Mexican woman was named one of Time magazine’s most influential people of 2017
Jeanette Vizguerra, 53, an immigrant woman who became a national symbol of resistance to forced deportation during President Trump’s first term was arrested by ICE agents in Denver on March 17.
Vizguerra, who spoke at Pueblo’s Cinco de Mayo celebration in 2024, was arrested at work, according to family members.
She drew national attention in early 2017 when she and her three children moved into a church basement in Denver seeking protection from deportation. Under President Biden, she received a one-year stay of deportation in 2021.
“For many years, we have been used as a hook in their immigration policy,” Vizguerra said in Pueblo in 2024 through a translator. “We are tired, that is enough. We need to stop that. In the 30 years that I have been in the United States, I worked hard and paid taxes — often more than most Americans.”
Her arrest has been denounced by many public officials including Denver Mayor Mike Johnston, U.S. Senator Michael Bennett. Johnston said it was an attempt by the Trump administration to silence critics and Bennett called for her immediate release.
