Human Impact Project

A Venezuelan citizen who entered the U.S. on a B-2 visa in 2016 and filed for asylum within one year was detained by ICE on April 2, 2026 when she appeared for her scheduled asylum interview at the Los Angeles Asylum Office in Tustin, California. Despite maintaining lawful employment and having no criminal history over nine years, the interview was not conducted and she was instead transported to the Adelanto ICE Processing Center. The court granted her temporary restraining order application, ordering that she receive an individualized bond hearing within three days.

Kaleth, a 2-year-old boy, was detained at Dilley Immigration Processing Center in Texas after his entire family reported to a routine ICE check-in appointment in California in March 2026. The family had never missed a required immigration appointment since seeking asylum in 2024. Kaleth's father was handcuffed and transferred to an adult detention facility in California, while Kaleth and his mother Joani were transported over 1,000 miles away to Dilley. Separated from his father, Kaleth became despondent and stopped eating for 12 days; facility staff attributed his refusal to eat to depression. When his mother tried to force him to eat, he vomited and eventually stopped having bowel movements. After two weeks in detention, ICE released Kaleth and his mother in April following legal intervention, reuniting them with his father. His legal representative reported that Kaleth had not eaten solid food during his entire detention; in the car from the airport, he devoured four packets of applesauce and has since recovered.

The Colibrí Center for Human Rights' DNA database, which helped identify remains of missing migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border for a decade, has been inaccessible since fall 2024. The nonprofit's website has gone dark and communications ceased, leaving families like that of Irma Carrillo Nevares without hope of identifying their missing relatives. Arizona moved to dissolve the organization in December 2025 due to unfiled paperwork.

A 51-year-old Nicaraguan asylum seeker was re-detained by ICE on April 1, 2026, during a routine check-in appointment after living in the community for nearly three and a half years in full compliance with release conditions. She had no criminal history and was lawfully employed while her asylum application remained pending. The court ordered her immediate release, finding her detention without notice or hearing violated due process rights.

Melona fled Eritrea and sought asylum in the United States but was deported to Panama under a formal U.S. government agreement, a country where she has no ties and speaks no language. She was held in a hotel with hundreds of other migrants and asylum seekers without explanation or information about her future. The U.S. government is conducting deportation flights to Panama and Costa Rica as part of formal policy agreements. Melona's case represents a systemic pattern rather than an isolated incident.

A Honduran citizen who entered the U.S. as a minor in 2016 and lived freely for nearly 10 years was re-detained by ICE on April 1, 2026 while fishing. The government detained him under a new interpretation of immigration law without finding he was a flight risk or danger to the community. The federal court ordered his immediate release, ruling his detention unlawful.

An Armenian asylum seeker is a citizen and national of Armenia who entered the United States on July 17, 2021 and filed an asylum application that remains pending before immigration courts. He has complied with all immigration proceedings, appeared for hearings, maintained residence in California, operated a lawful business, and established substantial ties to the community. On April 1, 2026, ICE officers detained him at a courthouse in Burbank, California where he appeared for a criminal hearing, and he has remained in custody at Adelanto Detention Facility since that date. He sought a Temporary Restraining Order for his immediate release or a constitutionally adequate bond hearing, alleging his continued detention violates the Fifth Amendment and bears no reasonable relation to any legitimate civil immigration purpose. The respondents did not oppose the relief and acknowledged he is a member of the Bond Eligible Class in Bautista v. Santacruz, entitling him to an individualized bond hearing. The court granted the TRO and ordered that he must receive an individualized bond hearing within 3 days, or be released within 4 days, with the government bearing the burden of proving by clear and convincing evidence whether he poses a flight risk or danger to the public.

In December 2025, Axel Sanchez Toledo called 911 in Palm Beach County, Florida requesting a welfare check on his daughter. A sheriff's deputy who was part of the county's 287(g) Task Force with ICE accused Toledo of being undocumented, detained him, and used physical force when he attempted to flee. Toledo, who had a pending asylum case, was arrested and held in jail for four months on resisting arrest charges before being transferred to ICE custody facing deportation.

K, a 23-year-old man, fled Belarus after being stalked and threatened for participating in political rallies opposing the government. After the CBP One system was shut down and being extorted in Mexico, he crossed onto U.S. soil and walked toward a port of entry in South Texas, where Border Patrol arrested him and ignored his asylum request. His phone containing persecution evidence was confiscated and never returned. He was shackled and secretly flown to Costa Rica without being told the destination.

