Brazilian man ordered released as judge blasts ICE's 'culture of lying'
Sep 11, 2026
Country of origin: Brazil

A Boston federal judge ordered the release of Eleandro Almeida de Souza, a Brazilian citizen who has lived in the U.S. since 2019 with no criminal convictions and no final removal order, after finding he credibly rebutted ICE's account of his August arrest. De Souza's lawyer said he was violently cut off and pinned by multiple unmarked cars without sirens or lights, prompting him to flee out of fear, contradicting ICE's report that he ran after being identified as law enforcement. U.S. District Judge Brian E. Murphy ruled that ICE was no longer entitled to a legal presumption that its official reports are truthful, citing a "litany of deception and outright falsehoods" in the agency's representations to courts, and noted de Souza's account aligned with other disputed ICE arrests, including that of Rümeysa Öztürk.
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