ICE detains Oakland resident Chantal Morales Rojas at Denver airport

ICE agents arrested Chantal Alejandra Morales Rojas, a 27‑year‑old Oakland resident, while she was boarding a Southwest flight from Denver International Airport to Oakland. The Department of Homeland Security said she had entered the United States from Ecuador on a J‑1 visa in 2023 and overstayed that visa, making her subject to removal proceedings. She was taken to the Aurora ICE detention center, which has faced safety concerns and a tuberculosis outbreak.

The detention was recorded on video and quickly spread on social media. Southwest Airlines noted that TSA provides passenger information to law‑enforcement agencies and that the airline supplied guidance to its staff on handling such interactions. Friends and family launched a GoFundMe campaign to cover her legal fees, noting she works as a software engineer for a nonprofit and previously served as an au pair.

Authorities did not disclose the specific facility where she is being held, and her attorney did not respond to requests for comment.