Catalina “Xóchitl” Santiago Santiago
Biography
Catalina “Xóchitl” Santiago Santiago is a Zapotec immigrant-rights organizer and DACA recipient who has lived in the United States since childhood. Border Patrol agents arrested her at El Paso International Airport on August 3, 2025 while she was traveling to a work conference for La Mujer Obrera, even though her DACA work authorization remained valid. She was held at the El Paso Processing Center while the government initiated removal proceedings. On October 1, 2025, U.S. District Judge Kathleen Cardone ruled that her arrest and continued detention violated procedural due process and ordered her immediate release. ICE released Santiago that evening after 59 days in custody.
Sources
- Santiago Santiago v. Noem habeas docket — arrest and release order
- Texas Tribune — October 1, 2025 release
- The Guardian — organizing background and detention
Portrait provenance
The photograph is explicitly identified as Catalina Xochitl Santiago and credited courtesy of Desiree Miller in The Texas Tribune reporting republished by KWTX. Head-and-shoulders crop of original pixels; no retouching, resizing, or generated details. Original photographer and date unspecified.
