Rudy Villeda Mejia, a 47-year-old native of Honduras, spent more than four months in the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Aurora, Colorado. He was released in August and is now living with his family in northern Washington again, trying to rebuild his roofing business.
His release resulted from a federal judge’s decision. Villeda Mejia applied for a T visa — a special immigration status for victims of severe forms of human trafficking. Applications are filed with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services using Form I-914 and are generally accompanied by a personal account of events, police or court documents, medical and psychological evaluations, correspondence, financial records and statements from other people. In most cases, applicants must also provide proof of cooperation with law enforcement using Form I-914, Supplement B, although exceptions exist for minors and some people who are unable to cooperate because of trauma.
Submitting a T visa application by itself does not guarantee approval or protection from detention. Experts recommend consulting a licensed immigration attorney or accredited representative. Under a court order in California, ICE is not supposed to detain people with pending T visa applications and certain other visas for crime victims.
The man was arrested on March 30 at Denver International Airport. In early August, he was transferred first to Louisiana, to what is known as an ICE transit facility, where detainees are registered and undergo medical and administrative processing before being sent to other facilities or prepared for deportation. Transfers between states may be related to bed shortages, security requirements, the location of immigration court, medical needs or transportation schedules. However, the system often makes it difficult for detainees to communicate with attorneys and relatives. A person’s detention location can be checked through ICE’s online locator or with the help of an attorney.
Soon after the transfer, a Colorado judge ordered Villeda Mejia’s release and prohibited authorities from detaining him again without evidence that he might flee or pose a danger to the public.
After his release, a new problem emerged: the family had difficulty determining exactly where the man was. Relatives received conflicting information — Aurora was named first, followed by various cities in Louisiana. According to attorney Henry Hollitron, the confusion illustrates the difficulties faced by families of people held in ICE custody.
It was eventually determined that Villeda Mejia had been flown through Arizona and Texas and then driven to Louisiana. His wife flew there, after which the couple rented a car and began the long drive back to Washington.
The return was complicated by the fact that the man’s passport and work permit remained in Colorado. Without the documents, he could not fly, and the family also feared that ICE might detain him again at the airport. The office of Rep. Rick Larsen, who represents the district where the family lives, helped secure the return of the documents.
A member of Congress can send inquiries to ICE, USCIS, the Border Patrol and other federal agencies, check on the status of a case and seek responses to constituents’ requests. This usually requires written authorization to release information. However, Larsen’s office cannot order an agency to release someone, cancel a deportation order, issue a visa or replace an attorney or judge, and it generally does not provide legal representation.
Villeda Mejia has lived in the United States since 2010, when, according to his visa application, a Mexican cartel kidnapped him and smuggled him across the border. Before his arrest, he regularly reported for required check-ins at the ICE office in Seattle and, according to his family, had no criminal convictions. Such check-ins are a condition of release or immigration supervision: a person reports, provides documents and sometimes undergoes additional procedures. They are not equivalent to detention and do not guarantee protection from arrest, because ICE may act on the basis of an immigration order, a final deportation decision or changing law-enforcement priorities.
Before reporting for a check-in, experts advise consulting an immigration attorney and carrying copies of documents confirming one’s status and the date of the next hearing. Villeda Mejia’s case comes amid a broad deportation campaign that began after Donald Trump returned to the presidency in January 2025.
During his detention, the man’s health deteriorated: his back pain worsened, and symptoms of Bell’s palsy flared because he lacked necessary medication. His stepson, Genaro Shaffer, also noticed that his stepfather’s hair had turned gray. The family describes the detention conditions as extremely harsh, citing poor sleep and nutrition as well as threats of violence.
Villeda Mejia is now working again, trying to make up for the company’s financial losses and pay off equipment-related debts. Shaffer believes his stepfather’s story could happen to anyone without permanent immigration status, even if that person has not broken the law and has complied with government requirements. He says that in such situations, help from an experienced attorney and contacting members of Congress are especially important, because their powers are limited, while ICE typically changes course only after a direct court order.
Based on: ICE releases WA man detained in Colorado for months