Musician with pending asylum case detained by ICE at LAX after years living freely in US
Jul 18, 2026·Location: Los Angeles, CA
A professional drummer who entered the U.S. on a B-1 visa in July 2023 and filed for asylum a month later was arrested by ICE at Los Angeles International Airport on July 18, 2026, while returning home to Florida with his wife after a work trip teaching marimba to younger musicians. His visa expired in May 2024, but he was never detained; instead, he was granted employment authorization valid through February 2029 and continued performing for arts organizations. In 2024 he began dating a U.S. citizen, whom he married in August 2025, and shortly after marrying he filed an alien relative petition; both his asylum and relative petitions remain pending. He has no criminal history and was held at the Desert View Annex detention facility in Adelanto, California. He filed a habeas corpus petition seeking a bond hearing or immediate release, arguing the government's years of tolerance created a liberty interest requiring due process before detention. The court agreed, finding his detention without a pre-deprivation hearing violated the Fifth Amendment, and ordered his release within 24 hours under the same conditions that existed before his detention.
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