A man who has lived in San Mateo, California for the last five years works for a local plumbing business and is an active member of his church. Before this incident, he had never had any contact with immigration authorities, had never been placed in removal proceedings, had never been arrested by police, and has no criminal record. On October 20, 2026, he was riding as a passenger in his employer's marked work van when ICE stopped the vehicle; he was not driving and was not the subject of the stop. ICE nonetheless handcuffed him along with the actual subject of the stop and took him into custody without a warrant or reasonable suspicion, transferring him to the ICE San Francisco Field Office. A federal judge found he was likely to succeed on his due process claim, noting the government offered no evidence he was a flight risk or danger to the community, and ordered his immediate release. The court also barred ICE from re-detaining him without notice and a hearing, from removing him from the district or the country, and scheduled a further hearing for November 2, 2026.