[REVISION HISTORY]
ICE detention & bond release of Ecuadorian au pair
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What changed
2026-07-26 23:35 UTC → 2026-07-29 23:50 UTC ·
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removed
ICE detention & bond release of Ecuadorian au pair in Colorado
In late July 2026, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) seized 27‑year‑old Ecuadorian citizen Chantal Morales Rojas, an au pair residing living in Oakland, while she was boarding a Southwest flight at Denver International Airport. Video of the arrest was widely shared spread on social media, prompting a GoFundMe campaign for her legal costs. Initial reports noted said she had entered the United States on a J‑1 visa in 2023 and allegedly overstayed, leading to triggering removal proceedings and detention at a Colorado ICE facility. Days later, further details emerged: her Her attorney argued she had complied with visa requirements and requirements, filed a timely extension request, while filing and pursued a habeas petition to secure her release. The case was highlighted alongside amid a reported rise in ICE arrests, with agency data showing roughly 43,000 detentions in June. On July 28, federal immigration judge Bobbie Masters ordered Rojas’s release on a $3,000 bond. Rojas, now working as a software engineer, was held at the GEO Detention Facility in Aurora, Colorado, a center previously scrutinized for a possible tuberculosis outbreak. Her lawyer, Laura Lichter, described the episode as an example of the administration’s increasingly aggressive use of detention, calling it “weaponizing detentions.” The bond hearing was observed by friends and underscored the ongoing habeas‑corpus challenge to the legality of her arrest and detention.
Versions
- 2026-07-29 23:50 UTC ICE detention & bond release of Ecuadorian au pair
- 2026-07-26 23:35 UTC ICE detention of Ecuadorian au pair in Colorado
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