Immigrant Challenges Mandatory Detention in Federal Court
Mihir Dilipbhai Darji, held at a Pennsylvania ICE facility, asks a federal court to order his release after his bond request was denied.
Updated on Nov. 6, 2026 in Immigration
Mihir Dilipbhai Darji, an immigrant from India detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement at the Moshannon Valley ICE Processing Center in Clearfield County, filed a federal petition seeking release. His bond request was denied under a September 5, 2025 Board of Immigration Appeals decision that made individuals detained in the interior subject to mandatory detention.
Why it matters
The petition tests whether the Board of Immigration Appeals' mandatory detention decision lawfully narrows bond hearings for people arrested after entering the country. The outcome could affect how Pennsylvania residents and others detained in the interior are held while their cases proceed.
The petition is filed in the U.S. District Court in Johnstown and cites the September 5, 2025 Board of Immigration Appeals decision as the basis for denying bond. Whether the court will find the detention lawful or order a bond hearing has not been determined.
The players
Mihir Dilipbhai Darji
An immigrant from India who has lived in the United States with his family for more than two years and whose bond request was denied while his asylum case proceeds.
Rizwan M. Khalid
A Philadelphia attorney who filed the federal petition on Darji's behalf challenging his mandatory detention.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement
The federal agency that detains Darji and classifies him as a noncitizen seeking entry, subjecting him to mandatory detention.
The details
Darji's petition, filed by Philadelphia attorney Rizwan M. Khalid, argues that the detention violates federal bond regulations and his Fifth Amendment right to due process. It contends the Board of Immigration Appeals reinterpreted the Immigration and Nationality Act, and ICE classifies Darji as a noncitizen seeking entry, subjecting him to mandatory detention.
Timeline
July 11, 2024: Darji enters the United States.
September 5, 2025: The Board of Immigration Appeals issues its mandatory detention decision.
Monday, filed before November 6, 2026: Darji's federal petition is filed in Johnstown.
Policy Shift
The petition challenges the September 5, 2025 Board of Immigration Appeals decision, which ends a practice of bond hearings for interior detainees that had existed for about three decades. The case asks a federal court to decide whether that reinterpretation of the Immigration and Nationality Act is lawful.
Detained immigrants in Pennsylvania facing mandatory detention may be unable to obtain a bond hearing while their cases proceed. Families of people held at facilities such as Moshannon Valley may face extended separation depending on how the federal court rules.
The takeaway
Mandatory detention rules can change a detainee's options within weeks, so anyone with a relative in immigration custody should consult an immigration attorney promptly. Tracking the federal court's ruling on this petition will show whether bond hearings remain available for interior detainees.
Further reading
For related coverage, see Immigration news across Pennsylvania.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Altoonamirror.
