FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 26, 2026
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After a Year, Britania Rios Secures Freedom in Landmark Louisiana Ruling Rejecting Immigration Detention as a form of Double Punishment for Those with Prior Convictions
NEW ORLEANS – A federal court has ordered the release of Britania Uriostegui Rios, a transgender woman who spent a year in immigration jail and was illegally deported by ICE to Mexico in violation of a court order protecting her from torture in Mexico and preventing her deportation there. The ruling in Uriostegui Rios v. Trump et al. delivers a resounding victory for constitutional rights and rejects the government's attempt to use immigration detention as a form of double punishment for those with prior convictions who already served their sentences.
Britania was granted Convention Against Torture (CAT) protections in March 2025 when an immigration judge found she faced risk of torture or death if returned to Mexico due to her gender identity. CAT protection carries the force of law and prohibits the government from deporting someone to a country where they would face torture. In November 2025, ICE violated her CAT protection and deported her to Mexico anyway.
Britania managed to survive in Mexico, living in constant fear for her safety, before the U.S. government admitted wrongdoing and was forced to allow her to return to the United States. Upon her return, and despite ICE’s flagrant violation of the law, ICE refused to release her, arguing that a prior conviction justified her redetention in an all-male facility, with no end in sight.
Although Britania initially lost her bid for release to the federal court, on a motion for reconsideration, that same court ordered her freed. The court found that, despite ICE’s representations about efforts to deport Britania, they were no closer to deporting her now than they were a year ago. The decision centers on a fundamental constitutional principle: immigration detention is civil, not criminal, and cannot be used to punish people.
“Let’s not mince words. The government tortured Britania,” said Bridget Pranzatelli, Staff Attorney at the National Immigration Project. “They deported her in defiance of a court order to a country where she faced death because of who she is, then dragged her back, locked her in a men’s cage, and called it civil detention. There is no reforming a system that does this. Britania’s freedom is a victory, but the system that took a year of her life is still standing.”
"The government’s shameful and illegal tactic of using immigration detention in Louisiana as a form of double punishment for those with prior convictions comes to an end with this order," said Nora Ahmed, legal director of the ACLU of Louisiana. “It’s heartbreaking that people like Britania are losing years of their lives in places that amount to nothing more than for-profit prisons. Make no mistake, immigration detention is not about law and order–it’s about fattening the pockets of the for-profit prison industrial complex. This ruling rejects the government's cruel perversion of immigration law: using detention centers to punish people who have already served their time, turning civil detention into a de facto life sentence with no due process.”
"One year ago, Britania won her immigration case and was granted relief from removal to her native Mexico due to risk of torture on the basis of her transgender identity,” said Sarah Decker, U.S. Senior Staff Attorney at the Robert & Ethel Kennedy Human Rights Center. “But as part of a larger insidious effort to maximize people trapped in Louisiana's for-profit detention facilities, the government refused to release her. Instead, they subjected her to a system characterized by cruelty and chaos, resulting in her illegal removal to Mexico. This order is a step towards ending the government's practice of indefinitely detaining people who have won immigration relief."
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The National Immigration Project is a membership organization of attorneys, advocates, and community members who believe that all people should be treated with dignity, live freely, and flourish. We litigate, advocate, educate, and build bridges across movements to ensure that those most impacted by the immigration and criminal systems are uplifted and supported. Learn more at nipnlg.org. Follow the National Immigration Project on Bluesky, Facebook, Instagram, and Threads at @NIPNLG.
The ACLU of Louisiana leads the charge to protect the civil rights and liberties of Louisianians, especially those most marginalized and historically harmed. True to our founding during the Civil Rights Movement, we are fearless in the face of intimidation and fight tirelessly to protect and empower Louisiana’s Black, Brown, Immigrant, and LGBTQ+ communities. We are part of a nationwide network of affiliates working in courts, legislatures, and communities in all 50 states, Puerto Rico, and Washington, D.C.
The Robert & Ethel Kennedy Human Rights Center is a nonpartisan, not-for-profit organization that works across the courtroom, the boardroom, and the classroom to build a more just and peaceful world. Inspired by the legacies of Senator Robert and Ethel Kennedy, we work with international and domestic partners to protect fundamental human rights. We pursue strategic litigation to hold governments accountable at home and around the world; foster a social good approach to business; and train the next generation of changemakers through our human rights education programs.