Updated October 21, 2026
The National Political Prisoner Coalition (NPPC) is among 38 organizations endorsing the October 8 congressional letter demanding the release of Ya’akub Ira Vijandre. Representatives Rashida Tlaib and Al Green led the letter, joined by 21 other members of Congress.
The announcement from Rep. Tlaib’s office confirms NPPC’s endorsement alongside organizations including the American Friends Service Committee, Center for Constitutional Rights, Muslim Advocates, Palestine Legal, and Demand Progress.
A Year in Detention
According to the lawmakers, ICE arrested Vijandre at gunpoint outside his home on October 7, 2025. A Filipino photojournalist and DACA recipient, he has lived in the United States since age 14. The letter says he has no criminal record and has not been charged with or convicted of a crime.
Tlaib’s announcement highlights his decade as an American Airlines senior safety specialist and his support for bereaved families following the Washington, D.C., aviation disaster. His photography documents Muslim civic life and social justice movements in Dallas–Fort Worth.
Questions About Retaliation
The lawmakers question whether DHS has used his political and religious expression to justify detention. Their concerns include Palestine advocacy, commentary about the Holy Land Foundation Five and Guantánamo detainees, and engagement with Quranic content online.
The letter seeks records about a reported November 2023 FBI request that he become a confidential informant, which he declined, and subsequent communications concerning termination of his DACA protection. The lawmakers raise possible retaliation; these allegations are not court findings.
Answers Due October 22
Addressed to Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin and ICE Acting Director David Venturella, the letter renews 13 earlier questions and adds four requests. It seeks written answers by October 22, 2026, about detention grounds, differing government explanations, and FBI–immigration agency communications.
The lawmakers report that a September 2 ruling allowed his habeas challenge to continue while he was detained at Folkston in Georgia. That procedural ruling did not itself order release.
NPPC supports immediate steps toward his release and meaningful congressional oversight. Political advocacy, journalism, and religious expression must not become grounds for depriving people of liberty.
Read the signed congressional letter and NPPC’s profile of Ya’akub Ira Vijandre.
