This article was produced in partnership with El Tecolote.
San Francisco drag queen Hilary Rivers has been released from the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody and is back home in San Francisco after being granted asylum in the United States on September 20.
In an exclusive interview, Rivers spoke to El Tecolote and 48 Hills about the violence she endured in detention and the long legal fight that brought her back to San Francisco.
“A few days before my court date, friends warned me not to appear because people were being picked up,” said Rivers. “But I wanted to do things right. I knew if I didn’t show up, I could get an automatic deportation order. So I went to court with my lawyer.”
On June 26, just a day after being named runner-up at the 30th Annual Miss & Mr. Safe Latino pageant created by Instituto Familiar de la Raza in response to the HIV epidemic, Rivers was detained by ICE outside of immigration court.
Born in El Salvador and raised in Guatemala, Rivers fled to the United States in 2023 to seek asylum after surviving an assassination attempt and repeated attacks for being openly gay.
“I survived an assassination attempt and many attacks. I left for Mexico first, hoping to stay there, but violence followed me,” said Rivers. “Eventually, I moved to San Francisco for work. Here, I finally felt accepted for who I am.”
What she thought would be a regular check-in appointment became an immigrant’s worst fear when she got detained by ICE. This came after the judge said they would need more time to review the case on June 26. That’s when ICE agents came up to her.
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“Officers asked my name. I stayed quiet. My lawyer also didn’t answer. They seemed to understand I was the person they wanted.” said Rivers. “They grabbed me, pushed me against the wall, and shackled me. My lawyer tried to intervene, but they pushed him aside. They put my hands and feet in chains. I’ve never been arrested before. It was terrifying.”
Rivers was taken first to the San Francisco ICE Field Office and then transferred to the Golden State Annex detention center in McFarland, California, where she spent nearly three months. She described being held in freezing, overcrowded cells.
“We had to stand for hours because there was no space to sit, no air, and we were freezing,” she said.
Last month, a coalition of immigrant rights organizations filed a class-action lawsuit against the Trump administration, challenging courthouse arrests of asylum-seekers and the conditions inside ICE’s San Francisco Field Office. The lawsuit alleges that immigrants are sometimes held there for days in “punitive and inhumane” conditions while awaiting transfer to detention centers.
Despite informing staff that she was part of the LGBTQ community, Rivers said there was no protection from harassment or sexual violence.
“Staff didn’t protect me. One person came into my room when the door was locked, and another time I woke up to someone touching me,” she said. “I reported it using the tablet system and spoke to staff. They told me there would be an ’investigation,’ but nothing changed. Later I saw paperwork that didn’t match where I actually was housed, as if units were mislabeled.”
After months in detention, Rivers was granted asylum and released on Saturday, September 20th. Since returning home, she’s been recovering from the physical and emotional trauma she endured.
“I learned I’d lost almost everything, housing and belongings. Some documents were missing. I’m starting from zero. Physically, I still need surgery on my leg, which got worse during detention. But I’m free, and that gives me strength.”
An online fundraising campaign has been launched to help Rivers rebuild her life and cover medical costs.
Despite everything, Rivers said she refuses to give up.
“We have to fight for our dreams. I paid a high price, but nothing is impossible. Don’t let them break you. Don’t sign things you don’t understand. Know your rights. We all have the same worth, no matter where we’re from.”
El Tecolote reached out to ICE for comment, but officials said they could not respond without personal case details that Hilary declined to share for safety reasons.
