Federal judge to consider releasing immigration activist who took refuge in churches

A federal judge in Denver is set to hear arguments Friday over whether an immigration and labor activist who took refuge in Colorado churches to avoid deportation during the first Trump administration should be freed from detention.

DENVER — A federal judge in Denver is set to hear arguments Friday over whether an immigration and labor activist who took refuge in Colorado churches to avoid deportation during the first Trump administration should be freed from detention.

Jeanette Vizguerra was arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement on March 17 and is being held at its immigration detention facility in suburban Denver.

ICE says Vizguerra entered the U.S. from Mexico illegally in 1997 and is being held pending deportation. In a statement shortly after her arrest, ICE said the mother of four has a final deportation order and “has received legal due process in U.S. immigration court.”

But her lawyers say the order is not valid. They have filed a legal challenge asking U.S. District Judge Nina Wang to order federal authorities to release her.

Wang issued an order halting Vizguerra’s deportation while the legal challenge plays out.