US Immigration Detains Muslim Photojournalist, Claims He 'Glorified Terrorism'
A 38-year-old Muslim photojournalist, martial arts teacher, and first responder has been detained by US immigration authorities for allegedly posting on social media about terrorist groups, sparking widespread criticism that the government is attacking his faith.
Y'aakub Vijandre was picked up from his home in Arlington, Texas, on October 7th. His asylum application was filed just over a month later, but his Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) status was revoked in December. The Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency detained him based on social media posts deemed by the government to be linked to terrorism.
Vijandre's detention has been condemned as an attack on his freedom of speech and faith. "The government is attacking my faith," he said, recalling a hearing where the immigration judge questioned him about several of his social media posts related to terrorist groups. When asked about one particular post which expressed solidarity with Palestine, he stated that it was simply about advocating for due-process violations in cases involving political prisoners.
Vijandre's legal team has argued that these posts were protected under the First Amendment as constitutionally protected speech and are being targeted due to his Muslim faith. The team is trying to get him released from detention while his immigration case is resolved, filing a habeas corpus motion on their behalf in November. They claim that the government's actions could result in the detention of any US citizen based solely on social media posts.
The case highlights the growing number of Daca recipients caught up in the Trump administration's mass deportation plans, and raises concerns about Islamophobia. Vijandre was born in the Philippines but has lived in the United States for 24 years, holding DACA status since 2012.
Vijandre's ordeal began when 10 cars pulled up outside his home on October 7th, and he was detained at gunpoint. His social media posts, which often dealt with political issues like Palestine and terrorism, were picked up by the government as evidence of ties to terrorist groups.
In a recent interview from the Folkston detention center in Georgia, Vijandre expressed concern about the safety of his family and friends. "This is a rehearsed tactic of Islamophobia," he said, recalling how his faith was attacked during the hearing. The US assistant attorney general has filed a motion to dismiss Vijandre's habeas corpus petition, citing one social media post that allegedly endorsed terrorism.
Vijandre's case also reveals the extent to which US immigration authorities are using social media posts as evidence of ties to terrorist groups, often without providing context or scrutiny. His team asserts that not only have the federal government and Vijandre's lawyers failed to produce any direct link between his posts and terroristic activities but also that such a search through his Instagram account by a friend has found no evidence.
As the fight for freedom of speech and faith continues in this high-profile case, it remains to be seen whether the US government will ultimately release Vijandre from detention.
A 38-year-old Muslim photojournalist, martial arts teacher, and first responder has been detained by US immigration authorities for allegedly posting on social media about terrorist groups, sparking widespread criticism that the government is attacking his faith.
Y'aakub Vijandre was picked up from his home in Arlington, Texas, on October 7th. His asylum application was filed just over a month later, but his Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) status was revoked in December. The Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency detained him based on social media posts deemed by the government to be linked to terrorism.
Vijandre's detention has been condemned as an attack on his freedom of speech and faith. "The government is attacking my faith," he said, recalling a hearing where the immigration judge questioned him about several of his social media posts related to terrorist groups. When asked about one particular post which expressed solidarity with Palestine, he stated that it was simply about advocating for due-process violations in cases involving political prisoners.
Vijandre's legal team has argued that these posts were protected under the First Amendment as constitutionally protected speech and are being targeted due to his Muslim faith. The team is trying to get him released from detention while his immigration case is resolved, filing a habeas corpus motion on their behalf in November. They claim that the government's actions could result in the detention of any US citizen based solely on social media posts.
The case highlights the growing number of Daca recipients caught up in the Trump administration's mass deportation plans, and raises concerns about Islamophobia. Vijandre was born in the Philippines but has lived in the United States for 24 years, holding DACA status since 2012.
Vijandre's ordeal began when 10 cars pulled up outside his home on October 7th, and he was detained at gunpoint. His social media posts, which often dealt with political issues like Palestine and terrorism, were picked up by the government as evidence of ties to terrorist groups.
In a recent interview from the Folkston detention center in Georgia, Vijandre expressed concern about the safety of his family and friends. "This is a rehearsed tactic of Islamophobia," he said, recalling how his faith was attacked during the hearing. The US assistant attorney general has filed a motion to dismiss Vijandre's habeas corpus petition, citing one social media post that allegedly endorsed terrorism.
