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Mexican national detained as 'collateral' wins right to bond hearing

Jul 31, 2026 · Racine, WI, Mexico

Mexican national detained as 'collateral' wins right to bond hearing

Jaciel Cirrus Rojas, a Mexican national and Chatino-language speaker from rural Oaxaca, came to Racine in 2018 to reunite with his brother. In June 2025, ICE agents arrived at his home searching for a prior tenant and detained him as "collateral" despite no prior criminal convictions or civil citations. Held at Dodge County jail for nine months and separated from his partner and child, Rojas filed for asylum citing fear of torture if returned to Mexico. His attorney Jennifer Bizzotto challenged his detention through a federal habeas petition. The 7th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in his favor on July 31, 2026, rejecting the Trump administration's mandatory detention policy and allowing detainees like Rojas to seek bond hearings in immigration court.

Timeline

Jul 31, 20267th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in Rojas's favor, rejecting the Trump administration's mandatory detention policy and allowing detainees to seek bond hearings in immigration court
Oct 1, 2025District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin held hearings on Rojas's federal habeas petition
Sep 17, 2025Rojas filed federal habeas petition through attorney Jennifer Bizzotto challenging his detention and seeking writ of habeas corpus and emergency injunctive relief
Jun 1, 2025ICE agents detained Rojas at his home while searching for a prior tenant, holding him as 'collateral' despite no prior criminal convictions or civil citations

Sources

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