Overview

• Rigoberto Hernandez, 23, left the Northwest ICE Processing Center in Tacoma after nearly four weeks in custody, his attorneys said.
• He was arrested Aug. 27 inside the Bear Gulch Fire response zone after Border Patrol, working with Bureau of Land Management officers, conducted immigration checks, according to his legal team.
• Court filings show DHS dismissed the case on Sept. 23 and ICE released him days later, though authorities retain discretion to restart proceedings.
• Northwest Immigrant Rights Project and Innovation Law Lab filed emergency motions and a federal lawsuit, and a habeas corpus petition over his detention remains pending.
• His lawyers say he has lived in the U.S. since age 4 with a 2018 U‑visa application still awaiting action, and advocates warn enforcement at disaster sites could deter emergency responders.