Federal Judge Dismisses Lawsuit by Iowa Immigrant Detainee
MUSCATINE COUNTY, Iowa – A federal court has dismissed a lawsuit filed by Mutasim Ibrahim Abdulrahman Noor, an immigrant detainee who claims to have endured severe abuse in Sudan before being detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for two years. The decision was made by Chief Judge Stephanie Rose in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Iowa.
Noor’s lawsuit sought his immediate release from county jail and targeted both ICE and the Muscatine County Sheriff. The case raised significant concerns regarding the treatment of individuals like Noor, who have fled persecution and sought refuge in the United States.
In her ruling, Judge Rose acknowledged Noor’s distress over the “horrific abuses” he faced in Sudan. Nonetheless, she stated that the federal laws and ICE policies Noor cited did not afford him the legal recourse necessary to secure his release at this time.
Prior to his arrival in the United States in 2024, Noor was abducted by a militia in Sudan, holding him captive for ten days during which he was forced to work under the threat of death. Following this harrowing experience, he fled through Africa, Europe, and South America, ultimately reaching the U.S. on July 7, 2024. Upon arrival, he was arrested by ICE and placed in federal custody at the Freeborn County Detention Center in Albert Lea, Minnesota.
Noor applied for asylum based on the Convention Against Torture, initially facing a denial from an immigration judge. However, he later succeeded in appealing this decision, leading the federal Board of Immigration Appeals to send the case back for reconsideration.
In December 2025, Noor was transferred to the Muscatine County Jail, and on January 9, 2026, a judge granted him a new trial. This determination provoked an appeal from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Noor attempted to expedite the review of this appeal with the Board of Immigration Appeals, which remains unresolved.
On June 17, 2026, Noor’s legal team filed a lawsuit claiming that his detention breached the “Akkaldi Principles,” which stipulate that federal entities must adhere to their established protocols. They referred to a 2004 internal ICE memorandum outlining the policy prioritizing the release of noncitizens granted protective relief. However, the U.S. Department of Justice contended that the Akkardi Principles pertain only to statutory violations, not to internal policy memorandums, asserting that Noor is subject to mandatory detention as mandated by federal law.
In her dismissal, Judge Rose determined that the 22-year-old memorandum Noor relied on was not legally enforceable and did not provide any rights that goes beyond existing laws or regulations. She noted that ICE’s intent with the memorandum was to manage resources effectively by allowing flexibility in case handling. Noor’s status as an applicant for admission to the United States, subject to mandatory detention, further underpinned the court’s decision.
