcome to stay at his church as long as necessary. "Away from her three children that need her, deporting her to a country she hasn't been in in 20 years. That punishment is obscene for the crime that was committed," Morran said. That 2017 deportation effort was blocked by a judge, delaying it until 2019, after countless community members, organizations, and members of Colorado's Congressional delegation, including Sen. Michael Bennet, Rep. Diana DeGette, and former Rep. Jared Polis, who's now governor, came to her defense. Former Denver Mayor Michael Hancock also urged federal leaders in 2017 to press immigration officials to process Vizguerra's visa application faster to avoid having her torn from her family. "It's a special day for me because I will be able to celebrate Mother's Day with my children and my grandchildren," Vizguerra said through a translator in a news conference at the time. "It's been three months -- very difficult months -- because even though I've been continuing my struggle from inside, I really miss my children." In 2017, the media attention her case was getting led to Time Magazine listing her as one of the 100 most influential people of the year. Jeanette Vizguerra, an undocumented mother of four, poses in the First Unitarian Society Church of Denver in Denver, Colorado, on Feb. 16, 2017. Chris Schneider/AFP via Getty Images In 2021, having been living in the church for about three years, she was told by the Department of Homeland Security that she would not be deported. Still, she worked for citizenship and a more permanent solution to the looming risk of deportation and family separation. This year, the Trump administration has doubled down on its immigration enforcement policies. The total number of deportations this year is not yet clear, but DHS said on March 13 that it had arrested 32,809 people in immigration-related actions, while some media outlets have reported over 100,000 people have been deported by the Trump administration so far in 2025. The agency has not responded to emailed questions from CBS News Colorado and ICE responded to a public records request with pre-2025 data. An appeal to that request is currently pending. Nonetheless, Trump administration officials have repeatedly said it was prioritizing the most violent and dangerous criminals in its search for undocumented immigrants, but included in the people who have been arrested, detained, deported, had visas revoked, or other action taken against them by DHS or ICE include legal residents, student activists, and asylum seekers. Vizguerra was arrested by ICE agents on March 17, sparking outrage and protests from her supporters across the Denver metro area. In May, Vizguerra was named one of the 2025 recipients of the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Awards. What are critics saying? ICE confirmed last month that Vizguerra was arrested and said she's been granted due process in her proceedings. "Jeanette Vizguerra-Ramirez, 53, was arrested without incident March 17 by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. She will remain in ICE custody pending removal from the United States," an ICE spokesman told CBS News Colorado last month. "Vizguerra is a convicted criminal alien from Mexico who has a final order of deportation issued by a federal immigration judge. She illegally entered the United States near El Paso, Texas, on Dec. 24, 1997, and has received legal due process in U.S. immigration court." That spokesman went on to provide a timeline of the agency's history with Vizguerra: She was taken into ICE custody in 2009 but released on bond. After a federal immigration judge ordered her to leave the U.S. in 2011, she failed to do so and later self-deported to Mexico in 2012, according to ICE. The following year, she was arrested while allegedly re-entering the country and convicted of a misdemeanor. Over the next decade, Vizguerra was granted several temporary stays of deportation, though several of her immigration petitions -- including for a visa and advance parole -- were denied. Former ICE Field Office Director John Fabbricatore testifies before a House Committee on the Judiciary, Subcommittee on Immigration Integrity, Security, and Enforcement hearing on restoring immigration enforcement in America, on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2025. Manuel Balce Ceneta / AP Last month, CBS Colorado sat down with John Fabbricatore -- former director of ICE's Denver field office and candidate for Congress for Colorado's 6th Congressional District in 2024 -- to discuss Vizguerra's case. She should not be allowed to stay in the U.S. or even apply for citizenship, in Fabbricatore's view. "If you enter illegally, there's no pathway to citizenship," he said. Fabbricatore says he met with Vizguerra and that she agreed to leave voluntarily before but then decided to stay in Denver. "She shook my hand on that deal, but instead of showing up at (Denver International Airport), she hid in a church again," he said. What are supporters saying? Vizguerra's efforts to stay in the United States have been supported by high-profile state and local officials, the church that gave her sanctuary, and countless others in the Denver area and beyond. In addition to