Lawsuit says man from Somalia’s been detained over 2 years

CONCORD, N.H. – A federal lawsuit says an asylum seeker from Somalia has been detained for 2 1/2 years without a bond hearing and should be released.

Acting on behalf of Mahamed Ahmed-Cali, the ACLU of New Hampshire on Friday sued the heads of the departments of Justice, Homeland Security, Immigrations and Customs Enforcement, and Enforcement and Removal Operations, as well as a county corrections department.

The lawsuit says Ahmed-Cali presented himself at the port of entry in San Diego in 2016 and was detained. He’s been transferred to immigration detention facilities in six states.

Ahmed-Cali was one of 92 Somalis who sued the U.S. government after they sat shackled on an airplane for two days in an aborted deportation in 2017. The case was dismissed.

Messages were left at the federal agencies seeking comment.