The man is a citizen of Nicaragua who entered the United States through the Texas-Mexico border. In April 2024, the Department of Homeland Security issued him a notice to appear in immigration court, but no immigration judge ever ordered him removed. More than two years later, on or about August 19, 2026, he was stopped by immigration authorities who were actually searching for someone else, and he was taken into custody and detained. He remained in custody at the California City Correctional Center while his case proceeded. A federal judge found that his detention without a prior hearing violated his due process rights and ordered the government to release him immediately on the conditions he was under before his detention. The court also barred the government from re-detaining him without written notice and a hearing before an immigration judge.