Main: President Donald Trump speaks before signing a proclamation about the fishing industry, in the Oval Office of the White House, Thursday, June 11, 2026, in Washington (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin). Left inset: U.S. District Judge Kyle Dudek, pictured on June 25, 2025, during nomination hearings (Senate Judiciary Committee).
A federal judge in Florida has ordered Immigration and Customs Enforcement to immediately release a detained man, sharply criticizing the Trump administration over what he described as its repeated failure to follow court orders.
In a ruling issued Thursday, U.S. District Judge Kyle Dudek granted the habeas corpus petition of Dmitrii Iastrebov and directed that he be freed from custody. Dudek said the government’s handling of the case reflected a “complete inability to follow judicial directions” and amounted to “a masterclass in litigation cynicism.”
The dispute stems from an earlier order issued last month, when Dudek instructed the government to provide Iastrebov with an individualized bond hearing under 8 U.S.C. § 1226(a). According to the judge, that order came after the government itself acknowledged that Iastrebov was entitled to that relief.
But the process quickly unraveled. Dudek wrote that just five days later, an immigration judge declined to hold the hearing, concluding that Iastrebov was not covered by Section 1226(a) and therefore could not seek bond. Rather than defend the federal court’s order, government lawyers accepted that refusal and waived any administrative appeal.
When the case returned to court through a renewed habeas petition, the government changed course again. This time, Dudek said, officials argued that their earlier concession had been mistaken and urged the court to reverse itself, contending that Iastrebov should instead be subject to mandatory detention under 8 U.S.C. § 1225.
Dudek rejected that argument outright, characterizing it as an unsupported attempt at a legal reset. He made clear that the court would not allow the executive branch to treat the judiciary as a venue for procedural experimentation.
“And because the Government has shown that it cannot follow this Court’s explicit directions and offers zero assurance that it will comply with the statutory process it previously championed, Iastrebov will be immediately released,” the judge said, calling that the “only remedy that ‘law and justice require[.]’”
“The Clerk is directed to terminate any pending motions and deadlines, enter judgment, and close this case,” the order concluded.
