{"id":3250,"date":"2026-07-31T10:03:51","date_gmt":"2026-07-31T10:03:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/coloradospringsmoverss.com\/?p=3250"},"modified":"2026-07-31T10:03:51","modified_gmt":"2026-07-31T10:03:51","slug":"woman-arrested-by-ice-at-dia-released-from-aurora-immigration-detention","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/coloradospringsmoverss.com\/?p=3250","title":{"rendered":"Woman arrested by ICE at DIA released from Aurora immigration detention"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The Ecuadorian woman whose arrest by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents at Denver International Airport last week went viral was released from federal custody Thursday afternoon, according to her lawyer.<\/p>\n

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Chantal Alejandra Morales Rojas was released on a $3,000 bond and will return home to Oakland with her family and friends while her immigration proceedings and federal habeas corpus petition continue through the courts, attorney Laura Lichter said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re obviously relieved that Chantal is finally going home today,\u201d Lichter said in a statement. \u201cBut her release doesn\u2019t answer the central question in this case. ICE still has not produced the records explaining why they arrested her or why they believed detention was justified. We will continue this fight because the public deserves to know whether the government followed the law before taking away someone\u2019s liberty.\u201d<\/p>\n

ICE agents arrested Morales Rojas last week while she was attempting to board a Southwest Airlines flight back to Oakland after traveling with loved ones to Denver.<\/p>\n

Video of the arrest filmed by Morales Rojas\u2019 friend Alicia Dantzker showed the 27-year-old Ecuadorian woman whisked off the jetway and taken to the tarmac while passengers shouted for help. Days later, the New York Times cited Morales Rojas\u2019 detention in a report on the Trump administration\u2019s surge in immigration arrests at U.S. airports.<\/p>\n

ICE previously said Morales Rojas was detained because she overstayed her visa. The federal agency said she entered the U.S. on Oct. 20, 2024, and had been allowed to remain in the country until Jan. 4, 2025.<\/p>\n

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According to her attorneys, Morales Rojas entered the U.S. lawfully in January 2023 as a J-1 exchange visitor \u2014 a legal status allowing her to work as an au pair. She re-entered on a visa in 2024, according to her attorneys.<\/p>\n

Before the end of the exchange program, Morales Rojas\u2019 attorneys said she filed an application with U.S. immigration authorities allowing her to remain in the country while her case was under review. The application does not provide formal immigration status while she waits, the law firm said.<\/p>\n

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Last week, Lichter filed a petition of habeas corpus, challenging Morales Rojas\u2019 arrest and confinement at the ICE immigration detention facility in Aurora.<\/p>\n

\u201cA person shouldn\u2019t have to spend days in detention without the government having to explain why they arrested her,\u201d Lichter said. \u201cWe\u2019re pleased Chantal is being released, but we will continue pursuing this case until the government produces the records and answers the questions it has so far refused to answer. Transparency and accountability are essential when the government exercises the extraordinary power to deprive someone of their liberty.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Read more Georgia man accused of paying, blackmailing underage Boulder girl for nude photos and videos after finding her on TikTok<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Chantal Alejandra Morales Rojas, the Ecuadorian woman whose arrest by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents at Denver International Airport last week went viral, was released from federal custody Thursday afternoon, according to her lawyer.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3249,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13,4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3250","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-colorado-news","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\nWoman arrested by ICE at DIA released from Aurora immigration detention - Colorado Springs Moverss<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/coloradospringsmoverss.com\/?p=3250\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Woman arrested by ICE at DIA released from Aurora immigration detention - 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