AURORA, Colo. — Dozens of people braved the chilly conditions Tuesday evening to rally in support of immigrant rights activist Jeanette Vizguerra, who was reportedly taken into Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody on Monday.
Attendees gathered outside of the Aurora ICE Processing Center, hoping their chants and stories of Vizguerra's impact could be heard inside the facility.
"I just wanted to say that I need my mom back. I need her to come home," said one of Vizguerra's children, Luna Báez-Vizguerra.
Advocates told Denver7 Vizguerra is undocumented but they take issue with how ICE is allegedly handling her case.
Vizguerra has lived in the U.S. for nearly 30 years after escaping violence in Mexico City in 1997 with her husband and her then-6-year-old daughter. She has been convicted of two misdemeanors during her time in the country.
Vizguerra was forced to seek sanctuary at a Denver church in 2017 under the first Trump administration to avoid deportation after a hold on her deportation was not renewed. She was given a two-year reprieve, which allowed her to stay in the country until March 2019, after Sen. Michael Bennet and then-Rep. Jared Polis — now Colorado’s governor — introduced so-called private bills to give her a path to permanent residency. But her two-year stay was not renewed, and Vizguerra was further denied a U Visa, which allows undocumented immigrants who are victims of certain crimes to live legally in the U.S.
Vizguerra again entered church sanctuary but then left in 2020, according to a timeline provided by the American Friends Service Committee.
Aurora
Immigrant rights activist taken into Aurora ICE custody, advocacy groups say
The American Friends Service Committee said Vizguerra's lawyers filed a habeas motion with the district court as of Tuesday, challenging the legality of her detainment.
During the rally on Tuesday, Vizguerra's daughter called her and translated the phone call for the crowd.
"Regardless of the kind of situation that she's in, whether she's in or out of this detention center, she's very blessed to always have a community alongside with her," Báez-Vizguerra said on behalf of her mother. "As far as today, it was very, very close for her to be deported and removed, but thanks to our amazing lawyer, she's fought tooth and nail to keep her here."
On the phone call, Vizguerra said she will continue to fight against her deportation, even if she does so from Mexico.
- Watch the full rally below
Denver7 reached out to ICE a number of times on Tuesday and was told a statement is "forthcoming." As of Tuesday evening, a statement has not been received.
Democratic leaders came to Vizguerra's defense in the hours after her apparent detainment, with Denver Mayor Mike Johnston calling it a “Putin-style persecution of political dissidents” that “makes this country lawless.”
Former ICE Denver field office director John Fabbricatore painted a different picture in an interview with Denver7. He described Vizguerra as a woman with a rap sheet who has evaded deportation for years.
“I had a plan in place to have her removed, and the Biden administration stepped in and gave her a stay of deportation,” he said. “This woman has had more than due process. She's gone through the process multiple times, had multiple opportunities [...] has seen the immigration judge, had the ability to go through the [Board] of Immigration Appeals.”
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