Denver's former mayor Hancock, current mayor Mike Johnston called Vizguerra's arrest last month "a plain abuse of power." "This is not immigration enforcement intended to keep our country safe," Johnston said. "Jeanette Vizguerra is a mother of U.S. citizens. She works at Target. She's the founder of a local nonprofit." Echoing the voices of many other critics of Mr. Trump's immigration policy and deportation practices, Johnston said the administration's arrest of Vizguerra flies in the face of its stated goal of prioritizing violent criminals. "This is the great lie of the Trump Administration. This is not about safety. This is about political theater and political retribution," he continued. "This doesn't make this country safer. It makes this country lawless, which is the most unsafe thing any president can do." Bennet, one of Colorado's two Democratic senators who recently announced a run for governor, also called for Vizguerra's release. "Jeanette Vizguerra is a mother and pillar in her community. I am deeply concerned about ICE's actions to detain her without any due process, like a deportation order," he tweeted last month. "ICE should ensure Jeanette has legal counsel and immediately release her." The day after Vizguerra was arrested, a number of protesters gathered outside the Aurora ICE Processing Center, holding signs that read "FREE JEANETTE." A small group protested after activist Jeanette Vizguerra was reportedly detained by ICE and taken to the GEO Aurora ICE Processing Center in Aurora on March 18, 2025. RJ Sangosti/MediaNews Group/The Denver Post via Getty Images "In a way, I would say I feel very angered and sad but very prepared as well," Vizguerra's daughter Luna Baez told CBS Colorado. "I'm just considering how long her case has been active for. (It's) something we've had to plan for... for years." Last week, Vizguerra's legal team filed an amended legal claim challenging ICE's detention of her and alleging due process violations. "This isn't just a technical problem -- it's a constitutional one," her lead attorney Laura Lichter said when she filed that claim. "Jeanette was arrested without legal basis, the government repeatedly violated its own rules, and leadership openly celebrated her detention as political retribution. That's not law enforcement. That's retaliation." Jeanette Vizguerra, immigrant rights activist, poses for a portrait at First Unitarian Society of Denver in Denver, Colorado on Jan. 26, 2021. Hyoung Chang/MediaNews Group/The Denver Post via Getty Images Despite the claims of ICE and other Trump administration officials, Vizguerra's attorney and other supporters in the community maintain she's being targeted for her speech, not her immigration status. "Targeting someone for their voice and views is the kind of conduct we expect from authoritarian regimes -- not a constitutional democracy," Lichter said. "For years, Jeanette has fought for the rights of others," said Lichter. "Now we're fighting to defend hers."
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Colorado immigration activist Jeanette Vizguerra wins Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Award
DENVER (KDVR) — A Colorado immigration activist facing deportation after being detained by immigration officials in March is one of the latest recipients of the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Award. Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights, an organization that aims to pursue the late senator and former attorney general's 'dream of a more just and peaceful world' through litigation, business and education efforts, every year awards 'champions of social justice who stand up to oppression, even at great personal risk, in the nonviolent pursuit of human rights.' City breaks ground on $2M renovation of La Raza Park For their 2025 class of award recipients, the organization recognized Colorado's Jeanette Vizguerra, along with Maine Gov. Janet Mills and former U.S. Department of Justice Pardon Attorney Elizabeth Oyer. 'As the daughter of our former attorney general, I know firsthand the necessity of protecting and preserving our democracy,' said Kerry Kennedy, president of Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights. 'From taking a stand against unlawful executive orders and bolstering the moral strength of the Department of Justice to advocating for vulnerable immigrants, these women have chosen to stand up for their beliefs during a time when it is increasingly difficult to do so. I'm honored to recognize Governor Mills, Elizabeth Oyer, and Jeanette Vizguerra, and I hope that this award is a beacon of hope for others like them.' ICE took Vizguerra into custody on March 17 and said that she illegally entered the U.S. and has a final order of deportation. Vizguerra's legal team has since petitioned under the argument that there was no valid removal order to detain Vizguerra. Vizguerra came to the U.S. from Mexico in 1997 with her husband and eldest daughter and has fought her deportation and for immigrant rights since 2009. She took refuge in a Denver church in 2017 during President Donald Trump's first term, and her legal team has said her targeting and detainment in March were politically motivated. She was also recognized in 2017 as one of Time Magazine's most influential people for her efforts. This Denver metro suburb is among the fastest growing American cities: US Census 'Recently, while detained in a detention center, I received the news that I had received this human rights award. I thank RFK Human Rights for this honor,' Vizguerra said in a press release. She said she has used her own resources in her fight for immigration rights and hopes to continue doing so. 