Ali and Adel, an Iranian gay couple in their late 30s and early 40s, fled Iran in 2021 after being arrested by Iran's morality police for their relationship. They entered the United States at the El Paso, Texas border in early 2025 seeking asylum, but their claims were denied. The men are now separated in ICE detention facilities—Ali in Arizona and Adel near El Paso—facing deportation under a Trump administration policy reversing decades of allowing Iranians fleeing persecution to remain in the country. Adel has suffered severe organ damage and medical deterioration in detention, including significant weight loss and fainting episodes. Court orders have so far prevented their deportation, though both men have been moved to deportation staging facilities multiple times, and the Trump administration has not clarified whether deportation flights to Iran will resume.

Isaias, an asylee, was detained by ICE during a routine immigration check-in meeting earlier this year. He was the primary source of financial support for his elderly mother Rosa, who is now unable to work and needs assistance with rent and phone bills.

A Honduran citizen who has lived in the United States for over twenty years. He is married and the father of United States citizen children, has maintained steady employment, filed federal income tax returns for many years, owns a home, and has no criminal history. He filed an application for asylum on July 14, 2023, which remains pending. On March 30, 2026, ICE arrested him at his residence in Fort Pierce, Florida, served him a Notice to Appear, and initiated removal proceedings; he has been detained ever since at the Aurora ICE Processing Center. He requested a custody redetermination hearing, which Immigration Judge Masters denied without addressing danger or flight risk. He filed a habeas corpus petition and a motion for a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction seeking immediate release or a new bond hearing before a different judge. The court found he was improperly detained under 8 U.S.C. § 1225(b)(2) because that provision applies only to noncitizens seeking admission at the border, not those residing in the interior. The court granted the habeas petition and ordered his immediate release on his own recognizance without onerous conditions, enjoined his re-detention absent a compliant bond hearing, and denied the TRO motion as moot.

Rudy Villeda Mejía, a 47-year-old Honduran roofing business owner who has lived in Washington state since 2010 after being kidnapped and held for ransom by Los Zetas cartel members, was arrested by ICE at Denver International Airport on March 30, 2025. He had attended routine immigration check-ins for years without incident and had a pending T visa application as a trafficking victim, which his attorney argued was his only lawful path to remain with his U.S. citizen wife, Mabel Shaffer, and her three children. During roughly four months in ICE custody in Aurora, Colorado, his health declined, including worsening Bell's palsy symptoms, back pain, and weight loss, while the family's roofing business lost contracts and his wife struggled to manage it alone. A federal judge initially denied his habeas petition, but later ordered his release under a court order barring detention of pending T visa applicants; ICE had already transferred him to Louisiana and released him there without his ID, passport, or work permit. His wife flew to Louisiana to drive him home, and his stepson said he immediately returned to work at the family business.

An asylum seeker from Iran was re-detained on March 30, 2026, during a routine ICE check-in appointment after being previously released on recognizance in December 2023. ICE detained him solely because he had not been granted lawful status to remain in the U.S., despite having no criminal record and complying with all release conditions. The court found his detention violated due process and ordered his immediate release.

On March 28, 2026, a charter deportation flight carrying several dozen Russian citizens departed from Alexandria, Louisiana, and arrived in Moscow on March 29 via Newark and Cairo. The deportees were gathered from five or six immigration detention centers across the United States. Human rights advocates reported harsh transfer conditions including shackles and extended periods without seating. Some deportees faced FSB questioning upon arrival, and human rights organizations noted concerns about potential Kremlin reprisals against returnees, including those who had opposed the invasion of Ukraine.

Johnny Rondón Rodríguez, a Venezuelan with a pending asylum case and brain tumor, was pulled over on Interstate 75 and detained despite having no criminal charges. He was held in Orange County jail for 25 days without receiving his medication to treat the tumor, violating ICE guidelines limiting such holds to three days. A federal judge granted his immediate release after a federal prosecutor declined to argue for continued detention.

