WASHINGTON: US federal courts across multiple states have ruled against immigration authorities in a series of cases involving Indian nationals, finding that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) unlawfully detained them without bond hearings or due process protections required under federal law.
In rulings issued this month in California, Michigan and Pennsylvania, judges ordered the release of Indian citizens or directed ICE to provide prompt bond hearings, rejecting the government’s use of mandatory detention provisions for individuals who were already living in the United States.
In California, the US District Court for the Southern District of California ordered the immediate release of Vikas Kumar, an Indian national detained at the Otay Mesa Detention Center. The court ruled that ICE unlawfully revoked Kumar’s parole without notice, explanation or a hearing, violating the Fifth Amendment’s Due Process Clause.