Federal judge orders ICE not to remove immigration activist Jeanette Vizguerra
US District Judge Nina Wang on Friday issued an injunction to prevent the removal by Immigration and Customs Enforcement of Jeanette Vizguerra, the immigration rights activist who was detained by ICE on Monday.
Judge Wang has asked the US government to "show cause" or why she should not grant Vizguerra's release, sought in a petition for a Writ of Habeas Corpus against ICE, the Department of Homeland Security's Kristi Noem and US Attorney General Pam Bondi. Wang has asked for the government's response by Monday, March 24.
Vizguerra's attorneys have also filed a petition with the 10th US Circuit Court of Appeals, arguing that ICE has never presented their client with a valid order for removal from the US.
"No lawful removal order exists, and ICE would have known this for years. If ICE proceeds with trying to remove her without legal authority, it sends a chilling message about the agency's disregard for due process and the rule of law," said Vizguerra's lawyer Laura Lichter.
On Wednesday, the Denver ICE office issued a statement saying "Vizguerra 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."
A vocal critic of President Trump's immigration policy, Vizguerra is the mother of four, including three children born in the United States. Her detention has prompted protests and calls for her release.
