HUMSI — Human Security Initiative

Human Impact Project

A living database documenting reported immigration enforcement incidents and their human impact.

Colombian man prevented from self-deporting, ordered released after ICE detention

Jul 23, 2026·Location: Newark, NJ

Country of origin: Colombia

Colombian man prevented from self-deporting, ordered released after ICE detention
Photo via jerseyvindicator.org

Marlon Andres Torres Gomez, a Colombian national, was granted voluntary departure by an immigration judge and ordered to leave the United States by June 11, 2026. He purchased a one-way plane ticket to Colombia departing June 10 and repeatedly contacted ICE to coordinate his departure, but ICE detained him and prevented him from boarding the flight. When the deadline passed, the government argued he was subject to mandatory detention, a position U.S. District Judge Michael Farbiarz called an "after-the-fact justification" rather than a genuine basis for custody. Farbiarz, who noted an immigration judge had previously found Torres Gomez did not pose a danger to the community, ruled on July 22, 2026, that ICE violated his due process rights and ordered his immediate release, saying he expected Torres Gomez to promptly leave the country voluntarily.

Timeline

Jul 22, 2026—U.S. District Judge Michael Farbiarz rules ICE violated Torres Gomez's due process rights and orders his immediate release
Jun 11, 2026—Voluntary departure deadline passes; government argues Torres Gomez is now subject to mandatory detention due to missed deadline
Jun 10, 2026—Torres Gomez purchases one-way plane ticket to Colombia; ICE detains him and prevents him from boarding the flight
May 12, 2026—Immigration judge grants Marlon Andres Torres Gomez voluntary departure with June 11 deadline
Suggest a correction, comment, or update

Sources

More incidents in New Jersey