Detained migrants use constitutional remedy to challenge detention, avoid legal fees
Aug 4, 2026·Location: Adelanto, CA
Country of origin: Guinea

Undocumented immigrants detained at Adelanto and Desert View Annex immigration detention centers in California are using habeas corpus petitions to legally challenge their detention and seek release on bond, guided by a 24-page instruction packet in Spanish created by the Immigrant Defenders Law Center. Since January 2025, more than 65,000 habeas corpus petitions have been filed nationwide, with over 3,300 filed in federal courts in the Central District of California alone. The Trump administration has disputed migrants' right to use this constitutional remedy, claiming it can suspend the right in exceptional circumstances. Federal judges have granted some petitions, requiring the government to justify the legality of detention.
Sources
- How migrants are fighting alone to leave ICE centers using a legal remedy Trump seeks to eliminate
english.elpais.com·Aug 4, 2026·archived copy
- CourtListener
- Lawyers are teaching immigrants at Adelanto how to challenge their own detentions
LAist·Jul 17, 2026·archived copy
- Unknown First Name Deepank v. Warden of the Desert View Annex Detention Facility et al (5:26-cv-00478), California Central District Court
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