(TACOMA) A Tacoma immigration judge has issued a deportation order for Cesar Perez, a prominent Spokane protest figure and Venezuelan asylum seeker, setting off a tight legal timeline and a fresh wave of concern among supporters. The decision, handed down on August 20, 2025, means Perez must file an appeal by September 19, 2025 or face removal from the United States.
The order comes two months after his high-profile detention by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), which drew large crowds into downtown Spokane and prompted ongoing legal and political fallout.
Immediate legal choice and timeline
Perez’s legal team now faces a clear choice:
- File an appeal to the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) by September 19, 2025 — this would pause the deportation while the case is reviewed.
- Do not appeal — in which case ICE can move forward with the deportation order.
Perez had been in the middle of his asylum process and, according to supporters, had complied with every requirement, including regular check-ins.
How the case entered public view
The case erupted into public view on June 11, when ICE detained Perez during a routine appointment. The detention triggered immediate demonstrations in Spokane, where many knew him from his role in local protests and community events.
- Police made over 30 arrests during those demonstrations.
- Federal prosecutors later brought cases against nine individuals, actions that further split public opinion and drew calls for restraint from city leaders.
Aging out of protections and the road to detention
Perez’s path to a deportation order began with a change in his legal protection. He had been under the Special Immigrant Juvenile (SIJ) program, which helps young people who have been abused, abandoned, or neglected. Former Spokane City Council President Ben Stuckart served as his legal guardian under that program.
- Perez turned 21 on June 11, 2025, and aged out of SIJ that same day.
- With that birthday came the sudden loss of key protections, including his work permit, and the detention that followed.
Supporters say Perez entered the country legally and was following the asylum steps required by the government. They note he had a future immigration court date originally set for 2026 and that he had appeared for all prior check-ins. The June 11 detention happened during one of those check-ins.
Stuckart, who tried to attend as Perez’s guardian, was turned away at the door and learned about the detention afterward.
Perez was detained alongside another asylum seeker, Joswar Slater Rodriguez Torres, a Colombian national who has his own case. Torres has a separate individual hearing scheduled for August 22, 2025, which will decide his immediate legal path.
Both men had found work and community support in Spokane, including help from Latinos en Spokane, a local organization that arranged legal assistance. Perez has been represented by a contract attorney through that group.
Community response and legal stakes
The government’s move set off days of protest in Spokane. Police and federal officials said they had to keep public order as tensions rose. Many demonstrators, however, viewed the arrests and later federal charges as an overstep.
- Among those arrested was Ben Stuckart, who has since faced federal charges tied to the protests.
- Former Spokane County Commissioner Shelly O’Quinn, who sponsored Torres, voiced shock and concern for both men in custody.
Spokane Mayor Lisa Brown condemned the detentions and the federal response, calling it a “perversion of our justice system” and urging stronger legal pathways for people seeking safety.
Legal advocates, including Camerina Zorrozua of The Way to Justice, said the community had worked hard to support due process and warned that heavy enforcement could scare others away from following the rules. According to advocates, the handling of Perez and Torres risks sending a message that even people who appear, check in, and wait for their hearings can be detained and removed without warning.
The broader debate now stretches beyond Spokane. Perez’s case underscores the gap that can open when a young person ages out of SIJ at 21, losing protections before an asylum claim is fully resolved. Advocates say the result is a sudden shift from stability to risk of removal, even for people who have complied with requirements.
- VisaVerge.com reports that cases involving young adults who age out of SIJ often expose these gaps, putting added pressure on families, sponsors, and local support networks.
Key takeaway: Aging out of SIJ at 21 can instantly remove protections and create immediate removal risk — even for those who have followed all procedures.
What happens next — deadlines and resources
Perez has one short-term lifeline: an appeal to the BIA by September 19, 2025. If filed on time, that appeal will halt the deportation order while the BIA reviews the judge’s decision. If no appeal is filed, ICE can carry out the removal.
For official information on immigration appeals, readers can consult the Executive Office for Immigration Review’s BIA page at the U.S. Department of Justice: https://www.justice.gov/eoir/board-of-immigration-appeals.
Contact information:
– ICE Seattle Field Office: 1-888-351-4024
– EOIR information line: 703-605-1007
Torres’s separate hearing on August 22, 2025 will also be closely watched. While his case is different, local attorneys say the outcome could shape how other pending cases in the region are handled this year. Both men’s sponsors and supporters continue to press for transparency and for time to make their arguments in court.
Local ripple effects and ongoing proceedings
The detentions have had strong ripple effects in Spokane. Latinos en Spokane and other groups have rallied around families hit by sudden status changes. Faith leaders, students, and small business owners have joined in.
At the same time, federal cases against protest organizers are moving ahead into late 2025. That legal track will keep the spotlight on Spokane and on the balance between immigration enforcement and protected protest.
For Perez, the next few weeks are decisive:
- He must work with his attorney to file the appeal in time and keep his case intact while the BIA reviews the judge’s removal order.
- Supporters say he has kept every appointment and stayed in regular touch with authorities since he arrived, arguing the deportation order ignores that track record.
- Federal officials point to the judge’s decision and the need to enforce the law as written.
Questions on the table
As the clock runs down, these questions are central:
- Can an appeal keep Perez in the country while his asylum case moves forward?
- Will the BIA view the loss of SIJ protections at age 21 as a hard line or as a factor warranting relief?
- What will Torres’s hearing reveal about how similar cases might be handled in the coming months?
For now, the timeline is clear:
– Removal order: August 20, 2025
– Appeal deadline: September 19, 2025
– Torres’s hearing: August 22, 2025
The outcomes will shape not just two men’s futures, but also how Spokane talks about immigration, enforcement, and community trust in the months ahead.
This Article in a Nutshell
A Tacoma judge ordered Cesar Perez’s deportation on August 20, 2025. Aging out of SIJ at 21 triggered detention. Supporters, legal teams and Latinos en Spokane scramble to file a BIA appeal by September 19, 2025, which would pause removal while the case undergoes judicial review and public scrutiny.
