A judge said he cannot be sent to Nicaragua. Now ICE wants to send him somewhere else.
**. He was detained during a routine immigration check-in. The problem for his family is that a federal judge already ruled in his favor.
Miguel Raudes, a 46-year-old Northridge contractor, has been detained by ICE for over four weeks at Adelanto despite winning a 2023 immigration court ruling that barred his deportation to Nicaragua. DHS is now seeking a third-country removal.
**. He was detained during a routine immigration check-in. The problem for his family is that a federal judge already ruled in his favor.
In 2023, an immigration judge granted Raudes withholding of removal after a seven-year legal battle. The judge agreed that Raudes faced a real threat of political persecution if returned to Nicaragua. That ruling legally barred the government from deporting him to Nicaragua.
The Department of Homeland Security is now pursuing a different path.
"DHS is now attempting to deport him to an unspecified third country," according to reporting by FOX 11 Los Angeles.
Withholding of removal is a form of protection under U.S. immigration law. When an immigration judge grants it, the government cannot send the person to the country where they fear persecution. It does not grant lawful permanent resident status. It does not provide a path to citizenship. It only bars removal to that specific country.
In Raudes' case, the bar applies to Nicaragua. The government appears to be exploring whether it can remove him to a different country instead.
Raudes is being held at the Adelanto ICE Processing Center in San Bernardino County. The facility has drawn intense scrutiny in recent months.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta refiled an amicus brief opposing the conditions of confinement at Adelanto in June 2026, according to the California Department of Justice.
U.S. Representatives Pete Aguilar, Judy Chu, and Jimmy Gomez visited the facility in June 2026 to meet with detainees participating in a hunger strike that began in May, according to Rep. Aguilar's office.
State Sen. Sasha Renée Pérez demanded an end to what she called inhumane treatment at the facility, citing reports of detainee retaliation and poor conditions, according to Davis Vanguard.
Raudes is a father. His family remains in Northridge while he sits in detention. They have waited through a seven-year legal fight that ended with a win. Now they face a new legal fight with no clear end date.
According to FOX 11 Los Angeles, Raudes was detained during a scheduled check-in with immigration authorities. He has been in custody at Adelanto for more than four weeks as of June 27, 2026.
His legal team has not issued a public statement about the third-country removal effort. The Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the specific case.
Raudes' attorneys will likely need to challenge the third-country removal in immigration court. The question is whether the 2023 withholding of removal ruling blocks removal to any country, or only to Nicaragua. That is a legal distinction that will determine whether Raudes can return home to his family in Northridge.
Until then, he remains detained. His family waits.
This article was generated with AI assistance.