Windy, biting cold didn’t stop hundreds from marching through the Auraria campus Wednesday in protest of the recent detention of activist Jeanette Vizguerra in an Aurora ICE facility.
Vizguerra, who gained national attention in 2017 for seeking protection from deportation by living in Denver churches, has been a pillar of community activism, advocating for everything from local union workers’ rights to Palestinian liberation, her supporters said. On Monday, the mother and grandmother was arrested at her workplace, a move that her lawyers have argued is illegal.
Khalid Hamu, speaking on behalf of Students for a Democratic Society, opened the rally by noting the significance of Vizguerra’s detention.
“Taking someone like this away is an attack on all of us here today,” Hamu said.
Vizguerra’s daughter, Luna Vizguerra, gave an emotional update to the crowd on her mother’s status and expressed gratitude for the community’s support.
“My mom is very very thankful to the community and all of the efforts that you guys have put forward,” Vizguerra said. “Hopefully we can mobilize and not only help my mom, but help anyone else affected by this issue. It affects families that are a lot more scared to speak out than my mom has been, or many of us are able to.”
Vizguerra said that her mother’s case had already seen considerable local and national attention as well as financial support for legal fees through donations, but that many others remained overlooked in immigration detention.
“We’d love for more attention to go towards our community, especially in that detention center that hasn’t necessarily received the same attention and care that her case has received,” she said.
Jeanette Vizguerra’s friend, who did not give her name, said Vizguerra would not want pity but instead would want her situation to be used to spark meaningful action.
“As a friend of Jeanette, I know that she would not want us to have pity for her right now,” she said. “What she would want is for us to be out here to continue fighting for our rights, to ensure that every immigrant knows that they belong here,” she said.
Yoselin Escalona, an organizer from Aurora Community of Faith Organization, emphasized the interconnectedness of local and global issues, referencing Vizguerra’s broad activism on behalf of the local Latinx community and Palestinians abroad.
“Jeanette was active in the struggle for human rights in all communities because she recognized the connection between our fights,” Escalona said. “We are seeing human rights being rolled back in front of our very eyes and all of the organizations here today are united in the fight against the attacks on immigrants.”
The rally drew a strong connection between the local situation in Denver and broader political dynamics. Emily Schlichter, an activist with Denver Anti-War Action, described the rally’s focus as collective liberation, not only for Vizguerra but also for individuals globally facing oppression.
“We are here today for Mahmoud Khalil, Leqaa Kordia, Jeanette Vizguerra and all those wrongfully detained,” Schlichter said. “We are here for the students facing repression for daring to say ‘no’ to genocide.”
Immigration activists frequently link immigrant detention to other social justice causes, such as Palestinian human rights and the fight against police violence locally in Aurora and Denver. Hamu, who largely led the rally, called out Aurora Police’s collaboration with ICE in particular.
“Part of this fight is understanding that the illegal collaboration between ICE and the Aurora Police Department has got to stop,” Hamu said.
“Jeanette understood what we gotta do is we gotta stand up and fight,” Hamu added, recalling her openness and bravery at previous events, and her willingness to show her face. “She stood up and said her name, she said who she was and what her background is, and she taught us how to fight.”
Hamu concluded with a broader call to action, urging sustained organization and resistance against oppressive systems he described as enabling detentions such as Vizguerra’s.
“These are political attacks because Jeanette is an activist,” Hamu said. “What Trump is trying to do is outlaw protests and outlaw political dissent. We cannot let him.”
The rally concluded with a somber march around campus, with the crowd chanting in solidarity for Vizguerra’s release and broader immigrant rights.
Participants were encouraged to join organizing meetings scheduled in the coming weeks to continue this advocacy.
“Take it to the next level,” Vizguerra’s daughter encouraged attendees. “Help us push the fight forward, because it’s when we do that work; engaging with our community, that we’re able to advance the struggle farther.”
Vizguerra remains detained at the Aurora facility, with her supporters promising continued protests and legal actions in efforts to secure her release. For ICE’s part, they claim that she has been afforded due process and is facing lawful deportation.