Politics · immigration detentionGreen Card Teacher Detained After Judge Dismissed Her CaseAired August 23, 2026 at 5:09 PM UTCWritten September 7, 2026 at 9:22 PM UTCRead the write-upThis storyTranscript · LOADING0:00A substitute teacher with no criminal0:02record sits in a detention cell after0:03winning her case. Her May 19th0:05termination left her a lawful permanent0:07resident no longer in removal0:09proceedings, yet a new notice on the0:11same 7-month trip put her back in0:12custody and tests what dismissal0:14actually protects for green card holders0:16who travel for emergencies. Will a0:18federal court free her, grant bond, or0:20let a second charge on the same facts0:22keep her detained after a judge said the0:23government failed to prove abandonment?0:25She has lived in The government alleged0:27she abandoned residency [music] and0:29opened removal proceedings in February0:312023.0:32On May 19th, 2026, [music]0:34a Charlotte immigration judge terminated0:36that case, finding the government had0:38not proved abandonment [music] by clear0:40and convincing evidence after missing a0:42court-imposed deadline set around March0:439th with a May [music] 8th due date. The0:45order listed uncertainty between 20230:48and 2026 in early records. Verification0:50converges on May 19th, 2026 [music] as0:53the operative termination that left her0:54status as a lawful permanent resident0:56with no active proceed at the0:57appointment. After the August 11th0:59detention, she was transferred to the1:01Irwin County Detention Center in [music]1:03Ocilla, Georgia. Family report concerns1:05about food, access to insulin for severe1:07diabetes, and weight loss inside.1:10>> [music]1:10>> The government says she violated1:11residency conditions after the prolonged1:13absence, is charged as removable for1:15abandoning status,1:16>> [music]1:16>> will receive due process, and will1:18remain in custody pending the new1:19removal proceedings.1:21>> [music]1:21>> Family and attorney accounts say she was1:23encouraged to self-deport. Records1:25reviewed for early August show about1:2740,000 people in ICE detention held1:29under non-mandatory discretionary1:31[music] authority who could be released,1:33distinct from mandatory detention that1:35bars bond for certain criminal grounds1:36or for applicants for admission. Under1:38Section 236A, discretionary [music]1:40detention allows individualized1:42assessment of flight risk and danger1:43with possible release on bond or1:44recognizance. While Section 236/C and1:47related admission provisions including1:49Section 235B for arriving [music] aliens1:51require or sharply limit detention. That1:5340,000 figure sits against a detention1:55baseline of about 40,000 at the start1:57[music] of 2025 rising towards 65,000 to2:0072,000 in 2026 with analysis showing2:03street and check-in arrests [music]2:05including at ICE offices and immigration2:07courts up many fold in 2026 [music] and2:10a high share of those detained having no2:11criminal convictions. Her lawyers filed2:13an emergency habeas petition [music]2:15Bassam Saleh v. Warden of Irwin County2:17Detention Center in the Middle District2:19of Georgia2:20>> [music]2:20>> arguing detention lacked a lawful basis2:22because prior proceedings had ended and2:24no active notice existed at the moment2:26of arrest. A federal judge ordered a2:28[music] response on the legal basis and2:29around August 14th, the government urged2:31a bond hearing rather than immediate2:33release2:33>> [music]2:34>> citing recent precedents on detention2:35authority. A bond hearing was granted2:37for the week of August 21 recorded as2:40the Thursday before August [music] 212:42and described as a Tuesday morning in2:43mid-August. As of reporting through2:45August 20 to [music] 21, no publicly2:48confirmed outcome or release has been2:49documented and she remained in custody.2:52Whether that hearing grants release,2:54whether the habeas challenge overturns2:55the August 11 arrest [music] and2:57arriving alien designation, whether the2:59new August 11 notice on the same July3:012022 [music] to February 2023 trip3:03survives review and whether3:04discretionary release will extend to her3:06and thousands of others held without3:07[music] a mandatory order are all still3:09pending leaving the core contradiction3:11intact termination for failure of proof3:14followed by immediate re-charging on the3:16same facts at a routine check-in.4:41>> Like and follow for more stories that4:43matter.Explore with HeyDexThe shortThe short ↗