Abzun v. Genalo
Donaldo Antonio Sandoval Abzun v. Kenneth Genalo, NYC Director Enforcement & Removal Operations Immigration and Customs Enforcement; Todd Lyons, Acting Director, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement; Kristi Noem, in her official capacity as Secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security; and Pamela Bondi, in her official capacity as Attorney General, U.S. Department of Justice
- Ronnie Abrams
- 1:25-cv-09489
- U.S. District Court · Southern District of New York
- 1
In Donaldo Antonio Sandoval Abzun v. Kenneth Genalo, Judge Abrams found a Fifth Amendment due-process violation, granted release relief, and ordered immediate release.
Donaldo Antonio Sandoval Abzun was ordered released from custody. The respondents were required to certify compliance with the release order.
What happened
Donaldo Antonio Sandoval Abzun v. Kenneth Genalo concerns Sandoval Abzun’s detention by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement beginning November 10, 2025.
Sandoval Abzun filed a petition asking the court to order his immediate release from custody. The court held a hearing on November 24, 2025.
Judge Ronnie Abrams ruled that the government violated Sandoval Abzun’s due-process rights under the Fifth Amendment, granted his petition, and ordered his immediate release. The respondents also had to certify compliance by filing on the docket by 5:00 p.m. on November 26, 2025.
The detailed version
- Abzun v. Genalo · No. 1:25-cv-09489
- Ronnie Abrams
- Nov. 25, 2025
Background
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detained Petitioner Donaldo Antonio Sandoval Abzun on November 10, 2025. He filed a petition for a writ of habeas corpus, a court procedure used to challenge unlawful custody, seeking immediate release.
Hearing and Ruling
The court held a hearing on the petition on November 24, 2025. The order states that, for reasons to be explained in a later opinion and order, the government violated Petitioner’s due-process rights under the Fifth Amendment. The court granted the writ of habeas corpus and ordered that Petitioner be immediately released from custody.
Compliance Order
The respondents were ordered to certify compliance with the court’s order by promptly filing that certification on the docket no later than 5:00 p.m. on November 26, 2025. The order cites several similar decisions from the Southern District of New York but does not provide the fuller reasoning that the court said would appear in a later opinion and order.
Read the full 1-page opinion on CourtListener, the free public archive maintained by the Free Law Project.