Immigration rights advocate Jeanette Vizguerra, known for her years-long sanctuary in a Denver church and for creating a network of such safe havens, was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) outside her workplace, a Target store. This was confirmed by Vizguerra's daughter, who reported that her mother is being held at the ICE facility on Oakland Street in Aurora, 9NEWS reported. Communications with Vizguerra broke off on Monday afternoon, according to her family.

The advocacy efforts and plight of Vizguerra have rallied her family and community to her defense, sparking a GoFundMe to support her. "My mom has fought relentlessly for her community and it is time for all of us to now come together and show all the support for her like she has done to us," Vizguerra's daughter stated on the fundraising platform, as noted by The Colorado Sun. Vizguerra first came under threat of deportation in 2009 following a traffic stop in Arapahoe County. After leaving the U.S. to visit her dying mother in Mexico, she returned in 2013 but was again subject to deportation action.

An encounter with law enforcement resulted in Vizguerra's detainment after she was found in possession of a fake Social Security number. "She was charged with misdemeanor identity theft and criminal possession of a forged instrument, later pleading guilty to one misdemeanor count," The Denver Post reported. Following a 21-day jail sentence, Vizguerra confronted removal proceedings, which she challenged by filing a lawsuit against ICE to block her deportation.

Vizguerra has been a vocal advocate for the rights of immigrants, a stance that may have influenced the denial of her US visa application in 2019, a visa that would allow undocumented immigrants to reside legally in the U.S. According to Vizguerra's account to The Denver Post, the denial cited various factors, including her criminal history, her public activism, a period spent in Mexico, and an expired passport during her time in the sanctuary.