Hilary Rivers, the San Francisco drag queen who was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for nearly three months, is now back at home and ready to talk about her experience.Rivers was released on September 20 after being detained by ICE on June 26 outside immigration court. In an interview with bilingual independent news publication El Tecolote, she spoke about being taken into custody and then held in a California detention center for weeks. First, she described how her friends had warned her not to go to the court date, which she believed was a routine appointment related to her asylum claim. A few days before my court date, friends warned me not to appear because people were being picked up, Rivers, who was born in El Salvador and raised in Guatemala, told El Tecolote. But I wanted to do things right. I knew if I didnt show up, I could get an automatic deportation order. So I went to court with my lawyer.Under President Donald Trump's crackdown on immigration, ICE agents began waiting outside immigration courts in the Bay Area this summer to detain people, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. But Rivers was completely caught off guard by officers approaching her right after the judge said they would need more time to review her case. This was the day after she competed in the 30th annual Miss & Mr. Safe Latino pageant, which was founded to bring awareness to issues affecting the LGBTQ+ community."Officers asked my name. I stayed quiet. My lawyer also didnt answer. They seemed to understand I was the person they wanted," Rivers said. "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. Ive never been arrested before. It was terrifying."Rivers spent nearly three months at the Golden State Annex detention center in McFarland, California, where she said she and other detainees "had to stand for hours because there was no space to sit, no air, and we were freezing." Rivers also told El Tecolote that there were no safeguards against harassment or sexual violence, and that the "staff didn't protect" her."One person came into my room when the door was locked, and another time I woke up to someone touching me," she told the publication. "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 didnt match where I actually was housed, as if units were mislabeled."Rivers was finally granted asylum and released near the end of September, but when she returned home, she realized the ordeal was far from over. "I learned I'd lost almost everything, housing and belongings. Some documents were missing," she said. "I'm starting from zero. Despite everything shes been through the last few months, and the long road ahead rebuilding her finances and recovering from a preexisting injury that got worse during her detention, Rivers is grateful to be free. She also remains determined to improve her situation and advocate for others now that she has been granted asylum."We have to fight for our dreams," she told El Tecolote. "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."A GoFundMe campaign is currently raising money for her.