A San Francisco drag queen who was detained by the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for three months has been released and granted asylum.

Hilary Rivers was born in El Salvador and raised in Guatemala, and was working as a drag queen in San Francisco when she was arrested by ICE agents outside an immigration court on June 26, 2025.

A day prior to her detention, she competed in the Miss and Mr Safe pageant, which celebrates San Francisco’s LGBTQ+ Latinx communities.

The next day, Rivers attended what she thought was a routine immigration check and had been warned by friends not to attend. However, as she told El Tecolote, she went to the courthouse with a lawyer as she wanted to “do things right”.

After a judge informed Rivers that they would need more time to review her case, ICE pushed her against the wall and restrained her hands and feet. Her lawyer attempted to intervene but was unable to help.

ICE then took Rivers to the San Francisco ICE Field Office before transferring her to the Golden State Annex Detention Centre in McFarland, California.

Rivers remained in this detention centre for three months. There, she was subject to overcrowded, cold conditions and had to stand for long periods as there was not enough room in the cells to sit.

Rivers also says she disclosed that she was a member of the LGBTQ+ community, but did not receive any protection from violence or harassment. She reported two incidents of harassment to staff who promised an investigation.

However, as Rivers told El Tecolote, paperwork regarding the report was inconsistent with her own details and “nothing changed”.

Rivers was granted asylum on September 20 and has since been recovering from the ordeal. She has launched a fundraiser, as during detention, she lost her home, car, employment and sustained an injury. Her mother also suffered a stress-related medical emergency, which has put Rivers further in debt.