Nganga v. Blanche
Alex N. v. Todd Blanche, Attorney General; Markwayne Mullin, Secretary, U.S. Department of Homeland Security; David Venturella, Director, Immigration and Customs Enforcement; David Eastwood, Acting Director, St. Paul Field Office Immigration and Customs Enforcement; and Joel Brott, Sheriff, Sherburne County
- Laura Provinzino
- 0:26-cv-03088
- U.S. District Court · District of Minnesota
- 2
Counsel of record per CourtListener. Firm names are approximate.
In Alex N. v. Blanche, Judge Provinzino ordered the federal government to release immigration detainee Alex N. from custody by August 21, 2026.
People held in immigration detention who challenge the lawfulness of their custody in federal court, particularly those detained through ICE facilities or county jails acting under ICE authority in the District of Minnesota.
What happened
In Alex N. v. Todd Blanche et al. (Case No. 26-cv-3088), a person identified only as Alex N. filed a petition asking a federal court to order his release from immigration detention. A magistrate judge reviewed the case and recommended granting the petition. The government stated it had no objection to that recommendation.
Because the government did not object, the court reviewed the magistrate judge's recommendation only for clear, obvious errors — the least demanding standard of review. Finding none, Judge Laura M. Provinzino adopted the recommendation in full and granted the petition.
Judge Provinzino ordered the government to release Alex N. from custody, along with all of his personal property, by 5 p.m. on August 21, 2026. The government must also file a written report confirming it followed the order by 5 p.m. on August 24, 2026. If the government wants to keep any of Alex N.'s property, it must explain in that report what property it is keeping and the legal reason for doing so.
The detailed version
- Nganga v. Blanche · No. 0:26-cv-03088
- Laura M. Provinzino
- Aug. 19, 2026
Background
Petitioner Alex N. — identified in the caption only by first name and last initial, consistent with court anonymization practice — filed a petition for a writ of habeas corpus (a legal challenge to the lawfulness of his confinement) against several federal and local officials. The respondents named are Todd Blanche as Attorney General, Markwayne Mullin as Secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, David Venturella as Director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), David Eastwood as Acting Director of the St. Paul Field Office of ICE, and Joel Brott as Sheriff of Sherburne County. The petition sought release from immigration detention.
Magistrate Judge's Report and Recommendation
United States Magistrate Judge David T. Schultz issued a Report and Recommendation (R&R) recommending that Alex N.'s habeas petition be granted and that the government be ordered to release him. The opinion does not describe the specific factual or legal basis for the magistrate judge's recommendation beyond that it favored granting the petition.
Government's Response
The government informed the court that it had no objection to the R&R. Under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 72(b) and Eighth Circuit precedent (citing Grinder v. Gammon, 73 F.3d 793, 795 (8th Cir. 1996)), when no objection is filed, the district court reviews a magistrate judge's R&R only for clear error — the least demanding standard of review.
Court's Ruling
Judge Provinzino reviewed the R&R under the clear-error standard and found none. She adopted the R&R in full and granted Alex N.'s habeas petition.
Specific Orders
- The R&R is adopted.
- Alex N.'s petition is granted.
- The government is ordered to release Alex N. from custody, along with all personal property, by no later than 5 p.m. on August 21,
- 4. The government is ordered to file a status report certifying compliance with this order by no later than 5 p.m. on August 24,
- 5. If the government seeks to retain any of Alex N.'s property, the status report must identify the property retained and state the legal basis for retaining it.
Notes on the Record
The opinion does not describe the underlying facts of Alex N.'s detention, the specific legal grounds for the habeas petition, or the magistrate judge's reasoning. Those details appear in the R&R itself (ECF No. 12), which is not reproduced here. The order is limited to adopting the R&R and setting compliance deadlines.
Read the full 2-page opinion on CourtListener, the free public archive maintained by the Free Law Project.