Drag performer detained by ICE in San Francisco at asylum hearing
San Francisco drag performer detained by ICE
A San Francisco drag performer was detained by ICE after an asylum hearing.
SAN FRANCISCO - Immigration enforcement officers detained a drag performer in San Francisco a few days before Pride festivities kicked off in the city.
According to SF Pride, Latinx performer, Hilary Rivers, was taken into ICE custody on June 25.
The organization said Rivers was arrested outside of San Francisco immigration court after scheduled sylum hearing, and was taken into custody to an ICE facility in McFarland, which is outside of Bakersfield.
In a statement, San Francisco Pride said they "stand in solidarity" with Rivers.
"San Francisco Pride vehemently rejects the continued attacks on immigrant communities by the federal administration, SCOTUS rulings, and the splintering of our communities by ICE on the basis of violations to due process and our city’s sanctuary policy," the organization wrote. "San Francisco is the vibrant city we know of today because of the contributions of immigrants — especially queer immigrants."
It was not immediately clear what legal status Rivers has or what process he was in for his asylum hearings. It's also not clear if he has any criminal background either here or in his home country.
Rivers, an immigrant from Central America is gay and has a pending asylum application based on "traumatic and severe" persecution he experienced in his home country that led him to flee to the U.S., San Francisco Immigrant Legal Defense Collaborative legal director Milli Atkinson told the San Francisco Chronicle.
The government attorney moved for Rivers' case to be dismissed, but the Chronicle reported that the judge denied it. Rivers was arrested as he was leaving court, Atkinson said.
According to 48hills.org, Rivers uses he/him pronouns, and his non-drag name is not being used in order to protect confidentiality until he can be located.
The night before his detention, Rivers had competed in the Miss & Mr. Safe Latino 2025 Pageant, the 30th annual event promoting health and wellness in LGBTQ+ Latinx community, 48 Hills reported.
U.S. law grants asylum seekers like Rivers the right to remain in the United States while their asylum claim is pending, but the government has argued that it has the right to detain such individuals, which has been challenged in court before.
Under the U.S. Constitution’s Fifth Amendment’s right to due process, immigrants also generally have the right to a hearing in front of an immigration judge before they’re deported, with some exceptions.
However, federal immigration authorities under President Donald Trump have been filing motions for judges to dismiss asylum cases so that people will lose protections.