Bronx cook denied fair bond hearing after judge rushed his case in Newark
Feb 11, 2026Newark, NJMexico
Immigration Judge Shana Chen denied a bond hearing to Elmer Gonzalez Altamirano, a Mexican immigrant and Bronx restaurant cook with no criminal record who has lived in the U.S. for 20 years and supports his ailing wife and five U.S.-citizen children. Chen falsely blamed his attorney for late-filed evidence and denied his bond request despite a federal judge's order that he receive a hearing within seven days. Federal courts later ruled that Chen's rushed hearings, including this one, violated the constitutional right to due process for people held at the Delaney Hall Detention Facility.