Asylum seeker detained by ICE at LAX after two years living openly in the US, court orders release
Jul 22, 2026·Location: Los Angeles, CA
Country of origin: Serbia
The petitioner entered the United States on a B-2 visa on July 2, 2024, and has lived continuously in Illinois since then. He filed a timely asylum application in December 2024 that remains pending, and after his visa expired, USCIS granted him an Employment Authorization Document valid through 2030. He worked two jobs, providing transportation services as an independent contractor and performing carpet cleaning work, held an apartment lease and Illinois driver's license, and was an active church member with no criminal history. He was detained by ICE on July 22, 2026, at Los Angeles International Airport while preparing to board a flight home after a vacation, then transferred to and held at the Adelanto ICE Processing Center. He is the primary financial support for his mother, who recently had back surgery, and he missed the birth of his niece while detained. He filed a habeas corpus petition arguing his detention without notice or a pre-deprivation hearing violated procedural due process, and the court granted the petition, ordering his release within 24 hours and the return of his seized personal documents.
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