Nicaraguan man detained by ICE challenges deportation to third country
May 2026 · Monroe, LA, Nicaragua
Andres Exequiel Villatoro Weelock, a native of Nicaragua, was detained by ICE in May 2026 and is currently held at Richwood Correctional in Monroe, Louisiana. He was granted withholding of removal as to Nicaragua under the Convention Against Torture (CAT). Villatoro filed a habeas corpus petition and emergency motion for a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction to prevent his deportation or transfer, arguing that deportation to Mexico would violate his due process rights and expose him to refoulement to Nicaragua despite his CAT withholding order. He is a member of the D.V.D. class, consisting of individuals subject to final removal orders whom ICE plans to deport to third countries. The district court denied his motion for temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction, citing the Supreme Court's prior stay denial in the D.V.D. class litigation and the principle of avoiding duplicative litigation.
Sources
More incidents in Louisiana
- Colombian woman detained nine months by ICE, family cites health concernsAug 21, 2026 · Basile, LA
- Cuban deported by ICE to Liberia ends up stranded in Equatorial GuineaAug 20, 2026 · LA
- Army staff sergeant's wife removed from deportation flight mid-journey, returned to LouisianaAug 14, 2026 · Louisiana
- Venezuelan rapper with legal status alleges tuberculosis outbreak, overcrowding at Louisiana ICE facilityAug 13, 2026 · LA
- Cuban detainee's bid to block deportation and win release denied by federal courtAug 12, 2026 · Pine Prairie, LA
- Nicaraguan asylum-seeker defrauded by fake attorney, arrested at ICE check-in, deportedAug 11, 2026 · New Orleans, LA