Five individuals were detained during check-ins at ICE's Malta field office on July 26, 2026. An emergency habeas petition was filed the same day to prevent their transfer outside the Northern District of New York. They were initially taken to Montgomery County jail, and a court ruling on Thursday allowed their transfer to the Batavia detention center with restrictions on further transport. At least one of the five was undergoing asylum case proceedings and had been detained a second time since arriving in the United States. The detentions occurred as the Trump administration issued new asylum policy guidance and as record-high ICE detentions were reported in July, including increased check-in operations.