A Venezuelan migrant whose detention by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) sparked a protest involving nearly 2,000 people has been released after seven months in custody. Joswar Torres, 29, was granted humanitarian parole and had an asylum application pending when he was detained in June 2025 after a routine check-in at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) office in Spokane, Washington.
The case drew national attention after protesters attempted to block an ICE transport carrying Torres and another migrant to Tacoma. The protest turned contentious at times, with a government car's windscreen smashed and tyre slashed, but was largely peaceful. Federal prosecutors later brought conspiracy charges against nine demonstrators, a move legal experts described as an escalation in the Trump administration's crackdown on First Amendment rights.
Among those charged was Bajun Mavalwalla, an Afghanistan war veteran who faces up to six years in prison if convicted. Ben Stuckart, former president of the Spokane city council, pleaded guilty to felony conspiracy to impede a federal officer in exchange for 18 months' probation. Richard Barker, a career justice department prosecutor, resigned as acting US attorney for eastern Washington rather than sign the indictments, saying the protesters were exercising their rights to free speech.
US District Court Judge James Robart ruled that DHS officials failed to consider Torres's individual circumstances before detaining him, calling the arrest an abuse of discretion and a violation of due process rights under the Fifth Amendment. The judge stated that all persons in the United States, regardless of immigration status, are entitled to due process.
Torres expressed gratitude upon his release, thanking supporters and urging continued advocacy for immigrants. His attorney, Brian McGoldrick, noted that habeas corpus petitions have become more common since June 2025, with over 300 federal judges ruling against the Trump administration's position on such cases.
