Federal Judge Blocks Deportation of Illegal Immigrant and Activist Jeanette Vizguerra-Ramirez

The court cited ‘unusual circumstances’ in the case and a lack of clarity over whether her detention and potential removal were legally authorized.

Jeanette Vizguerra in a file image. ICE via The Epoch Times

A federal judge has temporarily blocked the deportation of Jeanette Vizguerra-Ramirez, an illegal immigrant and prominent activist whose long-running battle with U.S. immigration authorities stretches back to the first Trump administration when she gained national attention after seeking refuge in Denver churches to avoid removal.

In a six-page ruling issued on March 21, U.S. District Judge Nina Y. Wang ordered federal officials not to remove Vizguerra-Ramirez from Colorado or the United States while her legal challenge is pending. The court cited “unusual circumstances” in the case and a lack of clarity over whether her detention and potential removal were legally authorized.

“This case raises complex issues about not only the legality of Ms. Vizguerra-Ramirez’s ICE detention under immigration law but also the jurisdictional interplay between district and appellate courts facing this specific set of factual circumstances,” Wang wrote.

The ruling marks the latest chapter in a decades-long immigration saga for Vizguerra-Ramirez. She entered the United States illegally in 1997 and became a national figure during President Donald Trump’s first term in office for resisting deportation by taking sanctuary in churches—an act that earned her a place on Time magazine’s list of the 100 most influential people in 2017.

On March 17, Vizguerra-Ramirez was arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents at a Target store near Denver, Colorado, where she was employed. An ICE spokesperson previously told The Epoch Times that Vizguerra is a “convicted criminal alien from Mexico” with a final order of deportation stemming from a 1999 conviction for possessing a forged Social Security card. ICE also noted that she had received full due process in immigration court and had reentered the country illegally after a 2012 departure.

However, Vizguerra’s attorneys contend that the prior deportation order is invalid, pointing to what they describe as procedural flaws and an absence of legal authority to reinstate the order. Her legal team has argued that ICE is attempting to bypass the law by removing her under a voided order.

“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,” one of her attorneys, Laura Lichter, said in a statement.

Vizguerra-Ramirez’s legal team filed a writ of habeas corpus in the U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado and a petition for review with the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on March 18. In her March 21 order, the judge said keeping Vizguerra-Ramirez in the United States is necessary to ensure that the court retains jurisdiction over the case.

“In light of these unusual circumstances, this court respectfully concludes that an injunction is necessary to preserve the status quo and permit this court the opportunity to thoughtfully consider the issues raised by both sides to achieve the ends of justice entrusted to this court,” Wang wrote.

Since leaving church sanctuary, Vizguerra-Ramirez has been pursuing a U visa, a special form of immigration relief for crime victims. Supporters, including Denver Mayor Mike Johnston, say she poses no threat to public safety and has cooperated fully with authorities. The last of several ICE-issued deportation reprieves expired in February 2024.

“Under President Trump and Secretary Noem, we are once again a nation of laws,” Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin wrote. “We will find, arrest, and deport illegal aliens regardless of if they were a featured ‘Time Person of the Year.’ If you come to our country illegally, we will deport you, and you will never return.”

McLaughlin added that “the safest option for illegal aliens is to self-deport, so they still have the opportunity to return and live the American dream.”

The judge scheduled a hearing in Vizguerra-Ramirez’s case for March 28. Federal officials have been ordered to respond to her petition by March 24.

She is being held at a detention facility in Aurora, Colorado.

Zachary Stieber and The Associated Press contributed to this report.