Blitz Bureau
NEW DELHI: US federal courts across multiple states have ruled against immigration authorities in a series of cases involving Indian nationals, finding that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) unlawfully detained them without bond hearings or due process protections required under federal law.
In rulings issued this month in California, Michigan and Pennsylvania, judges ordered the release of Indian citizens or directed ICE to provide prompt bond hearings, rejecting the government’s use of mandatory detention provisions for individuals who were already living in the United States.
In California, the US District Court for the Southern District of California ordered the immediate release of Vikas Kumar, an Indian national detained at the Otay Mesa Detention Center. The court ruled that ICE unlawfully revoked Kumar’s parole without notice, explanation or a hearing, violating the Fifth Amendment’s Due Process Clause.
Kumar entered the United States in March 2024 and was released on conditional parole after authorities found he was not a flight risk or a danger to the community. He later obtained work authorisation, a driver’s licence and a Social Security number, and applied for asylum.
He was re-arrested in December 2025 while delivering food for DoorDash. The court said the government failed to show any changed circumstances that justified his detention. In Michigan, the US District Court for the Western District of Michigan granted habeas relief to Varun Varun, an Indian citizen detained at the North Lake Processing Center. The court ruled that ICE wrongly held him under a mandatory detention statute that applies to arriving noncitizens.
Varun entered the US in April 2023 and was initially released on his own recognisance. He later applied for asylum and lived in California before being arrested while working as a truck driver in December 2025.
The same court granted similar relief to Sumit Tulsibhai Patel, another Indian national detained at the same facility. Patel entered the US in 2021 and was released on bond before being re-arrested in 2025. In Pennsylvania, the US District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania ordered the release of Amit Kanaut, an Indian citizen detained by ICE during a routine check-in in December 2025.
