Transgender Woman Seeking Asylum Arrested by ICE Agents Outside Portland Courtroom

A transgender woman who fled Mexico in 2023 after being subjected to violence because of her sexual orientation and gender identity was arrested outside a Portland courtroom 23 minutes after seeking asylum on Monday.

The 24-year-old woman, identified in court documents by the pseudonym OJM, was arrested outside a courtroom by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents.

The First Arrest of its Kind by ICE in Portland

Federal Judge Amy Baggio has ordered ICE to explain why it was necessary to arrest the woman immediately in what appears to be the first action of this kind in Portland since Donald Trump became president.

There have been similar arrests at federal courthouses across the country, but this is the first to take place in Portland.

Attorneys for OJM filed an emergency habeas corpus petition challenging the actions of ICE agents. (Habeas Corpus is a legal order that directs a person to bring a prisoner before a court to determine if their detention is lawful.)