Federal Judge Blocks ICE Removal of Trans Asylum Seeker in Washington Detention Facility

A federal judge in Oregon has issued an emergency order halting the removal of a 24-year-old transgender Mexican asylum seeker, identified as "O-J-M" in court documents, from the Northwest ICE Processing Center in Tacoma, Washington. The judicial intervention on Tuesday comes after O-J-M was arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents outside a Portland courtroom on Monday and subsequently transferred to the Washington facility.

U.S. District Court Judge Amy Baggio, appointed by President Joe Biden, demanded that ICE disclose the precise date and time of O-J-M’s transfer from Portland to Tacoma, as well as provide an explanation for the urgency of her removal. The order follows urgent filings by O-J-M’s legal team, who argued that their client’s whereabouts were unknown and raised concerns about the lawfulness of her detention through a habeas petition.

According to statements by her attorneys, O-J-M had fled Mexico due to extreme violence and threats to her life because of her gender identity and sexual orientation. The habeas petition details that O-J-M was abducted and raped in her home country, and sought asylum in the United States in September 2023, fearing further targeted threats. “They threatened to kill her because O-J-M is a transgender woman,” her attorneys stated in court filings, underscoring the grave risks she faces if returned to Mexico.

The attempt to deport O-J-M has drawn sharp criticism from immigrant rights advocates and legal professionals. Jordan Cunnings, an attorney with Innovation Law Lab who represents O-J-M, described the arrest as a "dangerous attempt by ICE to circumvent due process, speed up deportations, and eviscerate the right to asylum." Cunnings emphasized that such actions directly contradict the values claimed by Oregon communities, which seek to welcome and include all individuals.

Portland Mayor Keith Wilson also weighed in on the situation, reiterating the city’s firm commitment to sanctuary policies, but added that the city would not obstruct lawful federal enforcement activities. Nevertheless, the incident has reignited debate over local and federal jurisdiction in immigration enforcement, especially given Oregon's sanctuary laws and the absence of permanent immigration detention centers in the state. Migrants detained in Oregon are typically processed at the Tacoma facility following short-term holding in Portland.

O-J-M's journey through the U.S. immigration system began when she sought asylum at a California port of entry, leading to her initial detention and subsequent release. Since then, she has regularly attended ICE check-ins and formally filed her asylum claim earlier this year. However, after ICE attorneys moved to dismiss her case during her Monday court hearing—removing key legal protections—agents apprehended her immediately afterward. Her legal representatives maintain that O-J-M has committed no crimes while residing in the United States and that her ongoing removal proceedings raise serious concerns about the protection of vulnerable asylum seekers within the current system.