Trump Judge Threatens to Hold Government in Contempt Over ICE

“ICE detained them, day after day, without access to bunks, bedding, soap, showers, toothbrushes or clean clothes,” Brown said in his ruling. “The space is unheated or poorly heated at night, while the temperature outside dropped to 21 degrees… To the extent that they could sleep, they did, huddled together on the dirty floor, while the lights blared 24 hours a day.

“After nearly 35 years of experience in federal law enforcement in this judicial district, encompassing the functions of prosecutor and judge, I have never encountered anything like this,” Brown wrote.

Erron Anthony Clarke, the non-citizen in question, filed a petition for habeas corpus with the court after being arrested by ICE on December 5. Clarke had entered the United States legally on an H-2B work visa in 2018, but ended up overstaying the visa before marrying a U.S. citizen in 2023. He applied for permanent residency this year, but was arrested earlier this month and thrown into a small cell with eight other men.