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Zimbabwean father in South Dakota detained by ICE, deportation flight halted by judge

Sep 26, 2026·Location: Yankton, SD

Country of origin: Zimbabwe

Zimbabwean father in South Dakota detained by ICE, deportation flight halted by judge
Photo via KTIV

Nathan 'Nate' Samudzi, a delivery driver from Yankton, South Dakota originally from Zimbabwe, was detained by ICE for a second time this year after reporting to the agency's Sioux Falls sub-field office. He was quickly transferred to a detention center and then to Minneapolis for a deportation flight, but a federal judge granted an emergency Temporary Restraining Order about 30 minutes before the flight was scheduled to depart. Samudzi holds a valid work permit, had begun the citizenship process, and had been under strict GPS monitoring since a prior detention in February; his wife, a local schoolteacher, said he complied with every condition. ICE told reporters Samudzi had a conviction for drug possession and distribution, but his attorney said this is false, explaining he has only a misdemeanor marijuana ingestion conviction from age 20 and a separate charge that was dismissed a year later. Judge Jerry Blackwell has ordered ICE cannot remove or transfer Samudzi from the District of Minnesota while his legal team pursues an emergency habeas corpus petition citing fear of persecution if returned to Zimbabwe, a country he has not lived in since age four. He remains held at the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building in Fort Snelling, Minnesota, as family, friends, and South Dakota's congressional delegation seek updates on his case.

Timeline

Sep 26, 2026—Attorney disputes ICE's claim of a drug possession and distribution conviction, calling it false; Judge Jerry Blackwell bars ICE from removing or transferring Samudzi from Minnesota district
Sep 23, 2026—Detained again by ICE after reporting to Sioux Falls sub-field office, transferred toward deportation flight in Minneapolis
Sep 23, 2026—Federal judge issued emergency Temporary Restraining Order about 30 minutes before deportation flight, halting removal
Sep 23, 2026—Held at Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building in Fort Snelling, Minnesota; legal team files habeas corpus petition citing fear of persecution in Zimbabwe
Feb 1, 2026—Samudzi previously detained by ICE in St. Louis and placed under strict GPS monitoring
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