Suraj Vasal, an Indian national seeking asylum, was arrested by ICE agents on February 11, 2026, while driving a commercial truck at a weigh station near Mitchellville, Iowa, as part of "Operation ICE Wall," a joint operation between the Iowa State Patrol and ICE targeting commercial drivers near Interstate 80. Vasal was detained and held in Polk County Jail. Federal court records indicate ICE and the Iowa State Patrol were collaborating to check drivers' legal status at weigh stations. A federal judge ruled that the government violated Vasal's due process rights by conducting his bond hearing with only 30 minutes' notice and denying him adequate time to obtain legal representation, finding the agencies acted in bad faith. Vasal sued the federal government over the alleged violations of his rights.

A Venezuelan asylum-seeker who fled political persecution and entered the United States in September 2023. On January 30, 2024, she applied for admission at the Nogales, Arizona port of entry, was charged with inadmissibility, and was paroled for two years. During her parole, she was authorized to work, support her family living in the United States, and filed an asylum application. On March 26, 2026, she was arrested by Utah law enforcement based on an outstanding warrant for a domestic violence matter that was ultimately resolved without charges or conviction. She was then transferred to Department of Homeland Security custody and transported to California City Detention Center. On May 19, 2026, she filed a petition for writ of habeas corpus challenging her re-detention without a bond hearing. The court granted her petition, finding she has a protected liberty interest in her release and is entitled to a pre-deprivation bond hearing before re-detention can be justified.

Deiver Henao Jimenez, a 9-year-old asylum-seeker from Colombia, was detained at the Dilley Immigration Processing Center in South Texas with his parents beginning in early March after a routine immigration check-in. Community activists launched advocacy efforts calling for his release so he could return to school and compete in his state spelling bee. After pleading during a video call with children's entertainer Ms. Rachel, ICE released the family on humanitarian parole in late March, allowing Deiver to attend the competition.

A Colombian woman working as an Uber driver was detained by ICE in Florida despite having a pending asylum case, a valid driver's license, and work authorization. Her family reports constant transfers, lack of information about her whereabouts, poor detention conditions, and concerns about potential deportation while the family remains separated.

Alicia Luna Flores, her husband Juan Alberto Baquera Santoyo, and their 12-year-old daughter Melanie were deported to Mexico on March 23 after arriving at an ICE office in Camarillo expecting to have their ankle monitors removed. Luna, who had worked as a house cleaner, and Baquera, who worked as a day laborer, had crossed the border eight years earlier and applied for asylum with their then 5-year-old daughter. Melanie attended Mesa Verde Middle School in Moorpark and dreamed of becoming a professional soccer player. The family was given no specific reason for the deportation except a reference to a missed court date that Luna said she was unaware of. They were transported to Tijuana and eventually relocated to Mexico, leaving behind their 3-year-old U.S.-born son Aaron in the care of relatives.

A 38-year-old Mexican national who entered the U.S. illegally in 2003 was detained by immigration authorities during a traffic stop in Fountain Valley, California on March 23, 2026. He has been held at Adelanto detention facility without a bond hearing despite having a pending asylum application, being married to a U.S. citizen, and having an American citizen son. The court granted a temporary restraining order requiring immigration authorities to provide him with an individualized bond hearing within 14 days.

A Venezuelan citizen entered the U.S. on June 21, 2022, was initially detained by immigration authorities, then released on his own recognizance on June 24, 2022. He was re-detained by ICE on March 22, 2026, without notice of the reason for his re-detention or opportunity to contest it. The court granted his habeas corpus petition and ordered his immediate release, finding that his re-detention without notice and hearing violated due process.

An activist Instagram post calls for the release of Ender Cardenas Chacon and other people granted asylum from Karnes ICE detention center. The post urges followers to contact the Department of Homeland Security and Congress to demand their release.

Estefany Rodríguez Flórez, a reporter for Nashville Noticias covering Spanish-language news, was arrested by ICE agents on March 4, 2026, during a traffic stop in South Nashville while her husband was dropping off their daughter at a bus stop. A Colombian citizen who entered the U.S. legally on a tourist visa in 2021, Rodríguez had fled Colombia after receiving threats for reporting on militant groups and was awaiting asylum approval. She also had pending green card applications through marriage to a U.S. citizen. ICE cited her as a flight risk for missing two meetings, though her attorney stated ICE could not locate any record of a scheduled appointment despite multiple inquiries. During her 16-day detention across facilities in Alabama and Louisiana, she reported difficult conditions including forced chemical washing, isolation, and limited access to legal assistance. An immigration judge granted her release on bond on March 16, 2026, and she was released on March 20 after a $10,000 bond was paid. Her legal team filed federal court petitions challenging the arrest as warrantless and alleging violations of her First, Fourth, and Fifth Amendment rights, including allegations of retaliation for her critical reporting on ICE enforcement activities.

