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Belarusian asylum seeker illegally detained over a year in Iowa jail, judge orders release

Mar 11, 2026 · Minneapolis, MN, Belarus

Andrei Bankevich, a Belarusian asylum seeker granted relief from deportation to Belarus under the Convention Against Torture, was arrested on a drunken driving charge in Minnesota in February 2025 and transferred to ICE custody. After ICE detention facilities filled during Operation Metro Surge, he was transferred to Muscatine County Jail in Iowa in December 2025. ICE claimed it had been working on potential third-country removals for Bankevich since September 2025, but provided no documentation. Federal Judge Rebecca Goodgame Ebinger ruled on March 11, 2026, that ICE illegally detained Bankevich beyond the six-month limit in violation of federal law and his due process rights, calling his jailing "prolonged and seemingly interminable" and ordering his immediate release.

Timeline

Mar 11, 2026Federal Judge Rebecca Goodgame Ebinger ruled ICE illegally detained Bankevich in violation of federal law and due process rights, ordered his immediate release
Dec 2025Bankevich transferred to Muscatine County Jail in Iowa during Operation Metro Surge
Feb 2025Bankevich arrested on drunken driving charge in Minnesota and transferred to ICE custody

Sources

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