Venezuelan asylum seeker detained 11 months over disputed app check-in violations
Mar 18, 2026 · Tukwila, WA, Venezuela
DetainmentRefugee/Asylum SeekerDetention ConditionsInjury/IllnessCourt Order ViolationLitigationICE/USCIS OfficeSurveillance/TechnologyWashington

Wilfredo Castillo, a Venezuelan who fled political persecution and violence, was arrested at an immigration check-in appointment in Tukwila in March 2025 after being told by ICE he would be detained. ICE claimed he missed nine SmartLink app check-ins, but Castillo says the app malfunctioned and he never missed in-person appointments. He spent 11 months at the Northwest Detention Center in Tacoma, where he was stabbed multiple times by another detainee. A federal judge released him after finding the government lacked justification for his prolonged detention.
Sources
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