{"id":195653,"date":"2025-09-15T05:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-09-15T10:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.texastribune.org\/2025\/09\/15\/texas-immigration-activist-daca-detention-el-paso-xochitl-santiago\/"},"modified":"2025-09-15T05:00:00","modified_gmt":"2025-09-15T10:00:00","slug":"texas-immigration-activist-daca-detention-el-paso-xochitl-santiago","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.texastribune.org\/2025\/09\/15\/texas-immigration-activist-daca-detention-el-paso-xochitl-santiago\/","title":{"rendered":"ICE seeks to deport DACA recipient after arrest at El Paso airport"},"content":{"rendered":"<em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.texastribune.org\/newsletters\/the-brief\/?utm_medium=website&amp;utm_source=trib-ads-owned&amp;utm_campaign=trib-marketing&amp;utm_term=inline-CTA-brief\">Sign up for The Brief<\/a>, The Texas Tribune\u2019s daily newsletter that keeps readers up to speed on the most essential Texas news.<\/em>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-wide\"\/><p>EL PASO \u2014 In early August, Catalina \u201cXochitl\u201d Santiago had arrived at the local airport to catch a flight to Austin. But after passing through the security checkpoint, two Border Patrol agents approached Santiago, a 28-year-old immigrant from Mexico, asked for her identification and questioned how she obtained a work authorization card.<\/p><p>Santiago, who came to the U.S. at 8 and is legally in the U.S. through the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, or DACA, insisted on having a lawyer present, according to a cell phone video she recorded that was later publicly released.<\/p><p>The agents told her to follow them to a room and turn off her phone.<\/p><p>Since that Aug. 3 airport confrontation, Santiago has been held in a detention center as U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement works to deport her. Since her arrest, there have been demonstrations in Phoenix, El Paso, Chicago and Boston \u2014 places where she has worked with immigrant rights organizations \u2014 demanding that ICE release her.<\/p><p>An immigration judge ruled last week that Santiago can\u2019t be deported because she has permission to live in the U.S. through DACA, an Obama administration program that has given many undocumented immigrants who came to the U.S. as children work permits and temporary protection from deportation.<\/p><p>\u201cThis decision is a victory, but the fight is not over until Xochitl is free,\u201d said Desiree Miller, Santiago\u2019s spouse. \u201cOur family and community have suffered every single day since she was taken. Now that the judge threw out her case, she should not spend another night in detention. We need her home now.\u201d<\/p><figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full alignwide\"><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.texastribune.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/2025100920DACA20DETENTION20PR2015-scaled.jpg?quality=89&#038;ssl=1\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" data-attachment-id=\"195656\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.texastribune.org\/2025\/09\/15\/texas-immigration-activist-daca-detention-el-paso-xochitl-santiago\/2025100920daca20detention20pr2015\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.texastribune.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/2025100920DACA20DETENTION20PR2015-scaled.jpg?fit=2560%2C1707&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"2560,1707\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;6.3&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;Paul Ratje for The Texas Tribune&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;ILCE-7RM5&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;A sign for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security stands outside of the El Paso Service Processing Center, the immigration detention center where Catalina \\u201cXochiltl\\u201d Santiago, a DACA recipient who was detained by immigration agents at El Paso International Airport in August, is being held in El Paso, Texas on Wednesday, September 10, 2025.&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1757542789&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;\\u00a9Paul Ratje&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;88&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;100&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.00125&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"2025100920DACA20DETENTION20PR2015\" data-image-description=\"&lt;p&gt;A sign for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security stands outside of the El Paso Service Processing Center, the immigration detention center where Catalina \u201cXochiltl\u201d Santiago, a DACA recipient who was detained by immigration agents at El Paso International Airport in August, is being held in El Paso on Wednesday, Sept. 10, 2025.&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;The El Paso Service Processing Center, the immigration detention center where Catalina \u201cXochiltl\u201d Santiago is being held.&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.texastribune.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/2025100920DACA20DETENTION20PR2015-scaled.jpg?fit=300%2C200&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.texastribune.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/2025100920DACA20DETENTION20PR2015-scaled.jpg?fit=1024%2C683&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.texastribune.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/2025100920DACA20DETENTION20PR2015-scaled.jpg?resize=2560%2C1707&#038;quality=89&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"The El Paso Service Processing Center, the immigration detention center where Catalina \u201cXochiltl\u201d Santiago is being held.\" class=\"wp-image-195656\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.texastribune.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/2025100920DACA20DETENTION20PR2015-scaled.jpg?w=2560&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 2560w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.texastribune.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/2025100920DACA20DETENTION20PR2015-scaled.jpg?resize=300%2C200&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.texastribune.