'The government wants to silence my voice, but I will continue to sow rebellion until I reap freedom,' Vizguerra said. 'This award is not only for me but for every person who has been involved in my life—especially my children and my immigrant community. I hope our voices are never silenced.' Mills, Oyer, and Vizguerra will be recognized during a public ceremony on June 5 at the Kennedy Caucus Room in the Russell Senate Office Building in Washington, D.C. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
30-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trump administration lawyers reject allegation of retaliatory arrest in Jeanette Vizguerra case
A protester at the Hands Off! rally and march opposing President Donald Trump's administration holds a sign in support of Jeanette Vizguerra, a nationally known immigration rights activist who lives in Denver and has been in ICE custody since March 17, on April 5, 2025, at the Colorado Capitol in Denver. The protest was one of over 1,000 planned across the country. (Lindsey Toomer/Colorado Newsline) Lawyers for the federal government rejected immigration activist Jeanette Vizguerra's claim that she is being detained and targeted for deportation because of her political speech, and once again asserted that the case is moving through the incorrect jurisdiction. The government 'had an objectively reasonable justification to arrest (Vizguerra) and detain her — namely, she is not lawfully present in the United States and is subject to a reinstated removal order,' an April 29 filing reads. 'The presence of such valid reasons for the arrest and subsequent detention means that her First Amendment retaliation challenge fails.' The new filing came in response to an amended petition from Vizguerra's lawyers, which alleged that her March 17 detainment was retaliation for her criticism of the Trump administration and national prominence as an activist, and therefore violated her protected First Amendment rights. The judge in the case, U.S. District Court Judge Nina Wang, issued a temporary block on any deportation efforts for Vizguerra before the court could consider the legality of her detainment. The case centers on a reinstated removal order from 2013 that Vizguerra's lawyers say is invalid. But the federal government argued in its filing that legal precedent shows that noncitizens cannot bring challenges to their removal based on claims of selective enforcement. Lawyers pointed to a 1999 case where eight members of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine claimed they were being unconstitutionally targeted for their political beliefs. The U.S. Supreme Court ultimately decided that immigrants without legal status do not have the defense of selective prosecution, because that argument only delays deportation proceedings in response to the violation of immigration law. 'The Court reached this decision even after the government admitted 'that the alleged First Amendment activity was the basis for selecting the individuals for adverse action,'' lawyers wrote. 'Here, (Vizguerra) brings a similar challenge to that brought by the noncitizens in (the 1999 case). She argues that (Immigration and Customs Enforcement)'s actions in arresting, detaining, and executing a reinstatement of a removal order against her were improperly based on retaliation for her activism. But she acknowledges that she has no lawful status in the United States.' The new filing also questions the evidence Vizguerra's lawyers used to argue that her detainment is retaliatory. Those include various social media posts celebrating her arrest from ICE, a public affairs official for the Department of Homeland Security and former ICE official John Fabbricatore. The posts are distinct in tone from other arrest announcements from the agency on social media because they specifically allude to her activist background and outspoken criticism of the immigration system. 'But she has not presented evidence that either the individuals controlling ICE's X account or the Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs were involved in the decision to detain Petitioner. Accordingly, these posts do not show retaliatory motive,' the filing reads. The government also asserted that the correct venue for the case would be in the Court of Appeals. A similar case was filed in the 10th Circuit, but has not seen movement. In a different filing Tuesday, Vizguerra's lawyers asked the court to clarify that the restraining order against her deportation also includes the so-called reasonable fear interview process. That is a part of removal proceedings where federal officials determine if deporting someone to their country of origin would put them at a serious risk of harm. