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AMY GOODMAN: This is Democracy Now!, democracynow.org. I’m Amy Goodman.
We turn now to Colorado, where longtime immigrant rights activist Jeanette Vizguerra-Ramirez has been released from an ICE jail after almost 10 months in detention. Jeanette reunited with her family Monday after she was released on bond following a judge’s ruling her detention was unconstitutional. She was arrested in March, ambushed by ICE agents during her work break at Target, later transferred to an immigration jail in Aurora, Colorado, run by the private prison company GEO Group.
Jeanette Vizguerra gained national attention in 2017 when she took sanctuary in a Denver church along with her children — three of whom are U.S.-born — to avoid deportation. In May, Jeanette won the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Award.
I spoke with Jeanette Vizguerra on Tuesday.
AMY GOODMAN: You have been in jail for nine months. How does it feel to be free?
JEANETTE VIZGUERRA–RAMIREZ: This moment is one of mixed emotions in my person and my family. Nine months, seven days is a long, long time in detention. But every time have hope one day I’m released. My legal team were very strong and continue my job same in detention. My community fight very strong for me, same for nine months. And finally, I’m here.
I’m very emotional in this moment, as the — yesterday, my kids and me, as they mentioned a similar one block. The emotions is there, is real. I’m here in a time it’s possible talk to my kids, touch my kids, kiss my kids, my kiddos. It’s very emotional. It’s very, very emotional in this moment.
AMY GOODMAN: Can you talk about what your plans are now, and your response to the judge’s ruling, Judge Nina Wang?
JEANETTE VIZGUERRA–RAMIREZ: Yeah, well, at first I’m happy for the decision for take this bond. My plan later — my case continue. My case not finished. My case continue. I don’t know for how many times. My plan is, these last days of this year, I pass my time for my family. Later, in the new year, come back in my job, the activist. I never stop.
AMY GOODMAN: That was Jeanette Vizguerra-Ramirez, speaking with us on Tuesday after she was released Monday, after more than nine months in an ICE jail in Aurora, Colorado. We’ll hear from her — more from her in a minute. But first we go to Denver, and we’re joined by Jennifer Piper, program director at the American Friends Service Committee, part of a coalition supporting Jeanette.
Welcome back to Democracy Now!, Jennifer. It’s great to have you with us. You all held a rally, news conference yesterday. That’s why Jeanette had to finish her conversation early with us, so she could get to it. Talk about the significance of the judge’s ruling. She demanded she be released, not be wearing a ankle shackle. She said that her detention was unconstitutional.
JENNIFER PIPER: Yes. The district judge, after nine months and many arguments back and forth, did rule that, on Jeanette’s habeas, that her prolonged detention was unconstitutional, and ordered that the government hold a bond hearing within a week, and that the burden of proof in that hearing would be on the government. Usually, in immigration court, you have to prove yourself that you’re not a flight risk or a danger and your good moral character. In this instance, that was flipped.
And at that court hearing, the government continued to try to impede her right to speech in the public access by denying journalists and observers access to that public hearing for two-and-a-half hours. We finally gained access, but it took us two-and-a-half hours of arguing with GEO and ICE officials to get into that hearing.
AMY GOODMAN: And talk about what Jeanette has meant and symbolized. I mean, there was a private Senate bill that was passed in her case that prolonged her ability to be free in this country and seek legalization. It was introduced — right? — by Senator Michael Bennet.
JENNIFER PIPER: Yeah, Jeanette’s been an activist and a human rights advocate for almost 30 years. And even before she founded the Sanctuary Coalition here in Denver and utilized that coalition, she’s been a labor rights and immigrant activist. So, her detention was intentional to try and silence people across the country, not only immigrant leaders, but also citizens. I can’t tell you how many people I heard from that said, you know, “If she can’t win her case with all of her activism and notoriety over all of these years, what is the chance for the rest of us?”
And the fact that she is free now after nine months of weekly vigils, incredible work by Lichter Immigration, the Rocky Mountain Immigrant Advocacy Network and the Sturm College of Law’s Immigration and Policy Clinic — the fact that she is free right now is emboldening people across this country to continue to take up space and to not cede to this administration’s efforts to silence people.
Really, at the end of the day, these corporations, GEO Group, BI, the 10 other contractors, that have been paid millions of dollars by this administration to try and hunt down our neighbors, their goal is social control. And they’ve thrown immense power that they have at their disposal at all of us.
