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Pregnant Kenyan asylum seeker detained by ICE during USCIS interview, later released

Sep 16, 2026·Location: Tukwila, WA

Country of origin: Kenya

Pregnant Kenyan asylum seeker detained by ICE during USCIS interview, later released
Photo via Seattle Times

Cece Mokua, a 29-year-old pregnant Kenyan asylum applicant living in Spokane with her husband, Humphrey Oyoo, and their 1-year-old son, was detained by ICE agents while attending what she believed was a scheduled asylum interview with USCIS in Tukwila, WA, after the couple traveled five hours from Spokane. While Oyoo was delayed at a ground-floor metal detector with their child's stroller, Mokua was called upstairs, led into a separate room by an unidentified officer who did not show documents, and taken out a back door; Oyoo waited for hours unaware she had already been transferred to the Northwest ICE Processing Center in Tacoma. She said she experienced contractions and a migraine in custody, was given only a doctor's note for a bottom bunk, and was released after roughly 36 hours without explanation for either her detention or release. She remains in deportation proceedings with an ankle monitor and a scheduled ICE check-in in Spokane; ICE has since pointed to a 2023 traffic stop in which she was charged with driving under the influence as a basis for the arrest. Mokua came to the U.S. legally as a teenager fleeing female genital mutilation but later fell out of legal status. Supporters, including the Northwest Immigrant Rights Project and Defend Migrants Alliance, said ICE has used USCIS appointments as a basis for similar arrests in other cases.

Timeline

Sep 16, 2026—Mokua released after about 36 hours in custody without explanation, remaining in deportation proceedings with an ankle monitor
Sep 15, 2026—Mokua held overnight in holding cells before being transferred to the Northwest ICE Processing Center in Tacoma, where she experienced contractions and a migraine
Sep 14, 2026—Cece Mokua detained by ICE agents while attending a scheduled asylum interview with USCIS in Tukwila, WA, and separated from her husband and son
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