Advancing Justice-Atlanta Calls for the Immediate Release of Ya’akub Vijandre
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Oct 9 2026
CONTACT
Asian Americans Advancing Justice-Atlanta - media@advancingjustice-atlanta.org
Atlanta, GA - Asian Americans Advancing Justice-Atlanta has endorsed a congressional letter led by Representative Rashida Tlaib and Al Green, joined by 21 additional members of Congress and endorsed by 38 Organizations, calling for the immediate release of Ya’akub Ira Vijandre, a Filipino immigrant and Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipient who has been detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for more than a year.
Ya’akub has lived in the U.S. since the age of 14 and spent a decade working as a senior safety specialist for American Airlines. Despite having no criminal record and facing no criminal charges, he was arrested at gunpoint outside his home on October 7, 2025. Reports indicate that the government has cited his advocacy for Palestine, criticism of the U.S. detention systems, and his religious beliefs as justification for his continued detention. These reports raise serious concerns about due process and our fundamental rights under the constitution of our free speech and religious expression are being used against him.
“Our client Ya’akub has endured more than one year in ICE detention in retaliation for exercising his First Amendment rights by calling attention to genocide and violence,” said Samantha C. Hamilton, Senior Staff Attorney at Asian Americans Advancing Justice - Atlanta. “Ya’akub has deep ties to his community in the United States, and during this Filipino American Heritage Month, Ya’akub’s courage reminds us of the bravery of Filipino activists who have come before him in the long line of civil rights advocates in this country’s history. We welcome the solidarity and support of Congressmembers in calling for his release from Georgia’s Folkston ICE Processing Center.”
Advancing Justice-Atlanta urges the Department of Homeland Security and ICE to answer Congress’ questions and release Ya’akub immediately. His case shows the urgent need to confront immigration enforcement practices that undermine civil liberties, separate people from their communities, and evade accountability. We stand for a future that holds due process, dignity, and community safety over detention and deportation. We support the call to Abolish ICE and end family separation.
The letter’s signatories, led by Rep. Tlaib and Rep. Green, are 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).
Asian Americans Advancing Justice-Atlanta (Advancing Justice-Atlanta) is the first nonprofit legal advocacy organization dedicated to protecting the civil rights of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, Pacific Islanders (AANHPI) and Arab, Middle Eastern, Muslim, and South Asian (AMEMSA) communities in Georgia and the Southeast.
