US: Former Time’s 100 Most Influential woman detained by ICE in Colorado

A prominent immigration reform activist and undocumented mother, Jeanette Vizguerra, is being held at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention facility in Aurora, Colorado, following her arrest on Monday.

Vizguerra, who rose to international prominence in 2017 after seeking sanctuary in a Denver church for three years to avoid deportation under President Donald Trump’s administration, was named one of Time magazine’s 100 most influential people that same year.

Her attorney, Laura Lichter, confirmed to CNN that she is currently in ICE custody. Jordan Garcia of the American Friends Service Committee, who has been in contact with Vizguerra’s legal team and family, said she was arrested at a Target store in the Denver area where she works.

Garcia explained that Vizguerra has been pursuing a visa granted to crime victims, which would allow her to remain in the United States, ever since she left church sanctuary in 2020. 

Legal petitions challenging her detention have been filed in both federal court in Denver and at the 10th US Circuit Court of Appeals.

Judith Marquez, a family friend, told CNN that ICE officers took Vizguerra into custody outside the store where she works as a cashier.

Her daughter, Luna Baez, told CNN her mother had recently expressed fears of being followed by unmarked vehicles after leaving work and during breaks.

Vizguerra informed her daughter of her detention, recounting how officers “surrounded her on all sides” during her break.

“From there she was put in a truck, the whole time she told me they were laughing at her,” Baez said.

Baez added that she has spoken with her mother twice since her detention.

On Tuesday night, a crowd of supporters, including union members and members of the public, rallied outside the Aurora detention facility in solidarity with Vizguerra. Baez, visibly emotional, addressed the gathering.

“Not only is she a community member, but she’s a mother to four kids. Four kids that still depend on her … And I just wanted to say that I need my mom back. I need her to come home,” Baez said.

She then held up her phone to allow the crowd to hear Vizguerra speak from detention. Translating her mother’s words, Baez said, “She also wanted to say that under this arrest – it was extremely unlawful. None of the proceedings were followed … A warrant was never shown.”

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Colorado Governor Jared Polis described Vizguerra as no threat to the community and stressed that she “deserves due process.” He also called on Trump and ICE to direct enforcement efforts at violent offenders and improve transparency with state authorities.

Denver Mayor Mike Johnston condemned the arrest, labelling it politically motivated.

“People should know what this is. This is not immigration enforcement. This is Soviet-style political persecution of political dissidents under the guise of immigration enforcement,” Johnston said in a Facebook video.

“This is not someone with a criminal record. This is a mom of American citizens who works at Target and has started a community nonprofit,” the mayor said. “This is not something that makes our community safer, in my mind. I think it makes our community lawless.”

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