AP News recently published an announcement highlighting Jorge Muñoz, founder of Jorge Munoz Law Firm, and his successful federal habeas corpus petition that resulted in a client’s immediate release after nearly two months in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention.
On August 21, 2026, the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California granted Muñoz’s petition after finding that ICE had unlawfully taken his client back into custody. Rather than requiring a bond hearing, the court ordered the client’s immediate release.
The client had originally entered the United States in 2022 through immigration parole and had complied with its conditions for more than three years while pursuing an asylum claim. Despite having a valid work permit, no criminal record and a pending asylum application, he was detained at his home on June 27, 2026, without prior notice or a hearing.
Muñoz challenged the detention through a federal habeas corpus petition filed on July 14, arguing that the government lacked the authority to continue holding his client under those circumstances.
“The court held that re-detaining him without notice or a hearing violated his Fifth Amendment due process rights, and it ordered his immediate release,” Muñoz explained.
The ruling also required ICE to return the client’s property, certify compliance with the release order and follow due process requirements in any future enforcement action involving him.
Following his release, the client was reunited with his family. Jorge Munoz Law Firm also secured a change of venue, transferring his immigration proceedings from the Adelanto detained docket to the non-detained Los Angeles Immigration Court, where his asylum case remains pending.
The case highlights the role federal habeas corpus petitions can play when individuals challenge the legality of their immigration detention. While the outcome of each case depends on its specific circumstances, the ruling demonstrates how federal court review can provide relief when detention violates constitutional protections.
Jorge Munoz Law Firm continues to represent individuals facing immigration detention, deportation proceedings and other immigration matters nationwide.
Read the full announcement published on AP News.
