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LINCOLN, Neb. — The American Civil Liberties Union of Nebraska filed a federal lawsuit Thursday challenging the months-long detention of 27-year-old DACA recipient Joel Angel-Becerril, who has been held in immigration custody since December without a bond hearing, according to the Los Angeles Times.
The lawsuit challenges what attorneys describe as an unlawful denial of Angel-Becerril’s right to seek release before an immigration judge. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement booked Angel-Becerril into the Sarpy County Jail after asserting he was subject to mandatory detention — a designation his attorneys argue is incorrect.
Angel-Becerril, who was born in Mexico and brought to the United States at approximately 5 years old, has lived most of his life in Omaha. He received Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals status in 2015 and maintains current DACA protection and valid work authorization.
Prior to his detention, he worked at both an auto salvage company and a cleaning products company. Despite his DACA status, Angel-Becerril has not been granted a bond hearing before an immigration judge.
According to the ACLU of Nebraska, he is among thousands of immigrants nationwide who have been denied bond hearings following an ICE policy shift asserting that most detained immigrants are subject to mandatory detention and are therefore ineligible for bond.
The lawsuit argues that ICE’s refusal to provide a bond hearing violates the Immigration and Nationality Act and a prior federal court ruling that vacated the agency’s mandatory detention policy in a class action case. Although a federal judge ruled that ICE’s interpretation of mandatory detention was unlawful, attorneys say immigration judges have been instructed by the nation’s top immigration court official to disregard that ruling.
In its filing, the ACLU of Nebraska requests that the court either order Angel-Becerril’s immediate release or require that he receive a bond hearing within seven days.
“I hold on to hope of being released from detention and being reunited with my family. Nebraska is my home,” Angel-Becerril said in a statement released through the ACLU.
ACLU of Nebraska Staff Attorney Grant Friedman said the case centers on compliance with federal law.
“Our arguments come down to this: ICE cannot opt out of following federal law and court orders,” Friedman said. “Our client is as much a Nebraskan and American as any of us, and he has both protection from being deported and work authorization. He also has a right to a bond hearing under federal immigration law.”
The lawsuit marks the ACLU of Nebraska’s third immigration-related legal challenge in recent weeks. Two prior suits were filed on behalf of men detained at the immigration detention center in McCook, Nebraska.
In 2025, ACLU litigation and advocacy efforts resulted in the release of several individuals detained following a workplace enforcement operation in Omaha. Angel-Becerril remains in custody as the case proceeds.
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