HUMSI — Human Security Initiative

Human Impact Project

A living database documenting reported immigration enforcement incidents and their human impact.

Shooting victim denied bond by immigration judge despite pending U visa claim

Sep 17, 2025·Location: Muscatine, IA

Country of origin: Mexico

Shooting victim denied bond by immigration judge despite pending U visa claim
Photo via infonews.ca

Felipe de Jesus Hernandez Marcelo, 28, a Mexican native and single father raising a 9-year-old son while working construction in Muscatine, Iowa, was shot and nearly killed during a robbery attempt on June 21, 2025, undergoing emergency surgery for gunshot wounds to his arm and leg. Days later, when he went to the police station to retrieve his impounded car and cash, officers arrested him on an old unpaid traffic ticket warrant and turned him over to ICE within hours. He has since been held at the Muscatine County Jail, separated from his son and mother, unable to attend medical appointments or receive physical rehabilitation, and says he was denied pain medication for five days. He is seeking a U visa as a crime victim and witness against his attackers, one of whom has pleaded guilty, but the county prosecutor has not certified his eligibility. A federal judge ruled on September 10, 2025 that his detention without a bond hearing was illegal, but Immigration Judge Alexandra Larsen subsequently denied him bond, calling his U visa eligibility "speculative at best" and finding him a flight risk. His attorney, Emily Rebelskey, said she would continue fighting for his release.

Timeline

Sep 17, 2025Immigration Judge Alexandra Larsen denied him bond, calling his U visa eligibility 'speculative at best.'
Sep 10, 2025Federal judge ruled his detention without a bond hearing was illegal and ordered a hearing within seven days.
Jun 24, 2025Arrested by police on an old traffic warrant while retrieving belongings, then turned over to ICE.
Jun 21, 2025Shot and nearly killed during an attempted robbery in Muscatine, Iowa; underwent emergency surgery.
Suggest a correction, comment, or update

Sources

More incidents in Iowa