Daniel Ramirez, a DREAMer who was arrested last week even while being protected by the DACA program, was denied released by a federal judge. This comes after President Donald Trump's immigration ban and the crackdown that followed.
TIME reported that a federal magistrate refused to release Ramirez, who was arrested by immigration agents last week. Ramirez is a DREAMer or someone who is protected by the DREAM (Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors) Act under the DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) program.
Ramirez was threatened with deportation and detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on Feb. 10 in Seattle. A lawsuit was filed on Monday since Ramirez should have been protected by the DACA program.
ICE officials claimed that Daniel Ramirez was a "self-admitted gang member." They added that his detention was due to him being a "risk to public safety."
Ramirez's arrest comes as concerns over the safety of undocumented immigrants, especially students, under President Trump escalates. There are also worries that the current administration may start targeting thousands of immigrants who were considered low priorities for deportation under the previous presidency.
The U.S. Justice Department said on Thursday that there was "no legal basis" for the district court to deliberate any challenge on Daniel Ramirez's detention. This is due, in part, to his pending case in the immigration court.
According to The Associated Press, the Department of Justice confirmed that Medina was arrested because of being a gang member. Ramirez was said to have stated that he was no longer involved with any gang activity, implying that he was involved before.
He also added that he hung out with members of the Surenos gang in California as well as with gang members in Washington state. The court document revealed that Ramirez arrived in the United States at seven years old with his father.
Daniel Ramirez Medina's lawyer Mark Rosenbaum called out the documents, saying that it is a "blatant falsehood" and that it only serves to defame the DREAMer.
