WASHINGTON, D.C. — A U.S. federal judge has ordered immigration authorities to provide an Indian national detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement with a bond hearing within five business days or release him, ruling that his continued detention violates federal immigration law and the Fifth Amendment’s Due Process Clause.
U.S. District Judge Jane M. Beckering of the Western District of Michigan conditionally granted a habeas corpus petition filed by Lakhwinder Singh Multani, an Indian citizen currently held at the North Lake Processing Center in Baldwin, Michigan.
Multani was taken into ICE custody following his arrest on July 22, 2025, on a charge of driving under the influence in Baldwin. The court noted that the outcome of the DUI case remains unclear and that Multani stated he has no other criminal history or prior arrests in the United States.
Court records show that Multani entered the U.S. in 2016 at an unknown location without being formally admitted or paroled. Before his detention, he lived with his family in Pendleton, Indiana, where he owns a home and multiple businesses and serves as the family’s primary financial provider.
Multani is currently facing removal proceedings on the detained docket before the Detroit immigration court. He previously sought release at a bond hearing on August 27, 2025, but bond was denied after an immigration judge determined there was a lack of jurisdiction. His next master calendar hearing is scheduled for January 16, 2026.
Judge Beckering declined to require Multani to exhaust administrative remedies by appealing the bond denial to the Board of Immigration Appeals, finding that no statute mandates exhaustion in such circumstances and that doing so would likely be futile given the government’s stated legal position and recent BIA precedent.
On constitutional grounds, the court ruled that Multani’s continued detention without an individualized bond hearing violated the Due Process Clause of the Fifth Amendment. Citing U.S. Supreme Court precedent, the opinion stated that freedom from government detention lies at the core of the liberty protected by due process.
The court ordered immigration authorities to conduct a bond hearing for Multani under Section 1226(a) within five business days of the judgment or to immediately release him. It also directed the government to file a status report within six business days confirming compliance and detailing whether bond was granted or denied, along with the reasons for any denial. (Source: IANS)
