Overview
- ICE agent Nolan De Long told a court he misunderstood immigration jargon and copied sample language into Carlos De La Garza’s I-213, leaving in incorrect statements that were used to justify detention.
- A federal judge ruled on March 9 that the initial detention was unlawful, and the government did not oppose release, agreeing not to re-detain De La Garza absent a new charge or an immigration judge’s deportability finding.
- De Long apologized in court to De La Garza, and DHS said a supervisor corrected the form, characterizing the episode as a clerical error.
- De La Garza was arrested in December at the end of a green-card appointment and was later released after challenging the detention in federal court.
- De Long was less than a month into the job after a hiring surge that included shortened training, which DHS defends as adequate as lawmakers question whether new agents are sufficiently prepared.