Federal Court Orders ICE Detainee’s Immediate Release Following Habeas Petition by Jorge Muñoz

U.S. District Court in California orders immediate release rather than a bond hearing following a federal habeas corpus petition.

LOS ANGELES, CA, UNITED STATES, November 2, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — A client represented by Jorge Munoz Law Firm has returned home to his family after nearly two months in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention. A federal court ordered his immediate release after finding that ICE had unlawfully taken him back into custody.

The federal court litigation was handled by Jorge Muñoz, founder and immigration attorney at Jorge Munoz Law Firm. Muñoz represents immigrants facing deportation and those held in ICE custody, including clients seeking to challenge potentially unlawful detention in federal court.

On Aug. 21, 2026, the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California granted a habeas corpus petition filed by Muñoz on behalf of the client (Case No. 5:26-cv-03927-ACCV). A habeas corpus petition allows someone in government custody to challenge the legality of their detention before a federal judge. Rather than ordering a bond hearing to determine whether the client could be released, the court ordered ICE to release him immediately.

ICE had re-detained the client at his home on June 27, 2026, without prior notice or a hearing. He was subsequently held at the Adelanto ICE Processing Center in California. Muñoz filed the habeas corpus petition on July 14, challenging the government’s authority to continue holding him.

According to Muñoz, the client was granted temporary permission to enter the United States in 2022 through an immigration process known as parole. He complied with his parole conditions for more than three years while pursuing an asylum claim.

“He had a valid work permit, no criminal record and a pending asylum case,” Muñoz said.

The government argued that the client was entitled, at most, to a bond hearing under a California class-action judgment. A bond hearing would have allowed an immigration judge to decide whether the client could be released from custody on bond, but it would not have guaranteed his release. Muñoz argued that immediate release, rather than a bond hearing, was the appropriate remedy for his client’s unlawful detention. The federal court rejected the government’s position.

“The court held that re-detaining him without notice or a hearing violated his Fifth Amendment due process rights, and it ordered his immediate release,” Muñoz said.

The court also required ICE to return the client’s property, certify compliance within three days and observe due process requirements in any future enforcement action involving him.

Following the client’s release, the firm obtained a change of venue, transferring his removal proceedings from the Adelanto detained docket to the non-detained Los Angeles Immigration Court. His asylum application remains pending, and Muñoz continues to represent him.

For representation or media inquiries regarding immigration detention, deportation defense or federal immigration litigation, contact Jorge Munoz Law Firm.

About Jorge Munoz Law Firm
Founded in 2023, Jorge Munoz Law Firm represents individuals and families facing immigration proceedings. With offices in North Charleston, South Carolina, and Houston, Texas, the firm serves clients nationwide.

Founder Jorge Muñoz has experience representing clients before immigration courts, the Board of Immigration Appeals and federal appeals courts. The firm’s practice includes removal defense, federal immigration litigation, family-based immigration, asylum, VAWA petitions, U visas and citizenship matters. The firm assists clients in English, Spanish and Portuguese.

Gloria Dewar
MarketCrest LLC
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