Misslenys Hernandez Zabala, a Venezuelan asylum seeker with a valid work permit, was detained by ICE on March 20, 2026, while on her way to work in Nashville. She is nursing her 10-month-old son, Maximiliano, who is a U.S. citizen, and also cares for a 12-year-old daughter and 9-year-old niece. Her partner said ICE agents asked her in Spanish where the baby was as she screamed about her son during the detention. The family came to the U.S. in 2021 seeking asylum and has attended all required court dates, with their next hearing scheduled for 2028. Advocates brought the baby to DHS offices requesting her release, but ICE refused, stating that breastfeeding is not grounds for release.

Igor Babkin, a Russian art teacher who fled political persecution, entered the U.S. legally under humanitarian parole in 2024 and was released under supervision. On February 3, 2026, ICE detained him during a routine annual check-in appointment despite his legal status and prior release. Held at the South Texas ICE Processing Center in Pearsall for approximately six weeks, Babkin's attorney challenged the detention as violating due process rights. On March 17, 2026, U.S. District Judge Orlando Garcia ordered Babkin's release, finding that ICE had violated his due process rights by reversing its earlier discretionary decision to release him without providing individualized assessment or evidence of changed circumstances. Babkin was released on March 20, 2026.

Three people were detained during an ICE raid on a South Burlington home on March 11, 2026. The detainees were Daysi Camila Patin Patin, 20, from Ecuador; her sister Jisella Johana Patin Patin; and Cristian Humberto Jerez Andrade. None of the three were named in the warrant that authorized the raid. Following federal court hearings, all three were ordered released by a judge, with Daysi Camila Patin Patin's release ordered on March 20, 2026.

U.S. District Judge Rebecca Goodgame Ebinger ruled that ICE unlawfully detained asylum seeker Andrei Bankevich from Belarus in Muscatine County Jail for over a year and that federal officials violated his due process rights by refusing to release him without a court order.

Jose Valera Vera, a medical assistant at a Memphis clinic, was detained by ICE after traveling to Nashville for an immigration hearing. Vera, a former doctor from Venezuela seeking political asylum, was taken into custody at the hearing despite having a pending petition filed by his wife, who is a permanent resident. He has since been transferred to a facility in Mason, Tennessee.

A 21-year-old Indian citizen entered the U.S. without inspection in June 2024 and was released on his own recognizance with removal proceedings pending. He complied with all release conditions and filed for asylum. Immigration authorities re-detained him on March 19, 2026, without notice or opportunity for a hearing. The court granted his habeas petition and ordered his immediate release, finding the government violated his due process rights.

Cristian Humberto Jerez Andrade, a 31-year-old Honduran national, was detained during an ICE raid on March 11, 2026, at a South Burlington residence. ICE agents had a search warrant for the property but Jerez Andrade's name was not on it; they were searching for another individual who was not present. He was held at Northwest State Correctional Facility for approximately one week before an immigration judge granted him release on a $10,000 bond on March 19-20, 2026. Jerez Andrade has not been charged with a crime, though deportation proceedings have been initiated against him.

A Venezuelan man with a U.S. citizen son was detained at the Northwest Detention Center in Tacoma, Washington, despite having been previously released by ICE. Court records indicate ICE reassessed his tattoos as a basis for re-detention. He was among at least 16 asylum seekers released by federal court order after successful litigation challenging their detention.

A former career public servant from Afghanistan who fled violence and was granted work authorization to work as a supermarket cashier and Uber driver was among at least 16 asylum seekers detained at the Northwest Detention Center in Tacoma, Washington, and later released by federal court order. The detention was based on alleged violations of the Intensive Supervision Appearance program.

A Russian asylum seeker who fled persecution over refusing to participate in Russia's invasion of Ukraine was among at least 16 asylum seekers detained at the Northwest Detention Center in Tacoma, Washington, and later released by federal court order. The detention was based on alleged violations of the Intensive Supervision Appearance program.