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/2025100920DACA20DETENTION20PR2015-scaled.jpg?resize=1024%2C683&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.texastribune.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/2025100920DACA20DETENTION20PR2015-scaled.jpg?resize=768%2C512&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.texastribune.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/2025100920DACA20DETENTION20PR2015-scaled.jpg?resize=1536%2C1024&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.texastribune.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/2025100920DACA20DETENTION20PR2015-scaled.jpg?resize=2048%2C1365&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 2048w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.texastribune.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/2025100920DACA20DETENTION20PR2015-scaled.jpg?resize=1200%2C800&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.texastribune.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/2025100920DACA20DETENTION20PR2015-scaled.jpg?resize=2000%2C1333&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 2000w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.texastribune.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/2025100920DACA20DETENTION20PR2015-scaled.jpg?resize=780%2C520&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 780w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.texastribune.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/2025100920DACA20DETENTION20PR2015-scaled.jpg?resize=800%2C533&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 800w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.texastribune.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/2025100920DACA20DETENTION20PR2015-scaled.jpg?resize=400%2C267&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 400w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.texastribune.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/2025100920DACA20DETENTION20PR2015-scaled.jpg?w=370&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 370w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The El Paso Service Processing Center, the immigration detention center where Catalina \u201cXochiltl\u201d Santiago is being held. <span class=\"image-credit\">Paul Ratje for The Texas Tribune<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure><p>Still, ICE lawyers said they would appeal the judge\u2019s ruling and will keep her in an ICE detention center in El Paso, according to Norma Islas, Santiago\u2019s immigration lawyer.<\/p><p>It\u2019s unclear why Border Patrol agents approached Santiago, but under federal law, immigration agents have the right to question and search people without a warrant within 100 miles of an international border.<\/p><p>\u201cThe victories that we have gotten thus far are important but they\u2019re just the beginning of the fight,\u201d Islas said during a demonstration Wednesday afternoon in front of the El Paso detention facility, where about 30 people waved signs calling for Santiago\u2019s release. \u201cIf we\u2019re successful on the merits of this case, it can help other (DACA recipients) from being detained.<\/p><p>Santiago was born in Oaxaca, Mexico, and is Zapotec, an Indigenous group. Her parents brought her and her brother to Florida, where her parents worked as migrant farmer workers. The children learned Spanish and English when they attended school.<\/p><div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"size-large aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.texastribune.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Catalina20Xochitl20Santiago20courtesy2002.jpg?quality=89&#038;ssl=1\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"720\" height=\"405\" data-attachment-id=\"195657\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.texastribune.org\/2025\/09\/15\/texas-immigration-activist-daca-detention-el-paso-xochitl-santiago\/catalina20xochitl20santiago20courtesy2002\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.texastribune.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Catalina20Xochitl20Santiago20courtesy2002.jpg?fit=720%2C405&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"720,405\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Catalina20Xochitl20Santiago20courtesy2002\" data-image-description=\"&lt;p&gt;Catalina Xo\u0301chitl Santiago.&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Catalina &amp;#8220;Xo\u0301chitl&amp;#8221; Santiago.&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.texastribune.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Catalina20Xochitl20Santiago20courtesy2002.jpg?fit=300%2C169&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.texastribune.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Catalina20Xochitl20Santiago20courtesy2002.jpg?fit=720%2C405&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.texastribune.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Catalina20Xochitl20Santiago20courtesy2002.jpg?resize=720%2C405&#038;quality=89&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Catalina \"Xo\u0301chitl\" Santiago.\" class=\"wp-image-195657\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.texastribune.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Catalina20Xochitl20Santiago20courtesy2002.jpg?w=720&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 720w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.texastribune.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Catalina20Xochitl20Santiago20courtesy2002.jpg?resize=300%2C169&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.texastribune.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Catalina20Xochitl20Santiago20courtesy2002.jpg?resize=400%2C225&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 400w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.texastribune.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Catalina20Xochitl20Santiago20courtesy2002.jpg?w=370&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 370w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Catalina &#8220;Xo\u0301chitl&#8221; Santiago. <span class=\"image-credit\">Courtesy of Desiree Miller<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div><p>In 2012, Santiago applied and received DACA and has renewed her two-year work permit six times.