A 38-year-old man who has been protected under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals immigration program for the past 12 years was detained by United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement earlier this month, with the agency citing his social media posts as the reason for terminating his DACA status.
Yaa’kub Ira Vijandre, whose legal name is Jacob Ira Azurin Vijandre, is a Filipino immigrant, freelance journalist and activist in the Dallas area who was detained October 7, 2025, while leaving his home for work.
Vijandre is one of several immigrants who have been detained this year after speaking out against the war in Gaza, including students Mahmoud Khalil and Rümeysa Öztürk, and British commentator Sami Hamdi, who was detained over the weekend while on a speaking tour.
In addition to opposing the war in Gaza, Vijandre also spoke out against human rights abuses at ICE facilities and “the US government’s inhumane and illegal treatment of those it accuses of terrorism,” his attorneys said in a statement.
His detention came a day after he recorded and participated in a local city council meeting in the Dallas suburb of Richardson, Texas, where he gave vocal support for a local community leader who was detained by ICE, according to a court filing from his legal team Monday.
His
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