A federal judge in West Virginia has ordered the Trump administration to stop what he calls the illegal detention of immigrants or face contempt rulings and “monetary sanctions against responsible officials.” In an 11‑page memorandum, U.S. District Judge Joseph R. Goodwin blocked the continued detention of Miguel Antonio Dominguez Izaguirre, a Honduran immigrant who had entered the U.S. in 2016 and lives in Cana, Virginia, with his two U.S.‑citizen children. The judge ruled that Dominguez Izaguirre’s detention without a bond hearing violated his Fifth Amendment due process rights and ordered his immediate release.
Pattern of habeas victories in West Virginia
The ruling fits a broader pattern in the West Virginia district court, where judges have repeatedly sided with detained immigrants in habeas corpus cases challenging the Trump administration’s use of 8 U.S.C. §1225(b) to justify mandatory detention of people already present in the United States, instead of 8 U.S.C. §1226(a), which governs discretionary detention. Goodwin notes that his court has already rejected the government’s argument in multiple cases, including rulings on February 4, 5 (twice), 9, and 11, with four different judges in the district concluding that detention without individualized custody hearings is unconstitutional. He stresses that district‑court constitutional rulings are binding in the jurisdiction, not “advisory opinions,” and that officials must comply unless a higher court reverses them.
Warning of contempt and sanctions
The judge warned that the Trump administration must immediately stop re‑detaining people in the same unconstitutional way. He wrote that continued detention without individualized custody determinations, after so many prior rulings, would trigger serious consequences: for state jail officials, potential personal civil liability without qualified‑immunity protection; for federal officials, contempt of court and monetary sanctions. Goodwin said the court would use its full inherent authority, including injunctive relief, contempt proceedings, and other measures, to enforce the Constitution and stop “systematic violations” in West Virginia.
