A federal judge in Oregon has blocked ICE from deporting a transgender asylum seeker, raising concerns over due process after the woman was detained outside a Portland courthouse and transferred to a Washington facility.

Oregon Judge Intervenes After Sudden ICE Transfer

On Tuesday, U.S. District Court Judge Amy Baggio issued an emergency order preventing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) from deporting a 24-year-old transgender woman, identified in court documents as "O-J-M," from the Northwest ICE Processing Center in Tacoma, Washington. The migrant was apprehended the day prior outside a Portland courthouse after a scheduled immigration hearing and quickly transferred to the Washington facility.

Judge Baggio’s ruling also demands ICE disclose the time and circumstances of the arrest and justify why the removal was considered urgent. The judge’s decision follows a habeas corpus petition filed by the migrant’s legal team, who stated they were unaware of their client’s location after the arrest.

O-J-M’s attorney, Stephen Manning of Immigrant Law Group, confirmed that although she had been processed into the Tacoma detention center, he had not been permitted to meet with her since the transfer. Manning and co-counsel Jordan Cunnings argue that the arrest was a calculated attempt to undermine due process and expedite deportation proceedings.

According to the habeas filing, O-J-M fled Mexico in September 2023 after suffering gender-based violence, including abduction and sexual assault, due to her identity as a transgender woman. She sought asylum at a U.S. port of entry on the California-Mexico border and was initially detained and released pending immigration hearings. Her asylum claim was formally filed in February 2024.

In April, federal officials initiated removal proceedings, and during her court appearance in Portland on Monday, ICE attorneys abruptly moved to dismiss her case. The dismissal stripped O-J-M of her legal protections, after which ICE agents immediately detained her outside the courthouse.

Attorney Cunnings described the incident as a "dangerous attempt by ICE to circumvent due process, speed up deportations, and eviscerate the right to asylum." She added that such actions conflict with Oregon’s values of inclusion and safety for all residents.

Oregon state law prohibits long-term immigration detention centers within its borders, limiting ICE’s in-state facilities to temporary holding cells. The closest long-term center is in Tacoma, Washington, where O-J-M is currently held.

Portland Mayor Keith Wilson reaffirmed the city’s stance on sanctuary protections while noting that Portland would not interfere with lawful federal enforcement. The case has ignited concerns among immigrant rights advocates, who fear that dismissing legal cases mid-hearing may become a tactic for accelerating deportations.

As the legal proceedings unfold, Judge Baggio’s ruling ensures O-J-M remains in the United States while her case is reviewed, highlighting growing tensions between federal immigration policy and due process protections in sanctuary jurisdictions.