ICE Agents Detain Immigrant Leader Jeanette Vizguerra, Who Once Sought Sanctuary in Denver Church

Support our work

Immigrant rights activist Jeanette Vizguerra, who has lived in the U.S. for more than 30 years, was arrested by ICE agents in Colorado on Monday. She was ambushed during her work break by ICE officials and is now being held in a private prison in Aurora. Vizguerra rose to fame during Trump's first term when she evaded immigration officials by staying in a church basement with her four children and was named one of the 100 most influential people of the year by Time magazine in 2017. "The courts may not save us, but we save each other," says Jennifer Piper, program director at the American Friends Service Committee, Colorado. "Only the people can save each other and make justice and democracy real." We also speak with Vizguerra's 21-year-old daughter Luna Báez, who says her mother had felt under surveillance before her arrest, including by people in unmarked vehicles. "It's something that is very, very scary," she says.

Democracy Now! is an independent global news hour that airs on over 1,500 TV and radio stations Monday through Friday. Watch our livestream at democracynow.org Mondays to Fridays 8-9 a.m. ET.

Subscribe to our Daily Email Digest