An Afghan asylum seeker was assured by ICE that two missed check-ins would not be held against him—one due to a double-booked appointment and another due to hospitalization for a heart arrhythmia. Two months after the hospitalization, ICE detained him at work, claiming he was a flight risk for missed check-ins and failing to report a move to Portland. ICE provided no documentary evidence of the violations. U.S. District Judge Kymberly K. Evanson ruled in his favor and released him after 41 days of detention at the Northwest Detention Center.

Wilfredo Castillo, a Venezuelan who fled political persecution and violence, was arrested at an immigration check-in appointment in Tukwila in March 2025 after being told by ICE he would be detained. ICE claimed he missed nine SmartLink app check-ins, but Castillo says the app malfunctioned and he never missed in-person appointments. He spent 11 months at the Northwest Detention Center in Tacoma, where he was stabbed multiple times by another detainee. A federal judge released him after finding the government lacked justification for his prolonged detention.

Ricardo Navarrete, an 18-year-old senior at Mather High School, was detained by ICE agents on March 16, 2026, during a scheduled check-in appointment for his pending asylum case. He had fled Colombia in 2022 seeking asylum, held a valid work permit and REAL ID, and had been accepted to play soccer at Truman College. Following his detention, Ricardo was transferred between multiple ICE detention facilities across Oklahoma, Louisiana, Ohio, Indiana, and Kentucky, where he reported sleeping on floors without blankets and spending time in solitary confinement. His attorneys filed a habeas corpus petition challenging his detention, and he was released on May 26, 2026, just days before his high school graduation.

Leqaa Kordia, a 33-year-old Palestinian woman who has lived in Paterson, New Jersey since 2016, was released from ICE detention after a year in custody. She was detained in March 2025 during a voluntary check-in at the Newark ICE office and transferred to Prairieland Detention Center in Alvarado, Texas. Her detention followed her participation in a 2024 pro-Palestinian protest outside Columbia University, prompted after Israel killed relatives of hers in Gaza; charges from that arrest were later dismissed and sealed. At the time of her detention, she had a pending green card application through her U.S. citizen mother and a pending asylum application. In February 2026, she suffered a seizure and was hospitalized for three days, during which she remained shackled to her bed and was prevented from contacting family or attorneys; she also reported dizziness, fainting, weight loss, and cited overcrowded conditions and inadequate food at the facility. An immigration judge ordered her released on bond, citing minimal flight risk and serious medical concerns, and the government did not appeal. Her attorneys contend she was targeted for her pro-Palestine advocacy.

Aury Cadena, a single mother who arrived in the U.S. from Venezuela in 2023 seeking asylum, was arrested by ICE in December during a scheduled check-in appointment she had never missed. She and her three children, ages 10, 8 and 7, were held for 50 days at the Dilley family detention center in South Texas, despite a court-set 20-day limit for children in detention. Cadena said her children asked her what they had done wrong, and described long waits outdoors at night to get medication when her kids had fevers. She and her children were released after a federal judge allowed ICE to track her with an ankle monitor while her deportation case continues, and the family has returned home to San Antonio, where the children are back in school and she cleans apartments to support them.

Vilma Bautista Torres and her 9-year-old son Kenek, who has Level 3 autism, were detained at the Dilley Immigration Processing Center for more than 80 days despite a federal settlement limiting child detention to 20 days. During detention, Kenek lost access to specialized therapy and schooling, experienced frequent meltdowns, self-harm episodes, and became increasingly disoriented and afraid. After a pro bono law clinic filed a parole request documenting his autism diagnosis and self-harm, ICE released the family with an ankle monitor.

Mohammad Nazeer Paktiawal, 41, an Afghan national who worked alongside U.S. Army Special Forces in Paktika province starting in 2005, died in ICE custody at Dallas' Parkland Memorial Hospital shortly after his arrest. ICE agents arrested him outside his Richardson, Texas home on March 13, 2026, while he was driving his children to school; his wife's attempt to hand him his inhaler was reportedly rejected by agents. Paktiawal, who evacuated to the U.S. in 2021 after the Taliban took control of Afghanistan and held humanitarian parole valid through 2029 with a pending asylum application, called his brother Naseer that evening saying he couldn't breathe and was shaking and sweating. Hospital staff later found severe tongue swelling and administered epinephrine, but he was pronounced dead shortly after. The Dallas County Medical Examiner ruled the death accidental, caused by anaphylaxis from an adverse drug reaction to an unidentified substance that exacerbated his asthma. DHS said he had been arrested over alleged SNAP fraud and theft, though no charges were filed. His family and advocacy groups are demanding release of the full autopsy report, with his brother asking, "If they know he is going through pain and he is asking for someone to help, what were they waiting for? The last breath?"

