Rep. Diana DeGette has introduced a private bill aimed at granting Jeanette Vizguerra, a well-known Colorado immigrant rights activist detained earlier this year, lawful permanent residency in the U.S. if it clears Congress.
At a news conference outside the ICE facility in Aurora, DeGette said, “I have filed in Congress a bill – a private bill – to release Jeanette and to let her stay in this country while her immigration case proceeds.”
The Colorado Democratic delegation called their recent visit to the GEO ICE facility “deeply concerning” due to the lack of transparency from federal officials. DeGette emphasized, “It’s a constitutional duty of Congress to do oversight of facilities like this… but also, the people who were there conducting the visit had little knowledge to tell us when we asked questions.”
During the visit, DeGette spoke with Vizguerra, who expressed her determination, saying she “is not going to stop fighting for immigrants’ rights.”
Vizguerra was detained in March and has fought deportation since 2009. Federal officials stated she violated the law after her second stay of deportation expired in February 2024.
A private bill targets an individual rather than the general public and can provide relief when other legal options are exhausted. DeGette’s bill, HR-4778, would make Vizguerra eligible for lawful residency upon filing an immigrant visa application. However, it would not grant lawful status to any of her relatives born outside the U.S.
While the bill could become law, it faces significant hurdles. It must first go before the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration Integrity, Security, and Enforcement, which rarely acts on private bills without strong precedent. If it advances, it must be scheduled for a House floor vote, where objections can send it back for further review or inclusion in an omnibus private bill—though such omnibus bills have not been considered in decades.
Even if it passes the House, the bill would face an uphill battle in the Senate, currently controlled by Republicans.
Meanwhile, Vizguerra continues to fight her deportation in Colorado’s U.S. District Court.
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Katie is a senior who has been on staff for three years. Her favorite type of stories to write is reviews and features. Katie’s favorite ice cream flavor is strawberry.
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