Ugandan asylum seeker freed after 10 months in ICE custody, judge cites due process violation
May 29, 2026·Location: Berlin, NH
Country of origin: Uganda

Hilary Murungi Timbigamba, a 34-year-old asylum seeker from Uganda, was arrested on larceny charges in Massachusetts in July 2025 while employed at a group home. He was taken into federal custody as he left the courthouse despite being granted pretrial release. Federal Judge Landya McCafferty ruled that his 10-month detention in ICE custody violated his constitutional right to due process because he was deprived of the opportunity to address criminal charges and the evidence presented at his immigration bond hearing was legally insufficient. He was released within 24 hours of the court order.
Sources
More incidents in New Hampshire
- Ecuadorean man in Keene ruled unlawfully detained without bond hearingSep 4, 2026 · Keene, NH
- Mother in ICE custody separated from toddler son, seeks bond releaseAug 20, 2026 · Sanbornville, NH
- Ten people detained by ICE across Upper Valley, including three in West LebanonAug 17, 2026 · West Lebanon, NH
- Keene, NH residents raise concerns after ICE enforcement actionAug 17, 2026 · Keene, NH
- Transgender former Israeli intelligence officer transferred to ICE custody, held in GeorgiaAug 1, 2026 · Concord, NH
- N.H. mother targeted for denaturalization amid widening Trump crackdown on foreign-born citizensJul 28, 2026 · Nashua, NH