A federal judge ruled on Friday that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) must release a Minneapolis man and asylum seeker who has been unlawfully detained for 50 days.
The man, identified as Elvis Joel TE in court filings, was arrested on 22 January at the height of ICE’s aggressive raids in Minneapolis. The case sparked widespread outrage as Elvis TE was detained with his two-year-old daughter while they were returning home from the store, and ICE quickly flew both of them to Texas despite a court order barring their transfer out of Minnesota.
His toddler was released to her mother the following day in response to a judge’s order, but the father, who is from Ecuador, has remained detained, even though he has a pending asylum case.
The US judge, Katherine Menendez, ruled on Friday there was no basis to keep Elvis TE in custody, saying he was “not properly detained” under the laws cited by the government.
US border patrol agents apprehended Elvis TE near Brownsville, Texas in May 2024, shortly after he crossed the border, at which point he claimed asylum, the judge wrote. He was then granted humanitarian parole, which means he was allowed to stay in the US as his asylum application moved its way through the process.