Mississippi judge has not ruled on immigration detainees’ cases in months
U.S. District Court Judge David Bramlette III, who handles all habeas corpus petitions from immigrant detainees in Mississippi, has not issued a ruling on any case since at least October, according to federal court records. Dozens of detainees have waited months for decisions, with some held in the state for over a year, data from the nonprofit Habeas Dockets shows.
Bramlette’s district covers Adams County, home to one of the largest ICE detention centers in the country. Since August, more than 570 detainees filed habeas petitions in his court. Many have been deported, but others remain in detention, with about 18 cases dismissed on procedural grounds and the rest still pending.
While courts in other states have moved more swiftly to resolve similar cases, Mississippi’s court has been notably slow. Civil rights organizations have urged Judge Bramlette to address the backlog, but he has yet to respond, according to attorneys. In March, lawyers sent a letter proposing solutions used elsewhere, but the court’s workload remains largely unchanged.
Some detainees, like Aidar Nafikov, a Russian asylum seeker held in Mississippi for more than 19 months, and others, continue to await decisions that could determine their release or deportation. Nafikov’s wife described their family as feeling “exhausted, heartbroken and desperate.”
Across the country, courts in Michigan, Illinois, Minnesota, and Nebraska have decided more than half of their habeas cases since October, compared to Mississippi’s near-complete inaction. Legal advocates say the delays may be intentional, especially as some detainees are transferred to Mississippi to hinder case progress. Refiling petitions after transfers can be costly and burdensome, further complicating detainees’ efforts for release.
The impasse has left many detainees in limbo, with some held long after their deportation orders. Yuk Chon Kwong, held in a high-security unit at Adams County, said he has been begging for return to Hong Kong, where he was born, but authorities have no answers. His case highlights the ongoing struggles faced by detainees in Mississippi’s overwhelmed system.
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