Jeanette Vizguerra became a symbol of resistance for the immigrant rights movement in 2017, when she was recognized as one of Time’s 100 most influential people of the year, after seeking sanctuary in a church to avoid deportation.
But in March 2025, just two months into the second Trump administration, she was detained by ICE officials while taking a break in the parking lot of the local Target where she worked. She was taken to a detention center where she is currently being held.
In this episode of Latino USA, we get exclusive access inside the privately-run immigration detention facility in Colorado. Maria Hinojosa sits down with Jeanette for her first in-person interview since her detention.
“I am a political prisoner,” Jeanette told us.
Plus, in the podcast episode, we speak to others who sought safety in churches under the first Trump administration but who, unlike Jeanette, want to be as invisible as possible fearing retaliation. Now that protections for churches against ICE have been stripped away, how are communities protecting themselves today?
Watch our video interview here:
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This episode was produced by Ariel Goodman and edited by our managing editor Fernanda Echavarri. It was mixed by Stephanie Lebow and JJ Querubin. Fact checking by Roxana Aguirre. Voice acting by Mónica Herrera. Special thanks for videographer Cesar Valadez. Additional video production assistance by Roxana Aguirre.
Illustration by Alex Charner.
The audio for this story has been re-uploaded to reflect a correction. While updating the segment to include a breaking development, Latino USA mistakenly added “Jr.” to the name of the prestigious Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Award. The error has since been corrected.
