In a significant development for immigration rights, multiple US federal courts have issued orders this week granting bond hearings or immediate releases to several Indian nationals held in immigration detention centers. Courts in California, Michigan, New York, and Oklahoma delivered these rulings, criticizing immigration authorities for either misapplying detention laws or failing to provide due process.
The wave of decisions began in San Diego’s California federal court, where Judge ordered a personal bond hearing within seven days for Harbeet Singh. The court deemed prolonged detention without such a hearing ‘unreasonable and a violation of due process.’ Prosecutors must now present clear and convincing evidence of flight risk or danger to the community to justify continued custody.
In Michigan’s Western District, Sagar Ram received conditional relief. The court mandated a bond hearing under Section 1226(a) within five business days or immediate release, rejecting the government’s claim that mandatory detention applied.
Oklahoma’s court echoed this in Karan Deep Singh’s case, ruling his detention fell under Section 1226(a), which allows bonds, not the mandatory provisions of Section 1225(b)(2). An immediate bond hearing was ordered.
New York’s Brooklyn federal court granted habeas relief to Harmanpreet Singh, requiring a new bond hearing and compelling the government to prove flight risk or public safety threats with solid evidence. The judge highlighted that indefinite detention without safeguards breaches the Fifth Amendment.
Additional victories came in California, with Bhavandeep Singh Dhaliwal ordered for immediate release and Vikrant Singh reinstated to prior release conditions. However, not all petitions succeeded. In Michigan, Gurpreet Walia Singh’s habeas petition was denied after a prior custody redetermination, and an Oklahoma court rejected a similar bond challenge.
These rulings underscore growing judicial scrutiny of ICE practices, potentially signaling broader protections for non-citizens facing prolonged detention amid backlogged immigration proceedings.