Community Rallies for Immediate Release of Jeanette Vizguerra Following Unjust ICE Detention

Outrage is mounting across Colorado as community organizations and elected officials demand the immediate release of Jeanette Vizguerra, a respected immigrant rights advocate who was forcibly detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on Monday, March 17, 2025.

Without warning or legal justification, ICE officers took Vizguerra from her workplace and transferred her to the GEO immigration detention center in Aurora, CO. Her detention, which was confirmed by her attorney, has been widely condemned as a politically motivated attack on an outspoken leader in the fight for immigrant rights.

Jeanette Vizguerra, a mother of four and a long-standing pillar of Colorado’s immigrant community, has been fighting deportation since 2009. She has spent decades advocating for labor protections, immigrant rights, and family unity, earning national recognition for her efforts.

“Jeanette was able to briefly call her daughter on March 17 before facility officials cut off phone access for unknown reasons,” wrote Rebecca Shelley from Our Saviour Lutheran Church in a Press Release.

In 2017, she was named one of Time Magazine’s most influential people for her fearless activism against unjust immigration policies.

Despite having no valid deportation order, ICE detained her without prior notice to her legal team. Community leaders and legal experts argue that this action violates due process and serves as an intimidation tactic against those who challenge the deportation system. Vizguerra’s sudden detention also aligns with a troubling pattern of ICE targeting immigrant activists, including Mahmoud Khalil and Leqaa Kordia, who were also unlawfully detained in recent weeks.

Protestors gather outside the ICE detention facility in Aurora. Photo by Shavonne Blades.

Within hours of her detention, community members mobilized to demand Vizguerra’s release. Concerned for her safety, her family and supporters gathered outside the GEO detention center for an all-night vigil. Despite freezing temperatures, crowds spent the night engaging in chanting, drumming, and candlelighting until the morning hours of Tuesday. Activists also reached out to congressional offices, urging lawmakers to intervene.

“Jeanette belongs with her family, not in a for-profit detention center,” said one advocate at the vigil. “Her detention is a direct attack on the movement for immigrant justice.”

Supporters have launched a petition and a fundraising campaign to assist with legal expenses.

Jeanette Vizguerra’s activism extends beyond her personal case. She has co-founded several grassroots organizations, including Dreamer’s Mothers in Action-Colorado, Abolish ICE Denver, and Sanctuary4All. She has also worked with groups such as the Colorado Immigrant Rights Coalition, SEIU, and the National Domestic Workers Association, advocating for the dignity and rights of all immigrants.

Her detention has sparked a wave of solidarity from organizations and elected officials across Colorado, including the ACLU of Colorado, Colorado People’s Alliance, Denver Democratic Socialists of America, and numerous city council members and state legislators.

Daughter of Activist Legend Corky Gonzales speaks at Monday’s rally. Photo by Shavonne Blades.

Their collective demand is clear: ICE must immediately release Jeanette Vizguerra and halt its campaign of intimidation against immigrant activists.

As the community rallies around Vizguerra, her supporters remain steadfast in their commitment to justice. They refuse to allow ICE to silence her voice or separate her from her family and the movement she has dedicated her life to building.