Detainees Denied Access to Lawyers by ICE and CBP Agents

Table of Contents
8 Examples of ICE\CBP denying detainees access to lawyers
  • 5-year-old Génesis Ester Gutiérrez Castellano and her mother
    U.S. Citizen,Asylum Applicant
    Austin, TX
    Jan 27, 2026
    Five-year-old US citizen Génesis Ester Gutiérrez Castellano was detained for a week with her mother at a hotel 80 miles away from their family instead of an ICE facility in an apparent ploy to deport them without being able to call their family for 3 days and without access to a lawyer or a hearing before a judge the entire time which would have likely prevented their deportation.
  • William Vermie
    U.S. Army Purple Heart veteran
    Whipple ICE Facility in Minneapolis, MN
    Jan 19, 2026
    U.S. Army Purple Heart veteran William Vermie was taken to the ground by multiple ICE goons for merely filming them from a public sidewalk. He was detained at the Whipple ICE facility in Minneapolis for 8 hours where he was denied a phone call and thus access to a lawyer his family hired.
  • 15-year-old boy
    U.S. Citizen Born in Chicago
    Chicago
    Oct 14, 2025
    A 15-year-old American citizen peacefully protesting excessive use of force by CBP agents was slammed to the ground, cuffed and held down so hard he cried out "my neck, my neck" after which they pushed him down even harder. Then he was detained by agents in a federal building garage for five hours without informing his family, stating any charges, or allowing him to call an attorney or his family.
  • Frank Miranda
    Metal shop employee
    U.S. Citizen
    U.S. Citizen born in California
    Portland, OR
    Oct 11, 2025
    U.S. citizen and Portlander Frank Miranda was threatened by masked ICE agents that "we're gonna put you in cuffs or you're gonna get the dog" after which he was struck from behind, handcuffed and put in a van in which his legs were kicked out from under him and was told he would be sitting on the floor. He was driven to an ICE facility where he was held for several hours without access to a lawyer before being released without charges or any explanation of his detainment.
  • Bayron Rovidio Marin
    Car wash employee
    Los Angeles Car Wash
    Oct 7, 2025
    Los Angeles resident Bayron Rovidio Marin suffered a broken leg during an immigration raid on the car wash he worked at and was handcuffed to a hospital bed for 37 days without any charges and was prevented from making phone calls, seeing family members and having proper access to lawyers. ICE agents were in his room 24 hours a day including during consults with his doctor.
  • Rodrick Johnson
    Blind Army veteran retiree
    U.S. Citizen
    South Shore neighborhood apartment complex
    Sep 30, 2025
    Rodrick Johnson, a U.S. citizen and Army veteran retiree who recently went blind and completely innocent of any wrongdoings, had his door kicked in by federal in the middle of the night during an ICE raid on an apartment building in the South Shore neighborhood of Chicago and was detained in a van for hours without a warrant or access to a lawyer.
  • George Retes
    Iraq War veteran
    U.S. Citizen
    Los Angeles ICE Roadblock
    Aug 18, 2025
    U.S. citizen and Iraq War veteran George Retes was driving to his job as a security guard where he was stopped at an ICE roadblock -- and despite not resisting or posing a threat, even backing up when told to -- ICE thugs broke his window, teargassed and pepper sprayed him and forced him to the ground where two of their degenerates put knees to his neck and back. Despite him having a valid ID, he was detained by ICE fascists for three days in an isolation cell and not allowed to shower despite the exposure to toxic chemicals. Additionally, he was denied access to a lawyer or a hearing with a judge and prevented from making phone calls. His family had no contact with him and no idea where he was and he missed his daughter's third birthday.
  • Tae Heung "Will" Kim
    PhD Student
    Greencard Holder
    San Francisco International Airport
    Jul 21, 2025
    A permanent US resident with a Green Card for 35 years since he was 5 and working on a PhD researching a vaccine for Lyme disease was detained for a week by CBP without access to an attorney and then detained for more than a month at an ICE facility for a minor marijuana charge back in 2011 that was supposed to have been expunged from his record.