Case updates!

On April 9, 2026, the People’s Defense Collective (“PDC”) in Seattle, Washington filed a group habeas corpus petition on behalf of seven women who were abducted at their ICE check-ins in Baltimore, Maryland. The habeas petition seeks their immediate release, arguing that their detention violates the Due Process Clause of the Fifth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. This case is currently pending before a federal judge in the Western District of Washington. 

These women are calling themselves “Las Madres Unidas En La Luchas” which translates to “Mothers United in the Fight.” Grassroots organizers across the country banded together once news broke that Las Madres were a part of a larger group of people who were abducted in Baltimore in early March 2026. 

In essence, the petition argues that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) violated Las Madres’ Fifth Amendment Due Process rights when they arrested Las Madres at their required ICE check-ins without prior notice or an opportunity to be heard. The unlawful nature of their detention continued as they were subjected to inhumane conditions in detention and rushed through their immigration proceedings without the time or resources necessary to present their defenses. Federal District Courts throughout this country have ruled time and time again that such detentions violate the constitution. Las Madres’ claims are no different. 

Las Madres were part of a targeted operation by the United States government to remove and transfer several dozens of individuals who were detained in Baltimore, MD at the Fallon Federal Building, just days after a federal court judge in Maryland found conditions there to be unconstitutional. The judge ordered that the government bring the holding rooms within legal capacity and humane living conditions, but, instead, ICE attempted to hide their violations by shipping every person out of Baltimore to detention centers across the country. All of Las Madres report that the conditions in the Fallon Federal Building were abhorrent and inhumane. One Las Madres client described the location as “a place I thought only rats could live.” 

According to court records, more than 50% of detainees were held on days when the Baltimore Hold Rooms exceeded their total capacity of 56 people. On one occasion, the population reached 123 — more than 200% of the maximum capacity. 

Las Madres were removed from the hold rooms on March 6th and purposefully transferred to Tacoma, WA, far away from any family and community support. However, organizers from International Migrants Alliance, Capybara Colectiva, International Women’s Alliance, Defend Migrants Alliance, and ILPS rapidly responded to this incident and secured legal representation for Las Madres. 

While Las Madres have been detained in the Northwest ICE Processing Center (NWIPC), the U.S. Government has worked hard to deport Las Madres as swiftly as possible by placing them in removal proceedings and quickly scheduling final individual hearings. Two of the women who were initially transferred to NWIPC from Baltimore were abruptly removed to Arizona for their deportation. Luckily for one of those women, PDC was able to file an emergency temporary restraining order and a separate habeas corpus petition 20 minutes before her flight left the King County International Airport. This woman was thankfully transferred back to Tacoma, WA, where her case remains pending. 

“It is remarkable how the community across state lines have come together and fought the Government at every stage to keep Las Madres from being removed from the United States. Las Madres and their community members will not allow the United States to bully them, lock them in cages, deny them water, deny them hygiene products, and deny them due process,” says People’s Defense Collective attorney Sam Sueoka. 

The PDC attorneys are hopeful for a favorable ruling in this matter. The Mothers deserve to be free with their families and communities.