Drag Artist Hilary Rivers Returns to the Stage After Enduring ICE Detention

Hilary Rivers, a San Francisco drag artist who was arrested by ICE during Pride month, makes her return to the stage on Friday, Nov. 7 at Oakland’s White Horse for a performance that doubles as a fundraiser as she rebuilds her life.

Born in El Salvador and raised in Guatemala, Rivers came to San Francisco as an asylum seeker fleeing persecution for her LGBTQ+ identity. The day after she placed second in Miss & Mr. Safe Latino, a long-running pageant presented by Instituto Familiar de la Raza, ICE agents arrested her at a routine immigration appointment.

In a recent interview with El Tecolote and 48 Hills, Rivers recounted her harrowing three months in immigration detention at the Golden State Annex detention center in McFarland, California, where she was kept in a freezing cold cell so overcrowded that people had to take turns sitting down. She said she experienced sexual abuse while behind bars, and survived an injury that now requires surgery.

Rivers was granted asylum and returned home to San Francisco on Sept. 20. Now, the drag community is rallying around her as she works to bounce back physically, emotionally and financially.

“I learned I’d lost almost everything, housing and belongings,” she told El Tecolote reporter Emma Lorraine Garcia. “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.”

At White Horse, a nearly 100-year-old queer bar in North Oakland, Rivers will take the stage at a party called Caballo Blanco Against ICE. Joining her will be drag artists Xochitl and Tori Tia, plus DJ Deft behind the decks.

The show is organized by Chillonas, a queer Latine party in San Francisco that’s been sharing immigration resources and protest information, and Sabes Que, a Latine and Indigenous queer artist collective.

Rivers also has a GoFundMe to cover moving expenses, lost income and basic necessities as she recovers from surgery.

Hilary Rivers, Xochitl and Tori Tia perform as part of Caballo Blanco Against ICE on Friday, Nov. 7 at the White Horse (6551 Telegraph Avenue, Oakland). Tickets and more information here.