Ya’akub Ira Vijandre, a 38-year-old Filipino-American photojournalist and former DACA recipient, has now spent nine months in ICE custody, with his family and legal team intensifying calls for his release. Arrested outside his Arlington, Texas, home in October 2025, Vijandre was initially held at the Bluebonnet Detention Facility before being transferred to the Folkston ICE processing center in Georgia—a facility located 1,000 miles from his home.

While an ICE spokesperson previously stated to KERA that Vijandre was detained for overstaying his visa and that his DACA status was revoked due to social media posts allegedly “glorifying terrorism,” his supporters argue he was targeted specifically for his activism and his Muslim faith.

In a March 2026 ruling, an immigration judge denied all forms of relief to Vijandre. The judge explicitly cited his political beliefs as grounds for the decision, ruling that his “worldview is informed by extremist ideology to such an extent that he no longer has the ability to provide reliable or credible factual statements” and that he lacks a “meaningful grasp of truth about terrorism and terrorists.”

His cousin, Krytle Canare, reported that Vijandre is currently in a “waiting game” as his legal team awaits responses on pending appeals in federal court. Despite the denial of relief and the harsh conditions at the Folkston facility, Canare says her cousin remains committed to his advocacy:

“He says the future of just freedom of speech, being able to… post what you believe is just on social media should not be the reason for… his detainment.”

While in detention, Vijandre has continued to write and has utilized his skills as a martial arts instructor to lead early morning physical fitness programs for other detainees. He has also frequently acted as an advocate for fellow detainees during medical emergencies, leveraging his training as a first responder and his fluency in English.