Three US federal courts have raised concerns this week regarding the detention of noncitizens and the handling of immigration benefit cases. In Michigan, a judge ordered immigration authorities to provide a bond hearing or release an Indian asylum seeker, Harjot Singh, who has been held by Immigration and Customs Enforcement since July 2025. Singh, who entered the US in May 2022 and applied for asylum, was arrested during a routine check-in. The court ruled that Singh’s detention violated due process protections and ordered ICE to conduct a bond hearing or release him promptly.
In Washington, a federal judge allowed part of a lawsuit by Divya Venigalla, an Indian citizen, to proceed against the US Citizenship and Immigration Services. Venigalla challenged the agency’s handling of her appeal following the denial of an immigrant investor green card petition. While her mandamus claims were dismissed, the judge permitted her claims under the Administrative Procedure Act to move forward. The court suggested that the agency might have erred by not considering her equitable tolling argument.
In Missouri, a federal court issued a mixed ruling in a case involving Harsh Kumar Patel, an Indian national seeking relief over delays in his U visa-related applications. Patel, a victim of an armed robbery, applied for U non-immigrant status. The court dismissed Patel’s challenge regarding delays in a discretionary determination but allowed claims over delays in placement on the U visa waiting list to proceed. The judge emphasized that immigration authorities must place eligible applicants on the waiting list when visas are unavailable due to annual caps.
