Update:

Since August 2025, Malunda Destino has remained in ICE detention in New Hampshire, separated from his family despite having a pending asylum case and a legal right to continue fighting for protection in the United States. A federal court in New Hampshire has already recognized serious due process concerns in his prolonged detention, ordering that he receive an individualized bond hearing after months in custody.

During this detention, Destino has endured devastating personal loss and separation. His son was born at the end of last year, and he has never had the chance to hold or even meet his newborn child. While his family has been forced to navigate these first precious months without him, ICE has continued to keep him locked away.

ICE is attempted to deport him between today until the 17th That deportation was stopped only because his community mobilized urgently and paid $15,000 for a third attorney, an appellate lawyer to intervene. His legal team is now filing an emergency stay of deportation to prevent ICE from removing him before the courts can fully review his case. No family should have to raise thousands of dollars in crisis just to stop a father from being deported while his asylum claim is still pending.

Destino is not just a detainee number in a system, he is a beloved soccer player, a teammate, a father & a valued member of the Maine immigrant community who has contributed deeply to the people around him. Yet despite those ties, he continues to face detention and trauma.

Weeks ago, Destino also described a deeply disturbing incident inside detention: ICE agents entered his room, forced five detained men to strip naked, and subjected them to degrading treatment that violated their dignity and human rights. Experiences like these leave lasting trauma and reveal the abusive conditions many immigrants face behind detention walls.