Asylum seeker transferred out of state despite court order, judge orders release
Jun 24, 2026·Location: Lewiston, ME

Eduardo Jose Alves, an Angolan asylum seeker living in Lewiston, Maine, who entered the U.S. on a valid tourist visa and filed an affirmative asylum application, was detained by ICE agents at his home on June 20, 2026. That same day, a court issued an emergency order staying his transfer out of Maine for 72 hours, but ICE moved him to Plymouth County Correctional Center in Massachusetts within two hours of the order. Attorneys raised questions about whether agents had a valid warrant and whether they improperly pressured his 15-year-old daughter to allow entry into the home. U.S. District Judge Stacey Neumann later found the detention violated the existing court order and that his out-of-state transfer impaired his right to counsel ahead of an imminent bond hearing, and ordered his immediate release from ICE custody. The dispute became a flashpoint between immigration authorities and attorneys challenging the administration's enforcement tactics.
Timeline
Sources
- Federal judge orders ICE to release Lewiston man
sunjournal.com·Jun 24, 2026·archived copy
- Federal judge orders release of Lewiston asylum seeker from ICE facility
WGAN·Jun 24, 2026·archived copy
- Federal judge orders ICE to release Lewiston man from Massachusetts jail
ctpublic.org·Jun 25, 2026·archived copy
nhpr.org·Jun 25, 2026·archived copy
- Judge orders release of Lewiston resident from ICE custody
WMTW·Jun 25, 2026·archived copy
- CourtListener
- themaineanchor.news
- Federal Judge Blocks ICE from Moving Angolan Asylum Seeker Arrested in Lewiston
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