But this also demonstrates the fragility of their hold over everyday people when we stand up together. Our safety comes from our connection, trust and continuing to claim space in the public sphere. It comes from doing new things, things that each of us have never done before, and being connected across all of these struggles. Whether you’re a fisherman in Venezuela or Palestine, whether you’re a person who’s about to lose their affordable care, every single one of us in this moment is under attack. And these billionaires, their goal is control.
AMY GOODMAN: We have to leave it there — I want to thank you for being with us, Jennifer Piper, program director at the American Friends Service Committee Colorado — because we want to end this segment again with the words of Jeanette Vizguerra, who was named one of the 100 most influential people of the year by Time magazine in 2017. She was released from ICE jail on Monday, spent that day with her family. Yesterday, on Tuesday, I had a chance to talk with her. She’s the mother of four, when she was arrested by federal agents in Denver in March. I had asked her to describe her time in detention.
JEANETTE VIZGUERRA–RAMIREZ: I have been jailed, protest for nine months inside the detention. Some parts is strong. Some parts I continue to navigate, say, continue documentate the conditions in detention, continue to take testimonies. I’m trying to maintain my brain occupied for my mental health not broke. Nine months is long time in attention. But I am continue fight, continue fight for the condition, continue fight for help people inside, for supporting and connect for resources my people in detention. But it’s difficult, these nine months. It’s difficult for everybody, not only for me. I don’t care if it’s one day, two days, one more: Whatever time in detention not good.
AMY GOODMAN: You have described yourself as a political prisoner. Can you explain why, why you feel targeted?
JEANETTE VIZGUERRA–RAMIREZ: They attack very bad my community for — have violation my First Amendment. I never — I never quiet at the injustice, not only for the immigrant system, for whatever injustice. My job is the social justice, human rights, civil rights and labor rights and funding immigrant rights here in Colorado. Obviously, I need to spoke in media. I need to spoke in social media, criticize this government. This government go bug me. It’s the same the last time in the administration, 45, but in this time, coming more aggressive, follow me. They arrested me for my freedom of speech.
AMY GOODMAN: Can you describe what it was like inside? Can you tell us about the other people inside, why they were there in the for-profit GEO jail in Aurora, Colorado, where you were held?
JEANETTE VIZGUERRA–RAMIREZ: Everybody need to understand these corporations, GEO processing center and CCI Corporation, as criminal detention, take billions and billions and billions in money for take people in detention. The companies that telephone, the companies that tabulate calls, the companies that commissary, they bury billions money for these people in detention.
All people in detention, all immigrants around the world have rights, need fight, need continue strong. The coward people, only living. But my people, my immigrant people, is a strong people, need continue fight.
AMY GOODMAN: Do you, Jeanette, have to still check in with ICE?
JEANETTE VIZGUERRA–RAMIREZ: Yes, in January, I need go and check in, as this continues same game in my case. I need notification 48 hours before in case I need to travel in other states, as to where, how many days. This is the plan, the game. They continue to game. But, OK, I am follow everything, whatever I need. I no have excuse the other time arrested me. I continue my job, only continue my job. Mostly I continue to try remove these restrictions.
AMY GOODMAN: I see that the judge ruled that you do not have to wear an electronic bracelet, is that right? A shackle on your foot or on your arm.
JEANETTE VIZGUERRA–RAMIREZ: Yeah, this [inaudible], the larger government tried put this restriction. But I don’t need it. I’m not the risk to escape. I’m not — I’m going to stand here with people for the community. I don’t need monitoring my life. I am activist. I need moving. I need go in different states. No need ankle bracelet. This is only used for continue damage to mental health, to continue have control in your life. But I don’t need it. I don’t have ankle bracelet. I don’t have this positive app or telephone. No have these restrictions.
AMY GOODMAN: That was Colorado immigrant rights activist Jeanette Vizguerra-Ramirez, speaking with Democracy Now! on Tuesday from Denver, Colorado. She was freed Monday from ICE detention after nine months on Monday. A federal judge — a judge had ruled, Judge Nina Wang, that her detention was unconstitutional.
Up next, an update on the growing calls to release Palestinian activist Leqaa Kordia, joined Gaza solidarity protests at Columbia and has been detained in an ICE jail in Texas for nearly 10 months. Stay with us.
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AMY GOODMAN: Montreal musician Paul Cargnello.
