Georgia federal judge rules for bond hearing in immigration detention case

COLUMBUS, Ga. (WRBL) — In a rare Saturday decision, a Georgia federal judge sided with an unnamed Mexican detainee at the Stewart Detention Center in Lumpkin, Ga., ordering the man to be granted a bond hearing.

U.S. District Judge Clay Land of the Middle District of Georgia didn’t mince words in his 15-page order from the Middle District of Georgia. “The Executive Branch has broad discretion in the enforcement of the Nation’s immigration laws,” he wrote. “That discretion, however, is not unbridled.”

The petitioner, identified only as J.A.M., is a Mexican national who has been living in the United States for over 20 years without having been legally admitted into the country. He was arrested and sent to the Stewart Detention Center, awaiting deportation.

J.A.M. has been denied a bond hearing he claims he’s due.

Judge Land’s ruling rejects a 2025 Board of Immigration Appeals decision in Matter of Yajure Hurtado, which applied to all undocumented immigrants arrested in the U.S. Judge Land ordered a bond hearing for J.A.M. to assess release conditions.

This follows similar rulings in at least 12 district courts since September 2025, including Merino v. Ripa in Florida, which rejected the BIA’s interpretation. The case is part of the challenges to a DHS policy expanding mandatory detention.

Land has been on the U.S. District Court bench since 2001. President George W. Bush appointed him.