PENNSYLVANIA — A federal magistrate judge held three senior immigration officials in civil contempt Monday, Oct. 26, after federal agents rearrested a man who had previously secured a court order requiring his release from immigration detention.
In a 19-page memorandum and order in Vasquez Gonzalez v. Oddo, No. 3:25-cv-00424, U.S. Magistrate Judge Maureen P. Kelly found that the June 26 rearrest of Nain Vasquez Gonzalez violated an April 28 order granting him habeas corpus relief after approximately three years in Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody.
Gonzalez was taken into custody during an immigration enforcement operation involving multiple intended targets, despite the earlier court order prohibiting his continued detention. He remained in custody for approximately 11 hours before being released.
The contempt ruling named U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche, Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin and ICE Philadelphia Field Office Director John Rife in their official capacities.
Kelly also ordered the government to pay Gonzalez’s reasonable attorney fees and related litigation costs.
The government maintained that immigration agents mistakenly identified Gonzalez as another individual they were seeking and relied on cellphones to verify the identities of those detained.
Gonzalez disputed that account, alleging that agents refused to examine his identification and continued detaining him even after he explained that he was not the person they were seeking.
Kelly rejected the government’s explanation for the rearrest, finding that Gonzalez’s detention violated the court’s previous order requiring his release.
The judge also raised concerns about the government’s response to requests for information about the arrest, including its failure to promptly identify the officers involved.
According to Courthouse News Service, immigration officials provided inconsistent explanations and questionable sworn statements about the circumstances surrounding Gonzalez’s detention.
The arresting officer reportedly stated that his body camera had not been functioning because its battery was not charged. ICE Supervisory Detention and Deportation Officer Michael B. Smith also confirmed that no recording of the arrest had been located.
Kelly questioned how officials could provide definitive accounts of the incident when some lacked firsthand knowledge of what had occurred.
The judge also raised the possibility that certain sworn statements could constitute perjury, although the court did not make a criminal finding of perjury in the contempt proceedings.
Instead, Kelly concluded that the government’s handling of the case reflected either deliberate obstruction of the court’s inquiry or serious institutional failures involving recordkeeping, equipment and compliance with judicial orders.
The contempt ruling did not establish that every federal agent involved in the arrest intentionally targeted Gonzalez. Rather, it addressed the government’s failure to comply with the earlier judicial order requiring his release.
The case highlights the enforceability of habeas corpus relief, which allows individuals to challenge the legality of their detention and seek release through federal courts.
It also illustrates the difficulties courts can face when investigating immigration enforcement actions without reliable recordings or consistent accounts from the officers involved.
The absence of body-camera footage and conflicting explanations complicated the court’s efforts to determine the circumstances surrounding Gonzalez’s rearrest.
By holding the officials in civil contempt in their official capacities, Kelly exercised the court’s authority to enforce compliance with its orders. The ruling did not impose criminal liability on the officials.
Gonzalez was released approximately 11 hours after his June 26 arrest, as indicated. The contempt ruling, as also indicated, requires the government to compensate him for reasonable attorney fees and related litigation costs associated with enforcing the court’s order.
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