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Mexican national detained as 'collateral' wins right to bond hearing

Jul 31, 2026·Location: Racine, WI

Country of origin: Mexico

Mexican national detained as 'collateral' wins right to bond hearing
Photo via milwaukeenns.org

Jaciel Cirrus Rojas, a Mexican national and Chatino-language speaker from rural Oaxaca, came to Racine in 2018 to reunite with his brother. In June 2025, ICE agents arrived at his home searching for a prior tenant and detained him as "collateral" despite no prior criminal convictions or civil citations. Held at Dodge County jail for nine months and separated from his partner and child, Rojas filed for asylum citing fear of torture if returned to Mexico. His attorney Jennifer Bizzotto challenged his detention through a federal habeas petition. The 7th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in his favor on July 31, 2026, rejecting the Trump administration's mandatory detention policy and allowing detainees like Rojas to seek bond hearings in immigration court.

Timeline

Jul 31, 2026—7th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in Rojas's favor, rejecting the Trump administration's mandatory detention policy and allowing detainees to seek bond hearings in immigration court
Oct 1, 2025—District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin held hearings on Rojas's federal habeas petition
Sep 17, 2025—Rojas filed federal habeas petition through attorney Jennifer Bizzotto challenging his detention and seeking writ of habeas corpus and emergency injunctive relief
Jun 1, 2025—ICE agents detained Rojas at his home while searching for a prior tenant, holding him as 'collateral' despite no prior criminal convictions or civil citations
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