ICE must 'immediately' release immigrant who was detained after calling 911 to help save someone else's life, judge says

Source: Law & Crime

Mar 7th, 2026, 10:31 am


A federal judge in Maine has ordered the Trump administration to "immediately" release a Chinese man who was detained by immigration agents after trying to stop someone from committing suicide. The 13-page order comes as another in a long line of district court cases rejecting outright controversial efforts to reshape how Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) classifies immigrants in order to detain them.

In the case, the petitioner, Chaoyi Wu, won habeas corpus relief by convincing U.S. District Judge Stacey D. Neumann, a Joe Biden appointee, that his detention was a violation of the due process guarantee under the Fifth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.

The petitioner entered the country near Hidalgo, Texas, in November 2021 and was quickly placed in expedited removal proceedings and ordered to be deported. Then, later that same month, he was paroled for "humanitarian purposes related to the Covid-19 pandemic," the court explains.

"Following the expiration of his parole on November 12, 2022, the Government took no action to re-detain Mr. Wu for over three years," the order notes. "During this period, Mr. Wu built a life in the United States, married an American citizen, and filed an asylum claim which remains pending."


Read more: https://lawandcrime.com/high-profile/unconstitutional-detention-ice-must-immediately-release-immigrant-who-was-detained-after-calling-911-to-help-save-someone-elses-life-judge-says/