Oregon Mom Freed After Nearly Four Months in ICE Detention Following Court Ruling

Maria Loya Medina, an Oregon mother held at the ICE detention center in Tacoma for nearly four months, was freed Friday morning—more than a day after a federal judge declared her detention unconstitutional and ordered her immediate release. The delay in compliance underscores ICE’s routine defiance of court orders and constitutional rights.

The federal court found that an immigration judge had violated Medina’s constitutional due process rights by denying her bond without a fair hearing. The ruling determined that ICE had no lawful basis to detain her in the first place. This marked the second time the same court ruled her detention unlawful.

Despite the judge’s 5 p.m. Thursday order for immediate release, ICE held Medina overnight in detention, forcing her to spend an additional night separated from her family in direct violation of the Constitution and the court’s command. Stephen W. Manning, attorney at Innovation Law Lab and co-counsel on the case, criticized ICE’s disregard: “While ICE operates a 24/7 arrest machine, it only bothers to comply with the Constitution and court orders during banker’s hours.”

Medina’s husband expressed relief and gratitude upon her release, saying, “We are grateful that my wife finally got the justice she deserved. My children and I will be complete with my wife at home.”

Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici, who has been advocating for Medina’s release and personally visited her in detention, called the situation “egregious ICE overreach” and pledged to continue fighting these inhumane policies through legislation, protest, and legal challenges.

Medina was detained as part of Operation Black Rose, a Trump administration immigration crackdown. She has lived in the U.S. for 21 years and in Oregon for nearly a decade. Although released, her immigration case remains on appeal, and she continues to fight to remain in the country with her family.

José G. Miranda, senior staff attorney at Innovation Law Lab, condemned the detention: “Maria was separated from her family for months because ICE refused to follow the law. We are vindicated by the federal court’s decision to hold ICE to account and free her.”

Matt Adams, legal director for Northwest Immigrant Rights Project, described this as yet another example of immigration courts denying bond without justification, unnecessarily locking up community members and tearing families apart. He noted Medina is the primary caregiver for her two U.S. citizen children and her husband, who needs ongoing care after a stroke.

Medina’s case shines a harsh light on the systemic abuses in ICE detention practices—where constitutional rights are routinely trampled, families are shattered, and agency overreach goes unchecked. Her release is a victory, but the continued legal battle and the months lost in detention underscore the urgent need for accountability and reform.