Capitol News

The ACLU of Michigan has filed a federal lawsuit seeking the immediate release or bond hearings for eight individuals detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), including a father with leukemia whose medical treatment has been disrupted while in custody.

The legal action, submitted to the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan, challenges a directive issued by the Trump administration on July 8 that reverses longstanding government policy regarding bond hearings for detainees. The ACLU argues this change could result in many people being held unlawfully, despite immigration laws and constitutional protections that guarantee access to bond hearings.

According to the lawsuit, all eight petitioners are long-term residents of Michigan, some having lived in the United States since infancy. None have criminal records beyond traffic infractions. They are currently held without bond in facilities located in Michigan and Ohio.

One petitioner, Jose Daniel Contreras-Cervantes, 33, has lived in the U.S. since age 14 and is married to a U.S. citizen with three children who are also citizens. Diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukemia in 2024, Contreras-Cervantes requires ongoing medical care and daily medication. His detention began after a traffic stop on August 5 and has led to interruptions in his treatment and separation from his family.

Another petitioner, Fredy De Los Angeles-Flores, 46, is the sole caregiver for his 13-year-old son who is a U.S. citizen. He was detained by ICE agents at a gas station while they were searching for another individual. De Los Angeles-Flores’ absence has had significant emotional impact on his child.

The names of other petitioners are not disclosed due to privacy concerns; one has been released since the case was filed.

The lawsuit asks that all petitioners be released or granted bond hearings within seven days.

This case follows similar litigation by the ACLU on behalf of Juan Manuel Lopez-Campos, who was also detained without a bond hearing at Monroe County Jail before being ordered released or provided a hearing by a federal judge—a decision that resulted in his release.

Despite several court rulings across the country finding ICE’s current detention practices illegal when denying bond hearings to long-time residents, ICE continues to enforce its new directive.

Miriam Aukerman, senior staff attorney for the ACLU of Michigan, commented: “This new ICE directive is one of the most dangerous and far-reaching abuses of power that we’ve seen in this Administration’s mass deportation campaign. If unchecked, it will affect thousands, possibly millions of people. This directive is specifically designed to force people to give up their claims for immigration relief and leave their families behind. The Administration’s goal is to break people’s spirits—to lock people up and make them so desperate that they agree to leave their loved ones. The cruelty of this new directive is not an accident. Cruelty is the point. This is family separation with a different name. But the administration has underestimated the power of family, and how hard parents are going to fight to come home to their kids. The administration has also underestimated our Constitution, which guarantees due process and guarantees it for everyone. That’s why we are back in court.”

Lupita Contreras shared her perspective as well: “It is hard enough knowing that my husband’s life will be cut short given his prognosis. But it is torture for me and my children to lose precious time with him because ICE locked him up away from us. I agonize over whether he’s getting the care he needs to stay alive. My sons witnessed their father being taken away and were not even allowed to say goodbye. Losing him has turned our lives upside-down. We both worked, paid our bills and cared for our children together. Now, without him, it’s almost impossible for me to work since I have to care for our children, who also have medical conditions that require constant attention.

“I will not give up on my husband until he is back home with his children and in his community, where he belongs. But my family is just one of many families across our state and our nation that are being ripped apart by this Administration’s immigration policies. Kids need their dads and moms. Families belong together. And that’s true no matter which family members have a U.S. passport.

I am a U.S. citizen, and that is why I decided to speak out.

I’m speaking out not just for my family, but for countless others who can’t because they rightly fear they will be targeted if they tell their stories.

Our families must be reunited.”