Federal courts in California delivered a trio of blows to ICE this week, ordering the release of three Indian immigrants wrongfully re-detained without due process. The decisions from the Eastern and Southern Districts expose cracks in the post-Trump immigration crackdown, where prior releases are being ignored in favor of swift arrests.
Trump’s administration has ramped up deportations and detentions, but these rulings affirm that procedural safeguards cannot be sidestepped. All three men—Harmeet S., Sawan K., and Amit—had been vetted, released, and were complying with requirements when ICE struck again without warning.
Take Harmeet S., 21, who crossed into the U.S. in 2022 as a minor. Protected by child welfare laws, he was freed pending his case and joined an alternatives-to-detention initiative. Clean record, regular check-ins—yet in November 2025, ICE grabbed him mid-appointment, holding him over a month sans bond hearing.
U.S. District Judge Troy L. Nunley didn’t mince words: this breached the Fifth Amendment’s Due Process Clause. Release ordered, with strict rules for any future action—proof of risk required.
Sawan’s story mirrors the pattern. Arriving in 2024 fleeing Indian political threats, his asylum bid was underway when ICE re-arrested him during a September 2025 check-in. Four months in limbo without warrant or court? Judge Nunley again intervened, securing his freedom.
Down south, Judge Janice L. Sammartino granted habeas corpus to Amit, in the U.S. since 2022. Post-release, he worked legally, sought asylum, no crimes—until ICE nabbed him at home in 2025. The court demanded his production and release, slamming the procedural void.
These cases aren’t isolated. They signal judicial oversight amid policy shifts, protecting vulnerable migrants from arbitrary detention. As immigration debates rage, such rulings reinforce the rule of law, potentially influencing enforcement nationwide.
