{"id":82942,"date":"2026-07-29T20:17:55","date_gmt":"2026-07-30T03:17:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/?p=82942"},"modified":"2026-07-29T20:17:55","modified_gmt":"2026-07-30T03:17:55","slug":"judge-orders-bond-release-for-ecuadorian-woman-detained-at-denver-international","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/?p=82942","title":{"rendered":"Judge Orders Bond Release for Ecuadorian Woman Detained at Denver International"},"content":{"rendered":"
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By<\/span>Laura Larkins<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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DENVER<\/strong> \u2013 A federal immigration judge on Tuesday ordered a bond release for Chantal Morales Rojas, the 27-year-old Ecuadorian woman\u00a0arrested and detained the week prior by ICE<\/a>\u00a0at Denver International Airport.<\/p>\n

The case is drawing national attention as an example of the administration\u2019s increasingly aggressive efforts to deny detained immigrants their due process rights.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis administration is doubling down on weaponizing detentions,\u201d said Rojas\u2019 attorney, Laura Lichter, shortly after the July 28 bond hearing during which Judge Bobbie Masters agreed to release Rojas pending processing of a $3000 bond.<\/p>\n

Rojas, a former au pair and current software engineer living in Oakland, California was returning home after traveling to Denver for an ultimate Frisbee tournament. She had been held at the GEO Detention Facility in Aurora, Colorado since her detention. The site has come under scrutiny amid fears of a\u00a0potential tuberculosis outbreak<\/a>.<\/p>\n

At approximately 1:00 pm, observers filed into the small courtroom where Tuesday\u2019s hearing was held. Rojas\u2019 face registered a small flash of relief when she saw her friends take their seats behind her. Wearing facility-issued khakis, a navy polo, and a weary expression, the week in detention appeared to have taken a toll.<\/p>\n

The hearing marked the latest step in a habeas case filed by Lichter, who said in a press release the case is not about whether Rojas can legally remain in the country, but rather the \u201cgovernment\u2019s decision to arrest and jail her without a proper arrest warrant and without an individualized determination that detention was actually necessary.\u201d<\/p>\n

Habeas Corpus has been a cornerstone of U.S. law and democracy since the country\u2019s founding. Habeas cases address whether an arrest occurred lawfully. Immigration lawyers have\u00a0increasingly turned to habeas<\/a>\u00a0to free clients being held in immigrant detention.<\/p>\n

Two key components that must be assessed during legal proceedings involving habeas corpus are the threat of danger and documented flight risk. Data show an overwhelming majority (70%) of the approximately 65,000 people now in immigrant detention\u00a0have no criminal record<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Hours before Rojas\u2019 hearing, DHS successfully\u00a0appealed a bond order<\/a>\u00a0in a separate case from 2025. In the ruling, the judge wrote, \u201cThe fact that an alien has filed, or intends to file, an application for relief from removal does not meaningfully indicate that the alien will comply with a future order of removal\u201d and that \u201cspeculative future eligibility for relief \u2026 does not materially diminish flight risk.\u201d<\/p>\n

For Lichter, the decision suggests that following the rules is no longer seen as an indication that someone will continue to follow the rules, an assertion the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is using to deny or overturn bond orders for release.<\/p>\n

An\u00a0amicus brief<\/a>\u00a0in an unrelated case filed by several high-profile national immigrant advocacy organizations, including The American Immigration Council and The American Immigration Lawyers Association, warn that such a precedent could \u201cmoot a noncitizen\u2019s habeas petition by fast-tracking their removal before a court could hear their claims\u2014or even after a court hears their claims.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is yet another precedent decision that makes it almost impossible for people to establish the ability to be released from detention,\u201d said Lichter.<\/p>\n

Historically, individuals like Rojas who have complied with all the requirements of the immigration process have not been considered a flight risk. Complying with all paperwork and applications has been a way to display transparency and cooperation with government requests.<\/p>\n

Shortly after Tuesday\u2019s hearing began, DHS lawyers acknowledged, \u201cWe are not in a position to argue danger,\u201d adding, \u201cwe are just going to argue flight.\u201d<\/p>\n

When Judge Masters asked what amount DHS would suggest for bond, the response was, \u201cYour Honor, we aren\u2019t allowed to say that. Our position is no amount of bond.\u201d The DHS attorney then suggested perceived flight risk stems from Rojas\u2019 \u201cminimal income\u201d and \u201cshort amount of time in the US.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rojas legally entered the US in 2023 on a J-1 visa, issued to foreign nationals participating in approved work-study programs. Her visa expired January 4, 2025, according to DHS.<\/p>\n

Lichter says before the exchange program ended, Rojas filed an application with immigration authorities to remain in the country. Her application was pending at the time of her arrest,\u00a0video<\/a>\u00a0of which quickly went viral on social media.<\/p>\n

The encounter has raised concerns over immigration agents increasingly collaborating with the Transportation Safety Administration (TSA) in\u00a0targeting airline travelers<\/a>\u00a0at local airports.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis case is bigger than immigration policy,\u201d said Lichter, noting Rojas\u2019 removal proceedings will continue. \u201cIt\u2019s about whether the government can take away a person\u2019s liberty first and ask questions later. Habeas corpus exists to make sure that doesn\u2019t happen.\u201d<\/p>\n

Laura Larkins is a graduate student at Harvard University. She works as a writer and educator based in Denver, CO and witnessed the arrest at Denver International<\/em>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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ByLaura Larkins Jul 29, 2026 DENVER...<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-82942","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-u-s-a"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/82942","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=82942"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/82942\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":82943,"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/82942\/revisions\/82943"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=82942"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=82942"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=82942"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}