<\/p><p>She became an immigrant rights advocate, first in Florida then Boston before moving to El Paso nearly six years ago. She also worked taking care of a small community farm, where she met Miller.<\/p><p>For years, DACA recipients felt relatively safe from deportation. It was meant as temporary protection from deportation for young immigrants without a criminal record until Congress could approve legislation that would create a permanent solution. Thirteen years after its creation, Congress has not approved such legislation and the Trump administration has prioritized cracking down on undocumented immigrants this year.<\/p><p>The administration has said it is targeting the \u201cworst of the worst\u201d undocumented immigrants, highlighting the arrest of those convicted of rape, pedophila or other violent crimes. But government data shows that the vast majority of the more than 70,000 immigrants detained as of August don\u2019t have a criminal record, according to the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse, <a href=\"https:\/\/tracreports.org\/immigration\/quickfacts\/\">a nonprofit that collects and analyzes federal government data.<\/a><\/p><p>The Trump administration has also tried to dismantle DACA, which it has called illegal. So far, federal courts have kept the program in place for current DACA enrollees.<\/p><p>Still, U.S. Department of Homeland Security press secretary Tricia McLaughlin said people who \u201cclaim to be recipients of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals are not automatically protected from deportations.\u201d She also described Santiago as a \u201ccriminal illegal alien\u201d who was arrested in Arizona on suspicion of trespassing, possession of narcotics and drug paraphernalia in 2020. In the same statement, McLaughlin encouraged <a href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2025\/07\/29\/nx-s1-5482923\/dhs-daca-recipients-self-deport\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">DACA recipients to self-deport.<\/a><\/p><p>But Graham County Attorney L. Scott Bennett, the<strong> <\/strong>Arizona prosecutor whose office reviewed the case in 2021, said his office didn\u2019t prosecute Santiago because of <a href=\"https:\/\/katv.com\/news\/nation-world\/authorities-clarify-no-charges-filed-against-el-paso-daca-recipient-detained-by-ice?fbclid=IwY2xjawMwJdlleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETFqSVNqNHBvSkpYNml2RHgyAR5eaVd3gwqxlf7qBcKVhDy6d8LS-AA8y8YmlTXkvR7OfA0RFzSqxBmwFKDzRg_aem_7I3EsMl5c337fDGISOwXdw\">\u201cinsufficient information.\u201d<\/a><\/p><p>Now, Santiago\u2019s legal team has asked a different federal judge to order ICE to release Santiago from custody. A court hearing is scheduled for Sept. 23 before U.S. District Judge Kathleen Cardone in El Paso. Cardone also ordered the Trump administration not to transfer Santiago out of El Paso.<\/p><p>\u201cConstitutional protections generally apply to all people within the jurisdiction of the United States regardless of immigration or citizenship status,\u201d Cardone wrote in her order.<\/p><p>\u201cSimply put, if Santiago is removed from the country, she may never be able to return,\u201d<a href=\"https:\/\/ecf.txwd.uscourts.gov\/doc1\/181134932422\"> Cardone wrote<\/a>, adding that if the Trump administration has evidence that can justify her deportation, it can present them in a hearing.<\/p><p>Santiago\u2019s brother, Jos\u00e9, said that because his sister is involved in the immigrant rights movement, she knew what to expect in an immigrant detention center and knew that it could be a long fight to get released.<\/p><p>\u201cShe&#8217;s very aware of what the situation she&#8217;s in, knows what she wants to do,\u201d he said.<\/p><figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full alignwide\"><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.texastribune.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/2025100920DACA20DETENTION20PR2012-scaled.jpg?quality=89&#038;ssl=1\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" data-attachment-id=\"195658\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.texastribune.org\/2025\/09\/15\/texas-immigration-activist-daca-detention-el-paso-xochitl-santiago\/2025100920daca20detention20pr2012\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.texastribune.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/2025100920DACA20DETENTION20PR2012-scaled.jpg?fit=2560%2C1707&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"2560,1707\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;8&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;Paul Ratje for The Texas Tribune&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;ILCE-7RM3&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;Protesters hold signs up during a rally for the release of Catalina \\u201cXochitl\\u201d Santiago, a DACA recipient who was detained by immigration agents at El Paso International Airport in August, outside of the El Paso Service Processing Center, an immigration detention center in El Paso, Texas on Wednesday, September 10, 2025.&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1757549682&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;\\u00a9Paul Ratje&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;38&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;200&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.003125&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"2025100920DACA20DETENTION20PR2012\" data-image-description=\"&lt;p&gt;Protesters hold signs up during a rally for the release of Catalina \u201cXochitl\u201d Santiago, a DACA recipient who was detained by immigration agents at El Paso International Airport in August, outside of the El Paso Service Processing Center, an immigration detention center in El Paso on Wednesday, Sept. 10, 2025.&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Protesters rally outside of the El Paso detention center for the release of Catalina \u201cXochitl\u201d Santiago.&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.texastribune.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/2025100920DACA20DETENTION20PR2012-scaled.jpg?fit=300%2C200&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.texastribune.