ICE releases Martin Soto after judge orders freedom amid mental‑health concerns

U.S. District Judge Jamel Semper ordered Immigration and Customs Enforcement to release Martin Soto on Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2026, after the Peruvian immigrant spent more than two years in detention and solitary confinement.

Soto, who helped organize a hunger and labor strike at the Delaney Hall detention center in Newark over Memorial Day weekend, had been detained since February 2024. The judge expressed concern that prolonged isolation placed Soto at risk of self‑harm and suicidal ideation, prompting the decision to end his custody.

Following the order, ICE transferred Soto from the Elizabeth Contract Detention Facility, where he had been moved after the strike, to a location where he could be released under “reasonable conditions,” including an ankle monitor. His wife, Gabby Soto, greeted him in a video posted to social media, saying, "I am so happy Martin is finally being released from ICE custody."

New Jersey’s congressional delegation celebrated the outcome. Rep. Nellie Pou called Soto’s release "justice finally being done" and reiterated her office’s long‑standing push to shut down Delaney Hall. Sen. Andy Kim added that the family’s “cruel separation” highlighted the broader harms of ICE’s detention practices, emphasizing the need for mental‑health safeguards for detainees.

The case underscores ongoing calls to close Delaney Hall, which critics describe as a hub of inhumane conditions. Lawmakers and advocacy groups have used Soto’s release to renew demands for stricter oversight of ICE facilities and for broader immigration reform, including the abolition of ICE.

While Soto’s immediate future includes monitoring requirements, officials say the decision sets a precedent for reviewing solitary confinement cases where mental‑health risks are evident, and it may influence future judicial reviews of immigration detentions across the country.