Eustaquio Orozco Verdusco

Synopsis

Eustaquio Orozco Verdusco, who goes by "Paco," was abducted by federal immigration agents on the morning of January 9, 2026, on his way to work shortly after leaving his home in Coon Rapids, Minnesota, as part of the Trump administration's "Operation Metro Surge." He is a workers' rights organizer with CTUL, a Minneapolis worker center that has mobilized against ICE abductions of construction workers; he has been central to efforts that recovered over $6 million in stolen wages and played a critical role in Minnesota's first successfully prosecuted labor trafficking case in construction. After his abduction he was sent to Camp East Montana in El Paso, where he was denied video calls with his lawyers at least three times; the facility has been accused of violent assault, poor conditions, and food shortages, and guards there recently killed a Cuban immigrant by choking him. He was later transferred to the Cibola County Correctional Center in New Mexico, run by CoreCivic. On February 5, 2026, a federal judge in the District of Minnesota denied and dismissed his habeas corpus petition; the judge ruled that immigrants who arrive without inspection fall under mandatory detention and are not entitled to a bond hearing. His attorney says he now faces the choice of fighting for release from detention (e.g., a new habeas petition in New Mexico) or leaving the country and potentially being barred from returning to his family for 10 years. A petition demanding his immediate release and to stop his deportation has gathered thousands of signatures.

Key takeaways

From court records, news reporting, and linked sources below.

1. Eustaquio Orozco Verdusco ('Paco') was abducted by federal immigration agents on January 9, 2026, on his way to work from his home in Coon Rapids, Minnesota, as part of Operation Metro Surge.
2. He is a workers' rights organizer with CTUL, LCLAA, and the Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee; his work has helped recover over $6 million in stolen wages and was crucial to Minnesota's first successfully prosecuted labor trafficking case in construction.
3. He was first sent to Camp East Montana in El Paso, where he was denied video calls with his lawyers at least three times; the facility has been accused of violence, poor conditions, and food shortages; a guard there recently killed a Cuban immigrant by choking.
4. He is currently held at the Cibola County Correctional Center in New Mexico, run by CoreCivic.
5. On February 5, 2026, Judge Paul A. Magnuson (D. Minn.) denied his habeas corpus petition, ruling that immigrants who arrive without inspection fall under mandatory detention with no bond hearing; his attorney said most Minnesota judges have been granting bond hearings or release.
6. He must choose between continuing to fight for release from detention or leaving the country and facing a potential 10-year bar from returning to his family.
7. His son described picking up his father's car after the abduction: 'It was just eerie to have to get in the car, drive it back to my house, knowing that I don't know when I'm going to be seeing my dad again.'
8. He had just bought his first home in the suburbs the previous summer after a lifetime as a carpenter; his family and community have mounted a campaign for his release, with a petition with thousands of signatures.
9. CTUL co-director Merle Payne: 'The Trump administration is using the excuse of chasing fraud and who they refer to as criminals and that's not actually what's happening.'
10. Article is from In These Times and Workday Magazine (Feb 6, 2026).

Reference links

• In These Times — Worker Organizer Abducted By Federal Agents in Minnesota↗

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