Salvadoran father detained by ICE at Long Beach Airport despite reopened case and pending relief
Jan 12, 2026·Location: Long Beach, CA
Country of origin: El Salvador
A Salvadoran man who entered the U.S. at age 12 in 2007 and has lived here continuously since was arrested by ICE agents at Long Beach Airport in January 2026 after clearing security and while waiting to board a flight. He is the father of three U.S. citizen children, ages 10, 5, and 3, whom he saw daily and helped care for after school before his detention; most of his extended family, including his mother, brother, and other relatives, live in the United States. He had previously held DACA status, which expired after his renewal applications were denied without explanation, and an in absentia removal order had been entered against him in 2008 when he was 13 and never received notice of the hearing. After his detention, an immigration judge reopened his removal case and rescinded the 2008 order, and he applied for cancellation of removal, which remains pending with a hearing scheduled for September 2026. He has been held at the Adelanto ICE Processing Center since his arrest, including a period when he was transferred to Arizona in violation of a court order. After two bond hearings denied him release—one where the burden was misapplied and another where he was found not dangerous but still a flight risk—he filed this habeas petition seeking release rather than a new hearing, and the court granted the petition, ordering his immediate release and further briefing on whether he is entitled to protection from re-detention given his DACA history and prior liberty interest.
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