March 13, 2025, El Paso, Texas — Las Americas Immigrant Advocacy Center, the Center for Constitutional Rights, and Texas A&M School of Law Civil Rights Clinic submitted a petition for a writ of habeas corpus to the Western District Court of Texas in El Paso today on behalf of a 22-year-old woman from Iran who has been detained at the El Paso Service Processing Center (EPSPC) for over two years. 

A petition for a writ of habeas corpus allows people detained to challenge the legality of their confinement. In this case, Melika Mohammadi Gazvar Olya, the petitioner, fled Iran after the morality police attacked her and her family because she participated in protests against mandatory hijab laws. Despite her strong case, the immigration court denied Melika asylum. She has now been detained in EPSPC for nearly 19 months since the immigration judge ordered her removal. The petition can be viewed here. 

“The officers here all know me, and they say that I’ve been in detention forever. But that’s not true. No one is going to be in detention forever. When I think about the day that I will be released, that makes me calm down,” said Melika, the petitioner detained in El Paso Processing Center. “I’m young, I want to study to be a doctor and go after my dreams. That is not possible in my home country. I didn’t choose to come here, I was forced to leave my country or risk being killed. I will continue to defend women’s rights whether I’m here or in Iran.”

“Across the country, people are being held in abhorrent conditions and indefinite detention. Immigration officials have proven time and time again to be unable and unwilling to prioritize the health and safety of the women, mothers, fathers, children, and families that make up the people in their care. El Paso Processing Center and the case of Melika is no different,” said Zoe Bowman, Supervising Attorney with Las Americas Immigrant Advocacy Center. “We urge that ICE release our client from custody immediately.” 

“Melika came to the United States seeking refuge, not punishment. Yet, like many others in ICE detention, she continues to be caged in an overcrowded facility with deplorable conditions and a well-documented history of civil rights abuses,” said Ayla Kadah, staff attorney and Justice Fellow at the Center for Constitutional Rights. “No one should be held indefinitely due to bureaucratic failures or political obstacles beyond their control. We demand that ICE release our client immediately, as is required under legal precedent and the Constitution.” 

For more information, visit the Center for Constitutional Rights case page.

Las Americas Immigrant Advocacy Center is a 501(c)(3) non-profit providing high-quality legal services to low-income immigrants. Since its founding in 1987, Las Americas has served close to 60,000 persons, with a strong focus on women, children, families, the LGBTQ community and asylum seekers.