What should have been a smooth process ended in a federal detention. Esteban Danilo Quiroga-Chaparro, a 21-year-old Colombian student at Chabot College in California, went to a routine immigration appointment in San Francisco and was arrested by agents of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

His partner, Jacob Ryan Rojas, reported that the arrest occurred without prior notice and in a context where the applicant was seeking to advance his permanent residency process. According to Rojas, his husband was complying with all the legal steps required to obtain the Green Card, but was detained inside the offices of the Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).

An arrest during a routine appointment

According to information released by Newsweek, the appointment was scheduled for October 22 at the USCIS offices on Tehama Street, San Francisco. According to his partner's account, officials asked Quiroga-Chaparro to go to another location, on Sansome Street, to update his information.

There he waited for several hours before being called inside the building. Minutes later, his mobile location showed that he had been moved to another area of ??the building, at which point Rojas realized something was wrong. When she managed to enter the administrative area, she found Esteban's name on the list of people in custody. They were able to see each other briefly before the young man was transferred to the Golden State Annex, an ICE detention center where he remains in custody. The Immigration Authorities' Position According to statements from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to Newsweek, the young man was detained for allegedly failing to appear on several occasions for required immigration check-ins. Spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin stated that ICE acted in accordance with its legal responsibilities by executing a valid detention order. However, his partner denied this version and asserted that Esteban never missed a scheduled appointment. She explained that the monitoring system used by ICE, called Bi Smart Link,She makes random video calls without warning, and the young man always answered or returned the calls when contacted.

Rojas maintains that this is a bureaucratic misunderstanding that has ended with her husband in immigration detention, despite having fully cooperated with the authorities.

The Life of Esteban Quiroga-Chaparro

Esteban arrived in the United States on April 14, 2023, after fleeing Colombia due to his sexual orientation. According to his partner, he sought political asylum after suffering persecution following his attendance at a gay pride event. His application was accepted for evaluation, and he was granted humanitarian parole after demonstrating a credible fear of returning to his country.

In California, he enrolled in an English course at Chabot College in the San Francisco Bay Area as a stepping stone to university studies. He also worked independently in the field of design and digital media.

He had no criminal record, not even a traffic violation, according to his partner. In 2024, the couple had begun the process of adjusting their status. They filed Form I-130, which recognizes their family relationship, and were raising funds to cover the fees for Form I-485, the final step to obtain residency.

Conditions in Detention and Legal Future

According to Rojas' testimony, the conditions at the Golden State Annex are harsh: “more than one hundred people share a single room with limited access to bathrooms, showers, and communication devices.”

Currently, his case has been reassigned from the San Francisco court to the Adelanto, California court, with a new hearing scheduled for November 4. The family is seeking legal assistance and has started a fundraiser to cover the costs of the process.