Shooting victim denied bond by immigration judge despite pending U visa claim
Sep 17, 2025·Location: Muscatine, IA
Country of origin: Mexico

Felipe de Jesus Hernandez Marcelo, 28, a Mexican native and single father raising a 9-year-old son while working construction in Muscatine, Iowa, was shot and nearly killed during a robbery attempt on June 21, 2025, undergoing emergency surgery for gunshot wounds to his arm and leg. Days later, when he went to the police station to retrieve his impounded car and cash, officers arrested him on an old unpaid traffic ticket warrant and turned him over to ICE within hours. He has since been held at the Muscatine County Jail, separated from his son and mother, unable to attend medical appointments or receive physical rehabilitation, and says he was denied pain medication for five days. He is seeking a U visa as a crime victim and witness against his attackers, one of whom has pleaded guilty, but the county prosecutor has not certified his eligibility. A federal judge ruled on September 10, 2025 that his detention without a bond hearing was illegal, but Immigration Judge Alexandra Larsen subsequently denied him bond, calling his U visa eligibility "speculative at best" and finding him a flight risk. His attorney, Emily Rebelskey, said she would continue fighting for his release.
Timeline
Sources
- Shooting victim held in custody and on ICE detainer
Newsweek·Sep 18, 2025
- Associated Press
- Associated Press
- After rescinding protections, ICE is moving to deport more immigrants who were victims of crime
infonews.ca·Sep 15, 2025·archived copy
- ICE is moving to deport more immigrants who were victims of crime
cbs2iowa.com·Sep 16, 2025
- Dad threatened by ICE deportation days after being shot during robbery
independent.co.uk·Sep 16, 2025
- Immigration judge denies bond for man detained by ICE after nearly dying in Iowa shooting
independent.co.uk·Sep 18, 2025
KCCI·Sep 19, 2025
- A father nearly died by an assailant’s bullet. He
the-independent.com·Sep 16, 2025
More incidents in Iowa
- Iowa City mother detained by ICE, family disputes fake passport claimSep 24, 2026 · Iowa City, IA
- Venezuelan construction worker detained by ICE during routine check-in in Cedar RapidsAug 21, 2026 · Cedar Rapids, IA
- Salvadoran immigrant detained at ICE check-in after seven-year residency petition waitAug 4, 2026 · Cedar Rapids, IA
- South Sudanese woman held in Iowa jail by ICE ordered released by judgeJul 16, 2026 · Pottawattamie County, IA
- Guatemalan man detained by ICE after 10 years in U.S., judge orders bond hearingJul 15, 2026 · Clarion, IA
- Activist Annya Mari tackled and arrested by police outside ICE facility in Cedar RapidsJul 7, 2026 · Cedar Rapids, IA