Filipino DACA activist wins right to challenge ICE detention after months jailed
Sep 2, 2026·Location: TX
Country of origin: Philippines
DACADetainmentRetaliation/IntimidationJournalistPalestine AdvocateHabeas PetitionResistanceProtesterWork AuthorizationHome/ResidenceAsian/Pacific Islander

Ya'akub Vijandre, a DACA recipient, Filipino activist, and photojournalist, was arrested at gunpoint at his home in Texas last October by federal immigration agents and has since been held at the Folkston ICE Processing Center in Georgia. His lawyers say he was targeted because of his photojournalism and social media posts critical of the Israeli genocide in Palestine and the U.S. government's treatment of prisoners held under the war on terror. A federal judge denied the Trump administration's attempt to block him from seeking release from ICE custody.
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