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ProPublica finds wide disparities in how fast courts rule on immigrant detention challenges

Sep 3, 2026

ProPublica finds wide disparities in how fast courts rule on immigrant detention challenges
Photo via ProPublica

A ProPublica analysis of more than 70,000 habeas corpus petitions filed since January 2025 found that federal courts vary dramatically in how quickly they rule on whether immigration detainees are being unlawfully held. In Mississippi's Southern District, home to the Adams County Correctional Center, closed cases have taken a median of 92 days, the longest of any state, while Louisiana's more than 2,600 filed petitions have taken a median of 89 days to resolve. By contrast, Minnesota, with over 1,500 petitions filed, has closed cases in a median of 12 days, and Oklahoma's Western District has taken a median of 63 days. Attorneys and advocates say the delays leave detainees waiting in prisonlike conditions, with some accepting deportation or voluntary departure rather than continue waiting for a ruling, and while new filings have slowed somewhat in recent months, they remain far higher than before the surge began.

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