Hospital worker detained by ICE for 7 months released after federal judge's order
Jun 9, 2026·Location: Syracuse, NY
Country of origin: Guinea
Mohamed Fofana, a 22-year-old asylum seeker from Guinea employed at Upstate Medical University in Syracuse, was detained by ICE on November 11, 2025, near his home. He was held for seven months in detention facilities in Batavia and La Salle County, Texas. In February 2026, his attorney reported losing contact with him for a month due to facility transfer confusion, and an immigration judge granted a 45-day continuance. An immigration judge ordered his deportation in May 2026, but a federal judge vacated that order and approved his habeas corpus petition in June 2026. Fofana was released and returned to Syracuse on June 7-9, 2026, to reunite with his family.
Timeline
Sources
- Upstate worker detained by ICE comes home on habeas corpus approval
- Lawyer for Upstate hospital worker in ICE custody says she couldn't reach him
- ‘I didn’t believe I would come back’: Hospital worker detained by ICE for 7 months released
syracuse.com·Jun 19, 2026·archived copy
- Syracuse man detained by ICE last fall recounts six months in custody
- Upstate medical employee returns home after being detained by ICE
cnycentral.com·Jun 18, 2026·archived copy
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