Venezuelan asylum seeker detained outside Walmart, fights for bond in federal court
Sep 30, 2026·Location: Bloomington, IN
Country of origin: Venezuela

Manuel Alejandro Nadal-Ortiz, a Venezuelan asylum seeker with a pending work permit, was detained by ICE agents on September 1 outside a Bloomington Walmart where he worked as a delivery driver for DoorDash, Uber and Walmart. He was detained alongside Cesar Augusto Cepeda Gomez, another delivery driver. His girlfriend, Joanna Hanner, said his mother called her crying within minutes of the arrest, and the family spent the day calling detention centers before Ortiz reached them by phone that afternoon from Chicago, saying he was being transferred to a jail in Michigan. Hanner said Ortiz had no criminal record beyond a paid speeding ticket, closely monitored local ICE activity to avoid it, and was saving money to support his father in Venezuela. On September 24, Ortiz filed a habeas corpus petition in federal court in Michigan, and on September 30 a judge ordered the government to show cause for his continued detention, with a response due October 5. Unlike Cepeda Gomez, whose parallel habeas case led to a bond hearing, Ortiz's case remains in earlier litigation stages.
Timeline
Sources
- Two Bloomington men in ICE custody after Tuesday arrests
ipm.org·Sep 3, 2026·archived copy
- Immigration judge sets $10K bond for Bloomington man after federal habeas win
bsquarebulletin.com·Oct 2, 2026·archived copy
- ‘It feels hopeless’: Bloomington grapples with aftermath of ICE arrest surge
idsnews.com·Sep 10, 2026
- bloomdocs.org
Sep 29, 2026
More incidents in Indiana
- Venezuelan Walmart driver detained by ICE wins federal habeas case, granted $10K bondOct 2, 2026 · Bloomington, IN
- ICE arrests over 400 people in five-day Indiana crackdownOct 1, 2026 · IN
- Indianapolis immigrant arrests deepen political rift as Carson, Banks clash over safety claimsSep 6, 2026 · Indianapolis, IN
- ICE arrests 426 during Indiana operation, disrupting schools and businessesSep 3, 2026 · Indianapolis, IN
- Congressman probes reported ICE surge in Indianapolis amid local pushbackSep 3, 2026 · Indianapolis, IN
- Indianapolis man detained by ICE at east-side job siteSep 2, 2026 · Indianapolis, IN