San Jose Activist and Tattoo Artist Wins Brief Reprieve From ICE Detention, Judge to Rule on Case Thursday

Guillermo Medina Reyes, a 31-year-old San Jose community organizer, is under threat of deportation as he awaits a ruling on his immigration status. A federal judge briefly extended a temporary restraining order against ICE, providing him relief until Thursday. Reyes, who has lived undocumented in the U. S. since age six, has a criminal background, including a ten-year prison sentence for attempted murder, which he attributes to youthful mistakes.

Released from ICE custody in 2023, a judge found him not to be a danger or a flight risk. However, a recent vandalism arrest, linked to a mental health episode, poses new challenges for his case. His attorney argues that re-detaining Reyes would be illegal without a new judicial review. Reyes urges his supporters to continue fighting for immigrant rights, declaring, "It’s not just for me, but it’s for the people that are going to come. " His case underscores ongoing debates over immigration enforcement and the treatment of undocumented individuals in the U.

S.