Overview
- Immigration Judge Eva S. Saltzman set bond at $2,000 and ordered Ruben Torres Maldonado released as early as Thursday.
- His attorneys said the bond was posted and that he would leave ICE custody in Clay County, Indiana, by Thursday or Friday.
- Saltzman said she saw nothing in the record showing he posed a danger, cited strong family and community ties, and noted his eligibility to seek cancellation of removal.
- The Department of Homeland Security has alleged habitual driving offenses and an attempt to flee, assertions disputed by Torres’ representatives and not credited by the judge.
- The case drew wide attention during ICE’s Operation Midway Blitz, and a federal judge last week ruled his detention without a prompt bond hearing unlawful.