Engels M.C.: Nicaraguan asylum seeker detained at routine ICE check-in, injured by handcuffs
A Nicaraguan asylum seeker who fled police beatings during protests was detained at a routine ICE check-in despite years of compliance, then freed on bond. A judge barred his re-detention without a hearing.
Apr 1, 2025San Bernardino, CACountry of origin: Nicaragua
A Nicaraguan asylum seeker is a citizen and national of Nicaragua who has lived in the United States since September 2021. He is married and living with his wife in California. He fled Nicaragua after police beat him for participating in anti-government protests, fracturing his arm. He was detained by DHS upon arrival in the US but released in October 2021 on reporting requirements to ICE, which he never missed. On September 14, 2023, he applied for asylum and received work authorization. In April 2025, he reported for a routine ICE appointment and was detained without notice or hearing despite full compliance with check-in requirements. He was transferred between multiple detention facilities where he suffered inhumane conditions, including excessive heat in transport vehicles, contaminated food and water, and injury from handcuffs. An immigration judge released him on a $5,000 bond in June 2025, and he was placed in ICE's Intensive Supervision Appearance Program. On July 13, 2026, the immigration judge denied his asylum application and ordered removal to Nicaragua. He timely appealed. The federal court granted his preliminary injunction, prohibiting ICE from re-detaining him without a pre-detention hearing where the government must prove by clear and convincing evidence that he is a flight risk or danger.
Tags
Sources
Loading…
More incidents in California
- Three parents arrested by ICE outside Van Nuys elementary schoolOct 21, 2026 · Van Nuys, CA
- Oakland man hospitalized with broken ribs after ICE tackles him to groundOct 21, 2026 · Oakland, CA
- Santa Rosa man pulled from car at gunpoint by ICE agentsOct 21, 2026 · Santa Rosa, CA
- ICE SUV strikes man filming agents' activity in Woodland, CaliforniaOct 20, 2026 · Woodland, CA
- Masked ICE agents slam San Francisco man to ground, breaking his glassesOct 19, 2026 · San Francisco, CA
- Milton R.R.: Salvadoran man held at gunpoint by ICE agent, claimed citizenshipOct 19, 2026 · San Francisco, CA