Jonatan, a legal resident with an upcoming asylum hearing, was detained by ICE and held in a local jail in Virginia for three weeks before being released on March 14, 2026. His partner Kirby credits community organizing and intervention by people tracking ICE movements with preventing his disappearance and securing his release. The incident left lasting psychological and financial impacts on both of them.

A man with no criminal record who entered the United States legally and pursued an asylum claim for a decade was transported across multiple states in federal custody. During the multi-day transfer beginning March 14, he experienced prolonged restraint, overcrowding, sleep deprivation, and limited access to food, water, and medical care. Detainees were handcuffed for up to 14 hours, held in facilities beyond capacity, and did not receive proper medical screening or attorney notification.

The Gámez-Cuéllar family—parents Luis Antonio Gámez Martínez and Emma Guadalupe Cuéllar López, and their three sons Antonio (18), Caleb (12), and Joshua (14)—were detained by ICE on February 25, 2026, during a routine immigration check-in in Edinburg, Texas. The family had legally entered the U.S. in May 2023 through the CBP One asylum app and were in active asylum proceedings with a final hearing scheduled for September. Antonio was separated from his family and shackled during transport to an adult detention facility in Raymondville, while his younger brothers and parents were held at the South Texas Family Residential Center in Dilley. Two of the brothers are award-winning mariachi musicians with McAllen High School's Mariachi Oro band, which has performed at the White House and Carnegie Hall and won eight state championships. After approximately 13 days in detention, bipartisan congressional pressure from lawmakers including Rep. Monica De La Cruz and Rep. Joaquin Castro, combined with a successful parole request by their attorneys, resulted in the family's release on February 28, 2026. The parents were required to wear ankle monitors and restrict travel to 75 miles from their home.

Aleksei and his wife were arrested at the U.S. border with their 5-year-old twins and detained at Dilley Immigration Processing Center for more than 120 days, six times the 20-day federal limit. When Aleksei asked an ICE officer about the violation, he was told the court settlement limiting child detention was "not applicable anymore." The twins experienced psychological deterioration including frequent meltdowns, sleep disruption, weight loss, and fear of strangers. The family was released in February after securing legal representation and filing a parole request.

A citizen of Kyrgyzstan entered the United States without inspection on April 17, 2023, and has lived in the U.S. interior for nearly three years. DHS initiated removal proceedings and released him on an Order of Release on Recognizance (OREC) in April 2023. On February 20, 2024, he filed a pending asylum application. On March 12, 2026, Indiana State Police encountered him during a traffic stop, after which DHS revoked his OREC and ICE arrested him under an administrative warrant pursuant to 8 U.S.C. § 1226. He has been detained at Clay County Jail in Brazil, Indiana since March 12, 2026. He is charged with inadmissibility as a noncitizen present in the United States without being admitted or paroled. The federal court granted his habeas corpus petition, finding that his detention without a bond hearing violates immigration law. The court ordered that by April 7, 2026, respondents must either provide him with an individualized bond hearing before an immigration judge or release him under reasonable conditions of supervision.

An asylum seeker who entered the U.S. as a minor in 2021 was detained by ICE after being stopped by police while driving to work in Key Largo, Florida on March 12, 2026. He had been living in the community with a pending asylum application and no criminal history for five years. The court ordered his immediate release, finding his detention violated constitutional due process rights.

A man from Nicaragua who surrendered at the southern border in 2022 held a valid work permit, was employed as a landscaper in Minnesota, and had a pending asylum application when immigration courts summoned him to a hearing. ICE officers arrested him in the courthouse hallway immediately after the hearing ended. His labor union helped him file a lawsuit that ordered his release, though he was held for six additional days. He now fears he cannot trust the federal government to give him a fair hearing.

Jaime Eliceo Castro Guaman was arrested by ICE agents during a carpool to work on March 10, though agents stated they were looking for someone else. He held a pending asylum application, valid work permit, and no criminal history. Federal Judge William K. Sessions III ordered his immediate release on March 20, finding the detention may have violated his constitutional rights and stating the stop appeared pretextual. An immigration court bond hearing was scheduled to set conditions for his continued residence in the community.