Immigrant Rights Leader Jeanette Vizguerra Detained by ICE, Community Holds Vigil Outside GEO Center
Aurora, CO — On Monday, longtime immigrant rights leader Jeanette Vizguerra was arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers (ICE) and has been incarcerated at the for-profit GEO ICE Detention Center in Aurora since. Supporters of Vizguerra, including her children, have been rallying outside the facility since she was placed in custody.
There was a vigil Tuesday evening outside the detention center. Watch our live coverage of the vigil:
Unicorn Riot’s covered Vizguerra’s story since she first entered into sanctuary from deportation on February 15, 2017. We interviewed Vizguerra three days later and published a 30-minute interview video where she talks about why she and her family had to migrate from Mexico to the United States, and about crossing the border twice. She also analyzes and illuminates the United States’ immigration policies and system.
After nearly three months living at the First Unitarian Society, she was able to walk free due to ICE giving her a two-year stay of deportation. When those two years ended, Vizguerra made the choice to re-enter sanctuary. After some time back at the church, she decided to leave sanctuary in 2020, even though her legal status and documentation process was still unresolved.
Unicorn Riot's Coverage of the Sanctuary Movement and U.S. Immigration:
- Vigil at GEO ICE Detention Center in Aurora Spreads Love to Immigrants (February 10, 2025)
- Coloradans Rally at State Capitol to Support Immigrants and Protest Mass Deportations (February 8, 2025)
- University of Utah Students Protest Against ICE and Police on Campus (February 6, 2025)
- Calls For a Migrant Labor Strike Grow on Social Media (December 28, 2024)
- ICE is Training Civilians to Conduct Violent Raids on Immigrants (October 31, 2024)
- Nearly 100 Migrant Families Evicted from Aurora, CO ‘Slumlord’ Apartments (August 13, 2024)
- Dozens of Migrant Families Face Eviction in Aurora, CO with Less Than One Week’s Notice (August 8, 2024)
- Protests Erupt Across Florida as Senate Bill 1718 Goes Into Effect (July 2, 2023)
- Protests Against Anti-Immigrant Laws to Continue (June 25, 2023)
- Minnesota ‘Driver’s Licenses For All’ Bill a National Model For Data Privacy Protections, Advocates Say (April 20, 2023)
- Eugenics, Border Wars & Population Control: The Tanton Network (August 22, 2022)
- Reports of Forced Sterilizations in ICE Facility Spark Protest (September 22, 2020)
- GEO Group’s ICE Jail Lies to Immigration Lawyer, Attempts Unlawful Deportation (July 2, 2020)
- Racial Justice Teach-in at Abolish ICE Camp in Aurora CO (June 13, 2020)
- Another Immigrant Claims Sanctuary from Deportation in Colorado (Feb. 14, 2020)
- Immigrant Rights Advocates Rally in Response to Rotten Food Given to Detainees (Jan. 6, 2020)
- Ingrid Encalada Latorre Pardoned After 2+ Years Claiming Sanctuary (Dec. 28, 2019)
- The Price to Oversee ICE: 200+ Protesters March in Aurora Suburb Home to GEO Group ICE Warden (Sep. 30, 2019)
- Twin Cities Jewish Community Blockades ICE Building, 27 Cited (Aug. 2, 2019)
- Passions Run High at ‘Close the Concentration Camps’ Protest (July 22, 2019)
- Hundreds in CO Plan Rally to ‘Close the Concentration Camps’ (July 12, 2019)
- Thousands March in Minneapolis to Stop Separating Families (June 30, 2019)
- Jeanette Vizguerra’s U-Visa Denied While in Sanctuary Second Time (June 27, 2019)
- CO Community Gathers Outside GEO ICE Facility on Longest Day of Year (June 21, 2019)
- Occupy ICE Denver Camps Outside GEO ICE Detention Center (Oct. 29, 2018)
- #OccupyICE Movement Grows Momentum in Colorado (Aug. 6, 2018)
- ICE Occupation Emerges at Denver Field Office (July 30, 2018)
- Philadelphia Reduces Police Help To ICE; ‘Occupy ICE’ Camp Moves (July 30, 2018)
- Protesters Occupy Philadelphia ICE Office (July 2, 2018)
- Protests Target ICE Contractor General Dynamics (June 29, 2018)
- Ninth Annual CO Love Knows No Borders, No Walls Vigil (Feb. 5, 2018)
- November Vigil at GEO Group ICE Detention Center in CO (Nov. 6, 2017)
- Ingrid Encalada Latorre Returns to Sanctuary; Four Claim Sanctuary in CO (Oct. 27, 2017)
- Ingrid Encalada Latorre Leaves Sanctuary After Six Months; Granted Temporary Stay (May 27, 2017)
- Indonesian Undocumented Immigrant Detained at ICE Check-In (May 24, 2017)
- Jeanette Vizguerra, Among Others, Celebrate Victories Against ICE Deportation Attempts (May 17, 2017)
- Sanctuary Movement Leader, Arturo Hernandez Garcia, Detained by ICE While at Work (April 30, 2017)
- Jeanette Vizguerra Named One of Time’s 100 Most Influential People as She Remains in Sanctuary (April 22, 2017)
- Crisis: Borderlands (March 14, 2017)
- Arizona Anti-ICE Demo Meets Arrests and Chemical Agents (Feb. 17, 2017)
- Deportations Begin Under Trump’s Regime (Feb. 14, 2017)
- Love Knows No BAN No Walls Vigil at GEO ICE Detention Center (Feb. 8, 2017)
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