Federal authorities are being sued by a Chicago man who was acquitted of a murder-for-hire plot against US Border Patrol Cmdr. Gregory Bovino, with a federal judge now ruling that his detention is unlawful.
Juan Espinoza Martinez, 37, has been held in custody since October 6th without having a hearing to determine whether he poses a flight risk or danger. His case was marked by controversy from the start, including allegations that he was a high-ranking member of the Latin Kings gang – claims which were barred from his trial due to lack of evidence.
In May, jurors found Espinoza Martinez not guilty after a brief trial, but immigration authorities took him into custody just one day later. His detention has been the subject of controversy, with prosecutors citing messages sent on social media in support of the plot. However, defense attorneys argue that these messages were misleading and that no money actually changed hands.
A federal judge in Indiana has now ruled that Espinoza Martinez's detention is unlawful, ordering him to be released under reasonable conditions or given an opportunity for a bond hearing by Wednesday at 4pm. The judge also issued an order barring the Trump administration from deporting Espinoza Martinez while the litigation plays out.
The court ruling highlights issues with the treatment of undocumented immigrants who have been detained in connection with serious crimes. Many are held without access to counsel or due process, leading to accusations that they are being unfairly targeted and punished by immigration authorities.
Juan Espinoza Martinez, 37, has been held in custody since October 6th without having a hearing to determine whether he poses a flight risk or danger. His case was marked by controversy from the start, including allegations that he was a high-ranking member of the Latin Kings gang – claims which were barred from his trial due to lack of evidence.
In May, jurors found Espinoza Martinez not guilty after a brief trial, but immigration authorities took him into custody just one day later. His detention has been the subject of controversy, with prosecutors citing messages sent on social media in support of the plot. However, defense attorneys argue that these messages were misleading and that no money actually changed hands.
A federal judge in Indiana has now ruled that Espinoza Martinez's detention is unlawful, ordering him to be released under reasonable conditions or given an opportunity for a bond hearing by Wednesday at 4pm. The judge also issued an order barring the Trump administration from deporting Espinoza Martinez while the litigation plays out.
The court ruling highlights issues with the treatment of undocumented immigrants who have been detained in connection with serious crimes. Many are held without access to counsel or due process, leading to accusations that they are being unfairly targeted and punished by immigration authorities.
this is crazy! i mean, dude gets acquitted of murder-for-hire plot but still stuck in detention 
it's like, what even is the point of that? shouldn't he be free to live his life or whatever? 
and all these allegations about him being part of a gang and stuff... can we just focus on getting him a fair trial and not making assumptions based on social media posts? 
also, this whole thing just highlights how messed up our immigration system is 
we need to start treating people with dignity and respect, you know? 
federal authorities finally get caught for their human rights abuses 
espinoza martinez's case was always shady from the start, but at least he got off scot free...literally 
now the gov't has to deal with the consequences of keeping him locked up without a hearing 
hopefully this judge is on point and doesn't let them get away with it again 
this is crazy! I mean, Juan Espinoza Martinez was already found not guilty of the murder-for-hire plot but still gets detained? It's like, what's next? They're holding people without a hearing just because they're undocumented and accused of something serious. That's not right at all 
. And to make matters worse, he was held for weeks after his trial, which is just ridiculous. The judge finally ruled that it's unlawful and he needs to be released or have a chance to appeal, but it should've been that way from the start 
.
I don't get it. And all this social media stuff? Come on, we're living in 2025, can't we have some better ways to judge people's intentions? 
. its like they're trying to punish him before the trial is even over...and for what? some social media posts? that's not enough to keep someone behind bars for so long 
.
His story is like something out of a horror movie - from being acquitted of a murder-for-hire plot to being detained without a hearing... it's just not right. I can imagine how scary and lonely it must be for him, stuck in this limbo without knowing what the future holds. The fact that he was held without access to counsel or due process is just devastating - it's like, he's already been through so much, why keep torturing him? 