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services began that interview process shortly after Vizguerra's detainment and have 'repeatedly failed to notify counsel in advance of interview scheduling, have repeatedly attempted to proceed with the interview without counsel present, and in at least one instance falsely advised Ms. Vizguerra-Ramirez that her attorney had consented to and insisted that the interview move forward without counsel,' lawyer Laura Lichter wrote. On April 14, USCIS made a negative reasonable fear determination after nearly a month of interview attempts that Lichter said violated due process. 'It is clear that Respondents DHS and ICE are directing USCIS as their agent or otherwise working in active concert or participation with the agency in forcing the conclusion of the reasonable fear process to facilitate, enable, and advance a removal that is temporarily enjoined,' Lichter wrote. A hearing for the case has not been scheduled. Vizguerra has lived in the United States since 1997. She was arrested in 2009 for having a fake ID and driving without insurance and was placed in removal proceedings. An immigration judge offered her the option of voluntary departure in 2011, which Vizguerra appealed. She then left the country in 2012 to see her dying mother in Mexico and reentered the United States without authorization in 2013. She was ultimately sentenced to ICE supervision and has been granted multiple stays of removal since then, the last of which expired last year. She gained national attention when she sought sanctuary in Denver churches to avoid deportation during the first Trump administration and was recognized as one of the 100 most influential people by Time Magazine in 2017. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
09-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Lawyers for Jeanette Vizguerra allege retaliation for free speech in new court filing
A sign in support of Jeanette Vizguerra, a nationally known immigration rights activist who lives in Denver and has been in ICE custody since March 17, sits on a table at the Hands Off! protest on April 5, 2025, at the Colorado Capitol in Denver. (Lindsey Toomer/Colorado Newsline) Lawyers for immigration rights activist Jeanette Vizguerra, who was detained by federal authorities last month, allege in a new court filing that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement retaliated against Vizguerra in response to her constitutionally protected speech and protest. They filed an amended habeas corpus petition in U.S. District Court of Colorado on Wednesday challenging Vizguerra's detention. They argue that ICE targeted Vizguerra, who also goes by Vizguerra-Ramirez, because of her national prominence and critiques of the Trump administration's policies and tactics. 'There are strong indications that ICE's enforcement actions against Ms. Vizguerra-Ramirez were driven, to a large degree, by a desire for retaliation due to her prominence as a critic of Trump immigration policies, and to send a message to other potential critics,' lawyer Laura Lichter wrote. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Lichter requested an opportunity to amend the petition, which was first filed immediately following Vizguerra's arrest, during a status conference last month. The federal government has 21 days to respond, and a hearing will likely then be scheduled. In the meantime, Vizguerra, a 53-year-old Denver resident whose home country is Mexico, will remain in custody at a private ICE facility in Aurora, as Judge Nina Wang has precluded immigration authorities from deporting her until she gets a hearing over her detention. The amended petition contends that when she was placed in shackles and photographed during her arrest, an ICE officer said, 'We finally got you.' 'The reason ICE was glad they finally 'got' Ms. Vizguerra-Ramirez appears to be tied to her long history as an immigration and labor activist,' Lichter wrote. The Denver ICE office posted that photo of Vizguerra in handcuffs and a belly chain on its X account. A few days later, the main ICE account amplified the post and wrote that 'Despite her being featured in national media for years, we arrested her in public March 17. A high-profile status does not exempt a person from immigration law.' The petition notes that it was unique for ICE to highlight Vizguerra's activism and national prominence in their post when compared to the hundreds of other posts announcing immigration arrests. Tricia McLaughlin, the assistant secretary for public affairs at the Department of Homeland Security, posted on X on March 19 that ICE will arrest 'illegal aliens regardless of if they were a featured 'Time Person of the Year.'' Vizguerra was named one of the 100 most influential people by Time Magazine in 2017 after she took sanctuary in a Denver church to avoid deportation during the first Trump administration. The petition also notes posts from former ICE Denver field director John Fabbricatore that celebrated Vizguerra's arrest and displayed screenshots of Vizguerra's Facebook posts that were critical of Trump. Targeting Vizguerra for detention because of her activism violates her First and Fifth Amendment rights, Lichter argued. 