Petitions from immigrant detention centers flood courts

Between Aug. 2025 and mid-Feb. 2026, over 800 claims of unlawful detention have been filed in Michigan’s two federal district courts. Prior to this spike, the last time any petitions were filed was in 2020.

The North Lake Processing Center, one of the country’s largest immigration detention centers, is the main source of habeas petitions in the Western District.

Data is as of Feb. 18, 2026. Since Jan. 2025, at least 38 cases were transferred from the Eastern District to the Western District. Those cases are not included in the Eastern District total.

Sources: CourtListener, GovInfo, PACER

Data analysis and visualization: Adam Yahya Rayes | Michigan Public