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Colombian man detained by ICE despite bid to self-deport, judge orders release

Jul 22, 2026 · New York, NY, Colombia

Colombian man detained by ICE despite bid to self-deport, judge orders release

Marlon Andres Torres Gomez, a Colombian man who has been in ICE custody since March 18, was granted voluntary departure by an immigration judge on May 12 and ordered to leave the United States by June 11. He purchased a one-way ticket from New York to Colombia for June 10 and his attorney repeatedly contacted ICE to coordinate his departure, but immigration officials kept him detained and prevented him from boarding the flight. A federal judge in New Jersey, Michael Farbiarz, ruled that ICE violated his due process rights by blocking his compliance with the voluntary departure order and then using his failure to depart as justification for continued detention, ordering his release.

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