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/2025100920DACA20DETENTION20PR2012-scaled.jpg?fit=1024%2C683&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.texastribune.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/2025100920DACA20DETENTION20PR2012-scaled.jpg?resize=2560%2C1707&#038;quality=89&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Protesters rally outside of the El Paso detention center for the release of Catalina \u201cXochitl\u201d Santiago.\" class=\"wp-image-195658\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.texastribune.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/2025100920DACA20DETENTION20PR2012-scaled.jpg?w=2560&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 2560w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.texastribune.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/2025100920DACA20DETENTION20PR2012-scaled.jpg?resize=300%2C200&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.texastribune.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/2025100920DACA20DETENTION20PR2012-scaled.jpg?resize=1024%2C683&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.texastribune.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/2025100920DACA20DETENTION20PR2012-scaled.jpg?resize=768%2C512&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.texastribune.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/2025100920DACA20DETENTION20PR2012-scaled.jpg?resize=1536%2C1024&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.texastribune.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/2025100920DACA20DETENTION20PR2012-scaled.jpg?resize=2048%2C1365&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 2048w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.texastribune.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/2025100920DACA20DETENTION20PR2012-scaled.jpg?resize=1200%2C800&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.texastribune.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/2025100920DACA20DETENTION20PR2012-scaled.jpg?resize=2000%2C1333&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 2000w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.texastribune.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/2025100920DACA20DETENTION20PR2012-scaled.jpg?resize=780%2C520&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 780w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.texastribune.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/2025100920DACA20DETENTION20PR2012-scaled.jpg?resize=800%2C533&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 800w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.texastribune.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/2025100920DACA20DETENTION20PR2012-scaled.jpg?resize=400%2C267&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 400w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.texastribune.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/2025100920DACA20DETENTION20PR2012-scaled.jpg?w=370&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 370w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Protesters rally outside of the El Paso detention center for the release of Catalina \u201cXochitl\u201d Santiago. <span class=\"image-credit\">Paul Ratje for The Texas Tribune<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure><p>Miller, who talks to Santiago by phone every morning, said it\u2019s been difficult having her wife detained.<\/p><p>\u201cThere&#8217;s no reason for them to keep holding her in there. There was no reason for them to detain her in the first place.\u201d<\/p><hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-wide\"\/><p>Three featured TribFest speakers confirmed! You don\u2019t want to miss \u200b\u200b<strong>Deb Haaland<\/strong>, former U.S. Secretary of the Interior and 2026 Democratic candidate for New Mexico governor; state Sen. <strong>Joan Huffman<\/strong>, R-Houston and 2026 Republican candidate for Texas Attorney General; and <strong>Jake Tapper<\/strong>, anchor of CNN\u2019s \u201cThe Lead\u201d and \u201cState of the Union\u201d at the 15th annual Texas Tribune Festival, Nov. 13\u201315 in downtown Austin. <a href=\"https:\/\/trib.it\/tribfest2025-site-footer-TA5\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Get your tickets today!<\/a><\/p><p><em>TribFest 2025 is presented by JPMorganChase.<\/em><\/p><p> <\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>An immigration judge ruled ICE can\u2019t deport Catalina \u201cXochitl\u201d Santiago, who has permission to be in the country, unless the agency can provide evidence that her legal status was revoked.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":155,"featured_media":195655,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"single-feature.php","format":"standard","meta":{"everlit_article_id":"","everlit_hide_embed":false,"everlit_embed_size":"","everlit_generation_settings":[],"_everlit_article_id":"","_everlit_hide_embed":false,"_everlit_embed_size":"","_everlit_generation_settings":[],"_everlit_content_hash":"","_everlit_metadata_hash":"","newspack_ads_suppress_ads":false,"newspack_popups_has_disabled_popups":false,"newspack_sponsor_sponsorship_scope":"","newspack_sponsor_native_byline_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_native_category_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_style":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_placement":"inherit","apple_news_api_created_at":"","apple_news_api_id":"","apple_news_api_modified_at":"","apple_news_api_revision":"","apple_news_api_share_url":"","apple_news_cover_media_provider":"image","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_cover_video_id":0,"apple_news_cover_video_url":"","apple_news_cover_embedwebvideo_url":"","apple_news_is_hidden":"","apple_news_is_paid":"","apple_news_is_preview":"","apple_news_is_sponsored":"","apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_metadata":"\"\"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"","apple_news_slug":"","apple_news_sections":[],"apple_news_suppress_video_url":false,"apple_news_use_image_component":false,"_newspack_byline_active":true,"_newspack_byline":"By [Author id=155]Uriel J. 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