SIOUX CITY, Iowa ( IOWA CAPITAL DISPATCH ) - A western Iowa county is being sued over the federal government’s refusal to release jailed immigration detainees, even in cases where judges have ordered their release on bond.

The lawsuits claim that federal immigration officials have concocted a “scheme” whereby detainees with no criminal record can be jailed indefinitely despite judges approving their release upon payment of a bond.

The cases stem from a policy that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security adopted in July 2025, holding that all employees of DHS’ Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), were to consider anyone who is alleged to have entered the United States illegally to be subject to mandatory detention.

When detainees request a bond redetermination hearing before an

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