SCRANTON, LACKAWANNA CO. (WOLF) — A federal judge in Pennsylvania has ordered immigration authorities to immediately remove an electronic ankle monitor and fully release a man who had been granted habeas corpus relief earlier this month.
In a ruling dated January 26, U.S. District Judge Julia K. Munley reaffirmed a prior order directing the release of Ronil Jose Gonzalez Centeno from custody. The court found that the Department of Homeland Security and Immigration and Customs Enforcement acted without authority when they imposed additional conditions, including electronic monitoring, after his release from the Pike County Correctional Facility.
Judge Munley had previously granted Gonzalez Centeno’s petition for a writ of habeas corpus on January 13, ordering his immediate release. Despite that directive, immigration officials placed him under intensive supervision, which included the use of an ankle monitor and reporting requirements. Gonzalez Centeno later filed an emergency motion asking the court to enforce its order.
In her decision, Munley ruled that the monitoring and supervision effectively kept Gonzalez Centeno in custody and were not permitted under the court’s original order. The judge rejected arguments from the government that ICE had broad discretion to impose such conditions, stating that the agency failed to show legal authority to do so in this case.
The court ordered ICE to remove the ankle monitor and any other conditions within 24 hours and to confirm compliance through a sworn filing. The ruling also temporarily bars immigration officials from re-arresting Gonzalez Centeno for 14 days to ensure the court’s order is carried out.
If immigration authorities later choose to detain Gonzalez Centeno under a different section of federal immigration law, the court ruled he must be given a bond hearing before an immigration judge within 10 days. The court said it will retain jurisdiction to ensure compliance with the ruling.