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66-year-old Colombian asylum seeker detained buying coffee, shackled and sent to Texas

Sep 4, 2026·Location: Tacoma, WA

Country of origin: Colombia

66-year-old Colombian asylum seeker detained buying coffee, shackled and sent to Texas
Photo via Instagram

Zoilo Viloria, a 66-year-old Colombian asylum seeker who worked in building maintenance in Tacoma, Washington, was detained by ICE agents in a McDonald's parking lot while stopping for coffee on his way to work. His daughter, Stephany Viloria, said agents had been scanning license plates to check drivers' immigration status and took her father away in handcuffs after he nervously handed over his documents. She described him as a hardworking man with no criminal record, not even a traffic infraction, who entered the U.S. legally in 2018 on a tourist visa and later filed for asylum after receiving threats in Colombia tied to his work in the transportation business. He held a valid work permit and driver's license and paid taxes while his asylum case was pending. Days after his arrest, he was transferred, shackled at the hands and feet, to a detention facility in El Paso, Texas, where he has struggled with cold conditions and uncertainty about his care. His daughter posted a video denouncing the arrest, drawing attention to the case.

Timeline

Sep 4, 2026—Transferred, shackled at hands and feet, to an ICE detention facility in El Paso, Texas
Sep 2, 2026—Zoilo Viloria detained by ICE agents in a Tacoma, Washington McDonald's parking lot while buying coffee
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