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Venezuelan asylum seeker detained in Puerto Rico wins court order blocking transfer, securing bond hearing

Aug 25, 2026·Location: Guaynabo, PR

Country of origin: Venezuela

A Venezuelan asylum seeker in her mid-20s, who entered the United States legally around 2022-2023 and had lived and worked in the country for several years without a criminal record, was detained by ICE agents during an enforcement operation on August 25, 2026. She held a pending asylum application and a valid work permit. She was held at the GSA Guaynabo Immigration Center in Puerto Rico without receiving a bond hearing, despite her detention falling under a discretionary framework that entitles detainees to one. After learning she was scheduled to be transferred out of Puerto Rico, she filed a habeas corpus petition and an emergency motion for a temporary restraining order, arguing the detention violated the Immigration and Nationality Act and her due process rights. A federal court granted the temporary restraining order, barring her transfer outside Puerto Rico's jurisdiction and ordering that she receive a bond hearing before an Immigration Judge, while holding her habeas petition in abeyance pending further briefing and a government status report.

Timeline

Sep 17, 2026Deadline for the government to report on whether the bond hearing occurred and its outcome
Sep 8, 2026Deadline set by the court for the bond hearing to occur
Sep 3, 2026Bond hearing scheduled to take place
Aug 25, 2026Detained by ICE agents during an immigration enforcement operation in Puerto Rico and held at the GSA Guaynabo Immigration Center
Aug 25, 2026Filed a writ of habeas corpus and emergency motion for a temporary restraining order seeking a bond hearing and to block transfer out of Puerto Rico
Aug 25, 2026Court granted the temporary restraining order, barred her transfer outside Puerto Rico, and ordered a bond hearing before an Immigration Judge, while holding the habeas petition in abeyance
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