A Venable team including Daniel Loveland, Jamie O'Connor, Craig Thompson, and summer associate Rachele Norfolk won the release of Daniel Anderson from ICE custody after being civilly detained for nearly two and a half years.
Anderson, a Jamaican citizen who has been in the United States since he was a child, was convicted of two drug offenses and one first-degree assault in his teens and early twenties. After serving a prison sentence for those crimes he was released in September 2011 on parole. Anderson complied fully with the conditions of his parole and kept a steady job working construction. During this time he met his fiancée and helped raise her two children.
On December 5, 2013, after Anderson had been out on parole for over two years, ICE officials detained him alleging that he was removable for his previous crimes. For nearly two and a half years, Anderson remained in custody at the Howard County Detention center. During his detention, he fought to stay in the country, but after a series of legal battles and delays, his order for removal became final on August 4, 2015. He was detained for nearly ten months more after that date.
This past April, Venable stepped in after receiving a referral from the Capital Area Immigration Rights group and filed a petition for Anderson's release. A judge issued an order to show cause, requiring the government to respond and set a hearing date. While preparing for the hearing, the government backed down and negotiated terms for Anderson's release.