A US federal court has ruled that an Indian national detained in Pennsylvania must receive a bond hearing as he was arrested inside the country and is not a new border arrival. The court granted a habeas corpus petition filed by Lovedeep Singh, a 26-year-old Indian citizen, who has been held at the Moshannon Valley Processing Center during his immigration appeal process.
The judge ordered immigration authorities to provide a bond hearing to Singh before a neutral immigration judge by January 16, 2026. The detention of Singh falls under Section 1226(a) of US immigration law, allowing for a bond hearing, as opposed to Section 1225(b)(2) which mandates detention without a bond hearing for new border arrivals.
Singh’s case revolved around the interpretation of US immigration law regarding his detention status. The court sided with Singh, emphasizing that the mandatory detention provision applies to individuals seeking admission at a port of entry, not to noncitizens already residing in the US.
The record shows that Singh entered the US in April 2019, applied for asylum and other protections, and was later re-detained in July 2025. Despite arguments from the government to keep Singh detained without a bond hearing, the court ruled in favor of Singh’s right to a bond hearing based on his long-term residency in the US.
Judge Brown rejected the government’s interpretation that treated long-term US residents as new arrivals, emphasizing the legal distinction between individuals at the border and those already inside the country. The court highlighted the discretionary nature of detention for individuals already present in the US, allowing for review by an immigration judge and the possibility of release on bond.
While the court granted Singh the right to a bond hearing, it did not order his immediate release or prevent his transfer to another detention facility, stating that the only relief mandated by law was the bond hearing.