Vijandre's case also reveals the extent to which US immigration authorities are using social media posts as evidence of ties to terrorist groups, often without providing context or scrutiny. His team asserts that not only have the federal government and Vijandre's lawyers failed to produce any direct link between his posts and terroristic activities but also that such a search through his Instagram account by a friend has found no evidence.
As the fight for freedom of speech and faith continues in this high-profile case, it remains to be seen whether the US government will ultimately release Vijandre from detention.
- This whole situation is a total mess! They're detaining this guy because of his posts on social media? It's like they're trying to control every single thing he says and does online. Newsflash: people have the right to express their opinions, even if you don't agree with them. And what's with all these assumptions about someone's faith being linked to terrorism? Like, just because someone is Muslim doesn't mean they're a terrorist sympathizer. It's so unfair that this guy is going through all this stress and uncertainty because of some arbitrary social media post.
, and even if the gov is worried about "glorifyin" terrorism, shouldn't they be more worried about hate crimes? 
and meanwhile, the gov is like "oh, look, we found somethin'!" without even botherin to check if it's even true 
, and that's not okay 
. i'm all for holdin people accountable, but this is just ridiculous 
I'm so frustrated with how our forum is handling this story. They're basically saying that Y'aakub's posts were all about terrorism, but they're not providing any context. Like, what even is a post about Palestine supposed to be? A hate crime against Muslims? It's wild to me how easily people can take someone's words out of context and turn them into a whole different story.
No, no, no! That's not how freedom of speech works 
.
.
!
. The way he's being treated is totally unfair 
, but the government is taking it to a whole new level 
. It's like they're singling him out because of his Muslim faith 
, which is just not cool 
.
. Like, how can one tweet or post be proof of ties to terrorist groups? 
, not promoting terror 
. What's next? Detaining people for their thoughts on climate change or social justice? 
No way, man! This needs to stop ASAP 
. We need to stand up for freedom of speech and faith, especially when it comes to marginalized communities like Muslims 
.
️ I need to see the source on this claim that his posts were "linked" to terrorism. How can one post about due-process violations and be accused of promoting terror? That doesn't add up.
Vijandre's habeas corpus motion should be all over the news, not getting dismissed without any evidence. Where are the experts weighing in on this one? 
I need more info before I can even form an opinion.
. Y'aakub Vijandre's freedom of speech and faith are being trampled all over the place, and it's time for the gov to take a step back and reevaluate their policies 
.
. Let's hope Y'aakub Vijandre gets released from detention soon 
.
. The gov needs to stop playin' this "us vs. them" game and start protectin' people's rights instead 
. Detaining him because of his social media posts is super unfair 
. He was just talking about Palestine and human rights issues, which are totally legitimate topics 
. It's crazy that the government is trying to tie his faith to terrorist groups 
. That's Islamophobia in action, plain and simple 
. And I think it's time for the US government to rethink its approach to social media posts as evidence 
. It's not that hard to give people a break and consider all the context before making accusations 
.
. We need to be careful about how we're treating people who are marginalized or minority groups 
. And now, if they don't release him, it could mean that any other US citizen who expresses similar views on social media will be next 
The guy was born in Philippines but lived in USA for 24 yrs and had DACA status since 2012. 
This case is raising alarm bells about Islamophobia and freedom of speech. 
According to data from Pew Research Center (2020), 54% of Americans believe that Islam is a threat to US national security. 
But in reality, there's no direct link between social media posts and terrorism. 
. This case is just another example of how the US immigration system is being used to target specific communities 
. I mean, come on, one bad post and suddenly they're after him for being Muslim? That's not fair 
The fact that his DACA status got revoked and now he's getting detention is just ridiculous 
. And don't even get me started on this whole 'glorifying terrorism' thing - that's just a load of BS 
. And can you believe they're saying he's being targeted because of his Muslim faith? That's Islamophobia for you 
. What's next? Detaining people for wearing hijabs or something? 
. We can't let the government bully us into silence 
.