ICE ordered to release man detained at a Virginia courthouse and unlawfully held for more than nine months

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – Today the ACLU of Virginia secured the release of a Virginia father and business owner after Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) unlawfully detained him and denied him bond for more than nine months in direct violation of his due process rights.

Since his arrival in the United States more than a decade ago, “Alex” has only interacted with law enforcement in the context of minor traffic violations. He applied for asylum in 2023, which is still pending, was granted work authorization, and has since started his own heating and cooling company. He and his partner welcomed a baby girl two years ago.

On July 22, 2025, Alex accompanied a friend to Prince William General District Court. Department of Homeland Security agents stopped the men, questioned Alex about his immigration status, asked him to display his work authorization card, and then arrested him anyway.

“Courthouses must be safe spaces where everyone, regardless of immigration status, can access justice, exercise their rights, and seek protection without fear of being arrested by ICE,” said ACLU of Virginia Policy Director Chris Kaiser. “ICE is targeting Virginia courthouses to racially profile and arrest people, chilling people’s participation and eroding public trust in the justice system, and ultimately making us all less safe.”

Alex was unlawfully detained for more than nine months, during which time he has been unable to receive the insulin he must administer at least twice a day. He now suffers from vision loss, light-headedness, and thirst, indicating that he is at risk for long-term organ damage or worse due to his diabetes that he disclosed when he was first detained, but which ICE has failed to treat.

“Alex’s traumatic ordeal is just one of countless examples of the Trump administration’s shameless disregard for the Constitution in service of its violent, lawless anti-immigrant agenda,” said ACLU of Virginia Senior Immigrants’ Rights Attorney Sophia Gregg. “Alex arrived in this country after enduring unimaginable circumstances, and although it is an enormous victory that the court has ordered he can finally return home to his partner and daughter, he should never have been detained in the first place.”

Alex is the fifth immigrant whose release from unlawful detention the ACLU of Virginia has secured in just the last seven months.

With his release, Alex’s case is now closed, but an ongoing class action lawsuit has the potential to impact hundreds of immigrants in Virginia who were once unaccompanied minors like Alex and is awaiting certification by the Alexandria division of the Eastern District of Virginia.