Long Tan Nguyen, a Vietnamese citizen who entered the United States before 1995, was re-detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement in August 2025 after nearly 20 years of compliance with supervised release following a 2005 removal order. ICE did not allege that Nguyen failed to report as required under his supervision order, and he had been checking in regularly from November 2005 through the date of his re-detention.
The case centers on procedural violations in Nguyen's detention, including ICE's failure to provide written notice of the specific reasons for revoking his supervision order as required by federal regulations. Judge Shubb noted in the order that "no informal interview was conducted at or near the time of initial re-detention," with the required panel review not occurring until December 2025, approximately four months after Nguyen was taken back into custody.
The parties filed a joint stipulation seeking to resolve the habeas petition without an evidentiary hearing, which the court granted while maintaining a scheduled April 15 hearing for oral arguments. The stipulated facts reveal that while ICE requested travel documents from Vietnam in December 2025, the Vietnamese government has not issued the necessary paperwork, and Nguyen has not been added to a scheduled removal flight due to the lack of travel documents.
The case highlights ongoing challenges with prolonged immigration detention when removal cannot be effectuated due to foreign governments' failure to issue travel documents. Judge Shubb ordered that Nguyen remain in custody pending resolution of the petition, with supplemental briefing due April 8 and final submission following oral arguments a week later.