Reps. Tlaib and Green lead letter demanding release of DACA recipient in ICE custody

Resources / Press Share on Reps. Tlaib and Green lead letter demanding release of DACA recipient in ICE custody Oct 08, 2026 Press WASHINGTON – U.S. Reps. Rashida Tlaib (MI-12) and Al Green (TX-09), joined by 21 Members of Congress, demanded the release of Ya’akub Ira Vijandre, who was detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement a year ago as of yesterday. In a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin and ICE Acting Director David Venturella, the Members pressed for answers regarding Ya’akub’s unconstitutional arrest and prolonged detention after a federal judge allowed his habeas challenge to proceed. Ya’akub, a Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals recipient, has lived in the U.S. since he was 14 years old. He spent a decade working for American Airlines as a senior safety specialist and was recognized for supporting grieving families after a helicopter crashed into a plane in Washington, D.C. Despite having no criminal record and not being charged with any crime, he was targeted and arrested at gun point for speaking out against Israel’s genocide in Gaza and for “liking” a social media post with Quranic verses–both of which are protected by the First Amendment. “The administration’s stated basis for [Ya’akub’s] detention has been inconsistent and appears to rely substantially on his speech and social media activity,” the Members wrote. “DHS has sought to justify his detention by citing his social media commentary regarding the prosecutions of the Holy Land Foundation Five, his criticism of the treatment of Guantanamo detainees, his advocacy for Palestine, and his engagement with religious Islamic content, including ‘liking’ Instagram posts containing Quranic verses. We are deeply concerned that constitutionally protected political and religious expression is being used as a basis for his continued detention or deportation.” The letter renews concerns and questions from a letter Rep. Green sent in June . Rep. Tlaib also spoke on the House floor urging for Ya’akub’s release in August. “We are also concerned by reports, previously flagged in Congressman Green’s June letter, that the FBI approached Mr. Vijandre in November 2023 seeking his cooperation as a confidential informant and that he declined,” the Members continued in their letter. “His DACA status, renewed as recently as May 2024 through May 2026, was subsequently revoked. The proximity and sequence of these events—an FBI approach he declined, followed by a DACA termination and detention grounded largely in the government’s characterization of his religious and political speech—continue to raise serious questions about possible retaliation that Congress has not yet received satisfactory answers to.” The letter, led by Reps. Tlaib and Green, was signed by 21 other Members of Congress: Greg Casar (TX–35), Judy Chu (CA-28), Maxwell Frost (FL-10), Jesús “Chuy” García (IL-04), Sylvia Garcia (TX-29), Adelita Grijalva (AZ-07), Jonathan Jackson (IL-01), Henry C. “Hank” Johnson, Jr. (GA-04), Ro Khanna (CA-17), Raja Krishnamoorthi (IL-08), Summer Lee (PA-12), Analilia Mejia (NJ-11),  Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (NY-14), Ilhan Omar (MN-05), Mark Pocan (WI-02), Ayanna Pressley (MA-07), Delia Ramirez (IL-03), Emily Randall (WA-06), Lateefah Simon (CA-12), Nydia Velázquez (NY-07), Bonnie Watson Coleman (NJ-12). The letter was also endorsed by 38 organizations: American Friends Service Committee, Americans for Justice in Palestine Action, Arab American Caucus of the California Democratic Party, Arlington for Palestine, Asian Americans Advancing Justice – Atlanta, CAIR Action, Center for Constitutional Rights, Codepink, Community Alliance for Peace and Justice, Demand Progress, Havertown-Community Action Network, IMEU Policy Project, Indiana Center for Middle East Peace, Institute for Policy Studies New Internationalism Project, Maine Coalition for Palestine, Majdal: Arab Community Center of San Diego, MARUF CT, Massachusetts Peace Action, Methodist Federation for Social Action, Muslim Advocates, National Political Prisoner Coalition, NE Oakland Indivisible, NH Peace Action, Palestine Legal, Peace Action Montgomery, Peace Justice Sustainability NOW!, Philly Neighborhood Networks, Pittsburgh Palestine Solidarity Committee, Project TAHA, Restore The Fourth – Action, ReThinking Foreign Policy, River Valley for Palestine, The Justice Coalition, United Methodists for Kairos Response, US Campaign for Palestinian Rights Action, Virginia for Palestine, Whistleblower & Source Protection Program at ExposeFacts, Worcester Multifaith for Palestine. Read the full letter . Share on