A federal judge in Oregon has blocked ICE from deporting a Mexican transgender migrant who claims persecution in her home country. The legal standoff raises new questions about sanctuary policies, immigration law, and the growing power of activist judges.
Key Facts:
- U.S. District Judge Amy Baggio issued an order stopping ICE from deporting a 24-year-old transgender woman identified as “O-J-M.”
- O-J-M was arrested by ICE outside a Portland courtroom and transferred to a Tacoma, Washington detention facility.
- The migrant seeks asylum, citing abduction and rape in Mexico due to gender identity and sexual orientation.
- Her attorneys claim ICE moved to dismiss her asylum case and deport her without proper legal access or notice.
- Oregon sanctuary laws prevent long-term ICE detention facilities within the state.
The Rest of The Story:
The migrant, referred to in court documents as O-J-M, reportedly sought asylum at a U.S. port of entry in California in September 2023.
After her release from initial custody, she complied with ICE check-ins and officially filed for asylum in February.
However, in April, deportation proceedings began.
On Monday, during a court hearing related to her asylum case, ICE attorneys moved to dismiss her case entirely.
Following the hearing, ICE agents arrested her outside the courthouse and transferred her to a facility in Tacoma, Washington.
Her lawyers claim they were not notified of her location and had no access to their client.
In response, Judge Amy Baggio ordered ICE to halt any removal and demanded details on the timing and rationale for the transfer.
Local officials and advocacy groups in Oregon, a self-declared sanctuary state, quickly rallied to criticize ICE’s actions.
Commentary:
This case is another example of a federal judge inserting personal ideology into immigration enforcement.
Judge Baggio, a Biden appointee, stepped in to block ICE agents from doing their job—despite the fact that the migrant had entered the country illegally and was already in removal proceedings.
The underlying issue here is not about compassion but about upholding the rule of law.
America has clear immigration laws, and those laws exist to protect both our sovereignty and national security.
Once again, activist judges are using their power to weaken those protections under the guise of humanitarian concern.
What’s especially troubling is the fact that this migrant is claiming asylum based on gender dysphoria—an issue tied more to psychological status than legitimate political persecution.
It is not the job of the United States to become a refuge for every individual worldwide with a mental or emotional condition.
The American asylum system is designed for those fleeing state-based persecution, not for rewriting global social policy.
Moreover, the migrant’s lawyers assert she “committed no crime” while in the U.S., ignoring the reality that unlawful entry is itself a violation.
She is not a U.S. citizen.
She does not have the same legal standing as Americans.
Her case being dismissed does not mean her rights were erased—it means she exhausted her legal channels.
ICE acted within its authority to remove someone with no legal basis to stay.
Sanctuary policies in Oregon may block detention centers, but they should not be allowed to interfere with federal immigration law.
The judge’s decision sends a message: follow the rules, and you may still be overruled by a courtroom sympathetic to political agendas.
The Bottom Line:
A federal judge’s decision to block ICE from deporting an illegal migrant undermines the federal government’s authority to enforce immigration laws.
The case highlights how sanctuary jurisdictions and sympathetic courts increasingly obstruct national immigration policy.
The rule of law must take precedence over political activism dressed as justice.
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