A Venezuelan migrant whose detention by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) sparked a large protest in Washington state has been released after seven months in custody. Joswar Torres, 29, was granted humanitarian parole and had a pending asylum application when he was detained in June 2025 after a routine check-in at the Department of Homeland Security office in Spokane.
His case drew national attention after nearly 2,000 protesters attempted to block an ICE transport carrying Torres and another migrant to Tacoma. The protest led to 30 arrests and later federal conspiracy charges against nine demonstrators, with prosecutors seeking up to six years in prison for some. Richard Barker, the acting US attorney for eastern Washington, resigned rather than sign the indictments, citing First Amendment concerns.
US District Judge James Robart ruled that DHS officials failed to consider Torres's individual circumstances before detaining him, calling it 'an abuse of DHS discretion' and a violation of due process rights under the Fifth Amendment. The judge rejected the Trump administration's argument that the court lacked authority to review Torres's habeas corpus petition.
Torres thanked supporters upon his release, saying 'without your support I would not have made it.' His attorney noted that habeas corpus petitions have become more common since June 2025, with some lawyers filing them five times a week. The case continues against the protesters, including Afghanistan war veteran Bajun Mavalwalla, who faces six years in prison if convicted.