'The way Respondents publicly celebrated their apprehension of Ms. Vizguerra-Ramirez, and substantially compromised her ability to have a fair hearing on her claim for persecution-based protections, is likely to chill the speech of other immigrants opposed to the government's immigration policies and practices,' the petition reads. The amended petition also includes details about repeated attempts from immigration authorities to conduct a so-called 'reasonable fear interview' with Vizguerra without her lawyer present. Those interviews happen during immigration proceedings to determine if a removal would cause harm to the immigrant. The petition alleges that authorities tried to interview Vizguerra four times between March 18 and March 27 without giving advance notice to her lawyer. They gave notice and tried again on March 31, even though Lichter requested that any interview happen after pending litigation or not until she could be physically present with Vizguerra. Lichter has not heard back from ICE over her concerns. 'These actions — taken while Ms. Vizguerra-Ramirez remains in ICE custody and under ongoing judicial protection — reflect a broader strategy to bypass meaningful review despite unresolved jurisdictional and constitutional claims. They constitute retaliation,' the petition reads. Vizguerra has lived in the United States since 1997. She was arrested in 2009 for having a fake ID and driving without insurance and was placed in removal proceedings. An immigration judge offered her the option of voluntary departure in 2011, which Vizguerra appealed. She then left the country in 2012 to see her dying mother in Mexico and reentered the United States without authorization in 2013. She was sentenced to ICE supervision and has been granted multiple stays of removal since then, the last of which expired last year. The federal government argues that her order of removal was reinstated in 2013 when she came back to the United States and is still valid. Her lawyers contend, however, that ICE officials issued that order improperly, without letting her know about its existence and letting her raise an objection to it before it was signed. 'The procedural error was not immaterial. Had Ms. Vizguerra-Ramirez been notified of the possibility of a reinstatement order, she could have alerted officials to the fact that she did not have a prior removal order. Instead, she had a grant of voluntary departure that was issued in lieu of a removal order, and by leaving the U.S. while her appeal was pending, she necessarily complied with the order's departure deadline and did not leave under an order of removal. Absent a prior removal order, there was nothing to be reinstated in 2013,' the petition reads. Vizguerra's case comes amid detentions of other immigrants who have protested or criticized the government, including former Columbia student Mahmoud Khalil and Tufts University Ph.D. student Rumeysa Ozturk. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
28-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Jeanette Vizguerra detained in retaliation for protected speech, lawyers claim
An undated photo of Denver immigration activist Jeanette Vizguerra. (Courtesy of Vizguerra family) Lawyers for Jeanette Vizguerra intend to amend her habeas corpus petition, alleging that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detained her in retaliation for speech that's protected under the First Amendment. The amendment would set off new administrative deadlines and could delay the oral arguments in her case for up to a month. Vizguerra, a nationally known immigration rights activist who lives in Denver, has been in ICE custody at an Aurora facility since March 17, when she was arrested outside her job at Target. Her attorney, Laura Lichter, said in federal court in Denver Friday that public statements and media reports since then make it seem like Vizguerra's arrest and detention are in response to her activism and public criticism of the country's immigration policies. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Lichter has until April 8 to amend the petition against Vizguerra's detention to reflect the First Amendment claim. The government then has 21 days to respond. A previous order from U.S. District Court Judge Nina Wang blocks attempts by the federal government to deport Vizguerra until oral arguments can be considered. Those arguments were originally set for Friday afternoon. Vizguerra, 53, has lived in the United States since 1997 after her husband was threatened at gunpoint in Mexico, her home country. Her immigration case stems from a 2009 charge for having a false Social Security number. She was granted an offer of voluntary removal in 2011, left the country in 2012 and came back in 2013, when she was arrested for crossing the border without proper documentation. She has since been granted several stays of removal, and she took sanctuary in two Denver churches during the first Trump administration to avoid deportation, which made her a high-profile figure in the immigration rights movement. Federal prosecutors claim that a reinstated order of removal for Vizguerra from 2013 is valid and grounds for her deportation. Vizguerra has argued the order was not properly executed. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
