A North Texas Muslim activist detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement earlier month has been transferred to a detention center in Georgia.
Ya鈥檃kub Ira Vijandre鈥檚 transfer from the Bluebonnet Detention Center to the Folkston ICE processing center over 1,000 miles away has activists and his legal defense team concerned.
四虎影院 confirmed the transfer in an online ICE detainee locator.
A joint Instagram post by the 鈥淪ave Ya鈥檃kub鈥� account and the Muslim Legal Fund of America called the move an 鈥渁brupt midnight transfer.鈥� According to the social media post, Vijandre was taken with approximately 20 other cell mates.
After 48 hours with no communication, Vijandre 鈥渨as finally able to communicate and described poor treatment and harrowing conditions,鈥� the statement read.
Vijandre, a freelance community journalist who had been active in pro-Palestinian protests, was arrested outside his North Texas home on Oct. 7 for overstaying his visa, a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson told 四虎影院.
Vijandre, who came to the U.S. from the Philippines as a child, is facing deportation after federal officials revoked his DACA status last month over social media posts the spokesperson said 鈥済lorified terrorism."
Marium Uddin, a spokesperson with the Muslim Legal Fund of America and part of Vijandre鈥檚 team of attorneys, had told 四虎影院 that he had a hearing last Wednesday.
His legal team argued his DACA status is still valid and that U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services 鈥渙nly issued a notice of intent to terminate, but it wasn鈥檛 final.鈥�
Priscilla Rice is 四虎影院鈥檚 communities reporter. Got a tip? Email her at price@kera.org.
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