Juan Daniel Mendoza, the 17-year-old Morristown High School senior arrested by ICE while attempting to do his laundry on Sunday morning, has been released from the Elizabeth detention center and is back with his family.
U.S. District Judge Evelyn Padin ordered his release by 5 pm today, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026.
Federal authorities may not re-arrest and re-detain Mendoza without first showing that he poses a risk of flight or danger to the public, ruled the judge, whose order found the teen was “unlawfully detained in violation of his due process rights.”
Mendoza and 10 others were arrested in Morristown on Sunday as part of “routine immigration enforcement actions,” Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement earlier on Thursday.
All were either “in removal proceedings or in the process of being removed from the United States in accordance with U.S. immigration law,” and some were felons, McLaughlin said. Morristown Green has reached out to DHS for comment on the ruling.
Mendoza had gone to a Speedwell Avenue laundromat to do his laundry when ICE agents arrived. He ran, but was arrested across the street. A relative told their parish priest that Mendoza sustained injuries to his arm and leg.
Attorney Ryan Magee of McCarter & English in Newark filed a petition for a Writ of Habeas Corpus, challenging the legality of Mendoza’s arrest, on Wednesday, court documents show.
The matter may not be finished, however. The judge directed government attorneys to file an update Thursday. Then Mendoza’s lawyer will be given a deadline to respond, according to the order.
Padin was nominated to the federal bench by President Biden and confirmed by the Senate in May 2022. The Seton Hall Law School graduate is the second Latina judge for the District of New Jersey, and is past president of the state Bar Association. She has been a social worker, a municipal judge in Jersey City, and a personal injury and criminal defense attorney.
An online campaign by community members has raised nearly $93,000 for Mendoza’s defense. Mendoza reportedly came alone to America from Honduras, searching for family here, and enrolled in Morristown High in 2024.
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Marcus, some good news for you, sir! No need to be nostalgic, for those things are today.
immigration IS welcomed and low-key, procedurally fair immigration enforcement is supported. However, thugs in masks still exist. Some of them are illegals holding up liquor stores. “Immigrant” is not a dirty word and “deportation” is not a dirty word. Both are terrific words.
I’m nostalgic for the days when immigration was welcomed and low-key, procedurally fair immigration enforcement was supported — not thugs in masks. “Immigrant” was not a dirty word and “deportation” was not a dirty word, because it was the end point of a fair and reasonable process. There’s plenty of room for compromise that would benefit everyone: green cards and a route to citizenship for the “Dreamers” and illegal entrants who have set down roots in the U.S. and have clean records, no more arbitrary bigotry bars to immigration from selected countries Donald Trump happens to hate, and on the enforcement side beefed up immigration courts with many more judges, employer sanctions and better enforcement at the border.
Chris does not understand America’s laws. Talk about a Patriot.
Okay. So with Kevin’s approach, we can take what we want and then settle the matter after the fact. It’s amazing to see this approach and I hope it impacts your own decisions accordingly. Grab first, figure it out later. Sounds like a winning style to destroy norms..
The due process in this case would be that an immigration judge legally issue a removal order which is then enforced by ICE. ICE is an enforcement agency (note the E in their acronym). They do not get to be judge, jury, and executioner, however much they (and apparently some of you) want them to be. The judge has given ICE until today to present their legal justification – it’s put up or shut up time – – let’s reserve judgement and see what they come up with. The legal process and justice rule, and all other opinions (including mine) are just that = opinions that we are perfectly free to express and either agree or disagree with.
Matt, you’re the best! 🙂
You guys are such ignorant hypocrites – our own PRESIDENT is a criminal and fraudster
Hi Matt. Did you know that carjackers have lives, too? It’s true!
Also, illegals are folks that shouldn’t here at all. Period. And many of them ARE criminals, both for offenses committed after they were here illegally or when they jumped our border.
I know, I’m SO cruel because I believe in the rule of law and don’t make wild judgements on what laws should be ignored.
There is something wrong in the noggins of those who believe that people whose first act in coming to our country is to break our laws deserve to be here.
Try pulling that stuff in Mexico.
The due process was the federal law and allegiances to the country and civics. That is the due process. It isnt a reverse reward.
For example, I cant go steal the car I want, drive it free for 5 years and without insurance and then when I am caught, ask if I can pay a discounted payment subsidized by the community of tax payers and without consequence.
There is an order to things and that is why we arent the 3rd world. Keep making your arguments, you can move them into your house with yoru familly and pay their bills and cover the expenses and absorb them into your routine. There is a process for that. Go be a foster parent.
Jeff: none of the 10-11 ppl taken from that laundry mat had a criminal record. Their only crime was working hard for their family and taking care of clean clothes for their kids. Open your eyes, ICE is after innocent colored folks, period. Savagely and cruelly knocking down petrified kids in it’s path.
Jeff: however it plays out it will be what it will be, but at least it will be through the legal system making the call through due process, as opposed to ICE making the unchecked unilateral call to disappear people in the middle of the night.
Jeff – you’re cruelty is astounding. These people have LIVES and they matter. Criminals are the only ones who should be deported
He is 18
I feel bad for kids who get caught up in this. It’s the fault of the bad parents.
Let’s hope that this family is kept together with all of them being deported.
Great! Let’s hope that the other non-felons get the same consideration. The felons certainly must be deported. There just must be a better way to identify and detain them without getting the innocent people caught up in the wash.
It’s astounding to me that catching a teenager doing his laundry would be, even for a moment, considered a threat. So glad that he’s found support among sensible people.