A Colorado illegal immigrant who had fought her removal from the United States since 2009 was arrested Monday in Denver.
Jeanette Vizguerra, 53, was arrested during a break from her job at a Target store near Denver, Jordan Garcia, who supports rights for illegal immigrants, said, according to The New York Times, which dubbed her “a symbol of immigrant resistance” to President Donald Trump.
Vizguerra told family members that during her arrest, one agent said, “We finally got you.”
Vizguerra became a high-profile illegal immigrant in 2017 when she took her three youngest children to live in a church, claiming sanctuary from deportation there. In 2021, the Biden administration granted her a one-year stay from deportation.
In a post on X, Immigration and Customs Enforcement said she would stay in ICE custody until she was deported.
Jeanette Vizguerra-Ramirez, 53, was arrested by ICE Denver March 17 without incident. Vizguerra, an illegal alien from Mexico, has convictions for possession of forged documents and illegal entry. She will remain in ICE custody until her removal from the United States. pic.twitter.com/0wdYnuQC1r
— ICE Denver (@ERODenver) March 19, 2025
Vizguerra, 53, first entered the United States illegally in 1997, according to