Hubert George Cole, a Honduran citizen who immigrated to the U.S. at age 11, was detained by ICE during his regular check-in on May 8, 2026, after 12 years of complying with supervision conditions. Cole's deferral of removal to Honduras stems from a long legal history: a former gang member with visible tattoos who was seriously injured in a 2007 drive-by shooting, he argued he would likely be tortured or killed in Honduras due to his tattoos and race, a claim supported by testimony from his sister and mother. In 2011, the Ninth Circuit found the Board of Immigration Appeals had failed to properly consider his expert witnesses and remanded his Convention Against Torture claim for further review, which ultimately resulted in deferral of his removal to Honduras. Despite this deferral, ICE served Cole with a Notice of Removal in 2026 stating intent to remove him to Mexico instead. A court granted a temporary restraining order requiring his immediate release and prohibiting removal without proper procedures.