A federal judge in Denver, Colorado, ordered that Mexican activist Jeanette Vizguerra be granted an immediate bail hearing, concluding that her nine-month immigration detention violates the U.S. Constitution. In her 38-page ruling, Judge Nina Y. Wang determined that Vizguerra's detention at an immigration center in Aurora, east of Denver, has been unreasonably extended and cannot continue without a hearing before an immigration judge. The court ordered that the hearing be held within a maximum of seven days, no later than December 24, after finding that the Due Process Clause of the Fifth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution has been violated. The judge also stated that she can examine the defense's argument that Vizguerra was detained in retaliation for her public activism in favor of immigrant rights, which could constitute a violation of the First Amendment. The 53-year-old Vizguerra was arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents on March 17 of last year outside her workplace in south Denver. She arrived in the United States in 1997 from Mexico City and became an emblematic figure of the pro-immigrant movement after taking refuge in Denver churches to avoid deportation. In 2017, she was included by Time magazine among the 100 most influential people in the world. The judicial ruling coincided with a Hanukkah vigil organized by Jewish groups and allied organizations outside the Aurora detention center, where dozens of people demanded Vizguerra's release and denounced what they consider political persecution by immigration authorities. The case remains open as the court examines the allegations of retaliation and other constitutional aspects of the arrest.
