YOUNGSTOWN  An immigration detainee with leukemia has been released from the Mahoning County Jail following a federal court order that declared a recent government detention policy unlawful.

Jose Contreras Cervantes, a longtime resident of Michigan, was released from the county jail, which is used by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. According to the American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan, his release was one of more than a dozen following the ruling.

His release, and that of seven other ACLU clients, came after U.S. District Judge Brandy R. McMillion in Detroit ruled Oct. 17 that a Trump administration directive eliminating bond hearings for certain long-term residents violated both immigration law and the Constitution. ICE filed a notice of appeal on Friday, signaling the government's intent to continue the legal challenge.

Contreras Cervantes was arrested following a routine traffic stop in Macomb County, Michigan, on Aug. 5. The ACLU stated his detention immediately jeopardized his health. He is undergoing treatment for a rare form of leukemia, and legal filings noted his access to cancer medication was disrupted during the two-and-a-half months he spent in custody.

He is married to a U.S. citizen, has three U.S. citizen children, and has lived in Michigan for nearly two decades. The ACLU of Michigan filed suit on his behalf, arguing that as a longtime resident, he was eligible for a bond hearing to argue for his release pending the outcome of his immigration case.

The administration’s July directive sought to reverse prior government practice by denying bond hearings to non-citizens apprehended after having resided in the country for years. It labeled them as subject to mandatory detention under the Immigration and Nationality Act.

Judge McMillion agreed with the ACLU’s argument. She wrote that individuals like Contreras Cervantes, who have long lived in the U.S., retain the right to seek release while their immigration proceedings are underway, noting the "most elemental of liberty interests is to be free from restraint and physical detention."

The court ordered ICE to either release the petitioners immediately or grant a bond hearing before an immigration judge within seven days. ICE responded by releasing Contreras Cervantes and seven other ACLU clients, along with at least six others represented by private counsel, bringing the total number of people freed to at least 14.

Miriam Aukerman, senior staff attorney for the ACLU of Michigan, said the ruling was a necessary check on the government’s attempts to detain people without adequate legal safeguards.

"Court after court has ruled the administration’s policy is illegal," Aukerman said in a statement. "This decision is another among dozens where federal judges have said that ICE cannot hold people without a bond hearing, regardless of how long they have lived here or how deeply they are connected to their families and communities."

Aukerman acknowledged relief for the families but stressed that the fight is not over for others still held under the same contested directive. "While we celebrate the release of our clients and others, we know hundreds, perhaps thousands, more in Michigan remain in custody under similar circumstances," she said.

For Contreras Cervantes, the release means he can resume his cancer treatment, the ACLU stated in a news release.

Contreras Cervantes shared his relief, stating, "I missed so many moments with my baby, my son’s birthday, my wife’s birthday, and the simple joy of sitting around the dinner table together." He also worried about his family, which includes a son with brain tumors.

His wife, Lupita Contreras Cervantes, described the family’s ordeal as a constant source of anxiety. "The threats to Jose’s health because of the disruption of his treatment for a rare, life-threatening form of leukemia have been the worst stress," she said. "But the heartbreak of our children being separated from the father they dearly love has been just as severe."

The Oct. 17 ruling adds to other federal court decisions nationwide that have challenged the policy. Federal judges in Michigan have issued at least 10 decisions that found the July directive to be illegal. Across the country, about 100 federal court decisions have affirmed the right of long-term U.S. residents to a bond hearing, the ACLU stated.

The Oct. 24 appeal signals that the administration intends to challenge Judge McMillion’s order at a higher level, ensuring the legal battle over the detention directive will continue.

In late August, the ACLU of Ohio called for the release of all "wrongfully detained" ICE inmates being held in the Mahoning County Jail based on the opinion from Attorney General Dave Yost.

That opinion stated that only county commissioners have the right to contract with federal immigration authorities, not the sheriffs themselves.

At the time of the ACLU’s request, approximately 100 jail alleged illegal immigrants were being held in the county jail.