Filed Date: Jan. 28, 2026
Closed Date: Feb. 19, 2026
Clearinghouse coding complete
[This summary is temporary while we research the case.]
On January 7, 2026, Petitioner, a 21-year-old national of El Salvador, was “arrested, abruptly and without warning by a group of masked men purporting to be” Immigration and Customs Enforcement (“ICE”) officers. Petitioner was eventually detained at South Central Regional Jail (“SCRJ”) in Charleston, West Virginia.
According to the Petition, the Petitioner had not broken any traffic laws, but an officer pulled him over. When the Petitioner asked why he had been pulled over, he was told by the officer that there was a plastic cover on the license plate of the vehicle. Petitioner was allegedly stopped for a traffic violation. Abruptly, as it is described in the Petition, he was arrested by “a group of masked men” who got out of an “unmarked black Ford Explorer without even a license plate. Since being detained, he has yet to be cited or charged for a traffic citation.
On January 28, 2026, Petitioner filed for habeas. At the time of the Petition, Petitioner was at SCRJ within the Southern District of West Virginia. The following day, January 29, 2026, the court stayed any removal proceeding that would take Petitioner out of the district, set a briefing schedule, and scheduled a show cause hearing for February 5, 2026. But on February 2, 2026, the Government notified the court that Petitioner was no longer in the district. Instead, the Government said that Petitioner was in Texas, and later counsel confirmed that the Petitioner was transferred to Washington state after being in Texas. The court did not find that the Government had willfully ignored the January 29 order, but the court did order the Petitioner’s return to the district and reset the hearing on the Petition. On February 12, 2026, the Government notified the court that the Petitioner had been returned to the district.
Petitioner asked the court to order the government to immediately release him and declare that Petitioner’s arrest and detention was unlawful. This is, in part, because Petitioner alleged that his presence in the United States is lawful, and he has a pending asylum case, a work permit, and a valid driver’s license. Further, his stop, arrest, and detention, Petitioner alleged, violated multiple constitutional, statutory, and regulatory protections, including the Fourth and Fifth Amendments, the Immigration and Nationality Act (“INA”) and its implementing regulations, and the Administrative Procedure Act (“APA”).
Summary Authors
Jinan Abufarha (3/3/2026)
Haleigh Knowles (3/30/2026)
For PACER's information on parties and their attorneys, see: https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/72205355/parties/urquilla-ramos-v-trump/
Goodwin, Joseph Robert (West Virginia)
Arthur, Christopher R. (West Virginia)
Baloch, Omar (West Virginia)
Eates, Anthony D. (West Virginia)
Lindsay, Matthew C. (West Virginia)
See docket on RECAP: https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/72205355/urquilla-ramos-v-trump/
Last updated April 5, 2026, 3:10 a.m.
State / Territory:
Case Type(s):
Special Collection(s):
Trump Administration 2.0: Challenges to the Government
Key Dates
Filing Date: Jan. 28, 2026
Closing Date: Feb. 19, 2026
Case Ongoing: No reason to think so
Plaintiffs
Plaintiff Description:
Anderson Jesus Urquilla-Ramos
Plaintiff Type(s):
Public Interest Lawyer: Yes
Filed Pro Se: No
Class Action Sought: No
Class Action Outcome: Not sought
Defendants
Federal
Donald J. Trump
U.S. Department of Homeland Security (Immigration and Customs Enforcement)
U.S. Department of Justice
U.S. Department of State
Case Details
Causes of Action:
Administrative Procedure Act, 5 U.S.C. §§ 551 et seq.
Habeas Corpus, 28 U.S.C. §§ 2241-2253; 2254; 2255
Immigration and Nationality Act (INA), 8 U.S.C. §§ 1101 et seq.
Constitutional Clause(s):
Due Process: Procedural Due Process
Second Amendment (Right to Bear Arms)
Other Dockets:
Southern District of West Virginia 2:26-cv-00066
Special Case Type(s):
Available Documents:
Outcome
Prevailing Party: Plaintiff OR Mixed
Relief Sought:
Relief Granted:
Source of Relief:
Issues
Immigration/Border:
Case Summary of Urquilla-Ramos v. Trump, Civil Rights Litig. Clearinghouse, https://clearinghouse.net/case/47864/ (last updated 3/30/2026).