Colombian man prevented from self-deporting, ordered released after ICE detention
Jul 23, 2026·Location: Newark, NJ
Country of origin: Colombia

Marlon Andres Torres Gomez, a Colombian national, was granted voluntary departure by an immigration judge and ordered to leave the United States by June 11, 2026. He purchased a one-way plane ticket to Colombia departing June 10 and repeatedly contacted ICE to coordinate his departure, but ICE detained him and prevented him from boarding the flight. When the deadline passed, the government argued he was subject to mandatory detention, a position U.S. District Judge Michael Farbiarz called an "after-the-fact justification" rather than a genuine basis for custody. Farbiarz, who noted an immigration judge had previously found Torres Gomez did not pose a danger to the community, ruled on July 22, 2026, that ICE violated his due process rights and ordered his immediate release, saying he expected Torres Gomez to promptly leave the country voluntarily.
Timeline
Sources
- ICE dealt legal blow after stopping migrant with plane ticket from leaving
Newsweek·Jul 23, 2026·archived copy
- jerseyvindicator.org
- 'This is at odds with common sense': Judge grants habeas petition after ICE stops immigrant who bought one-way plane ticket out of the country from self-deporting - Celeb And Crime Gists
celebandcrimegists.com·Jul 22, 2026
- CourtListener
- Federal Judge Orders Release of Migrant Detained by ICE, Citing Due Process Violation
distantnews.com·Aug 3, 2026
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