Man Arrested Over “Dried Pinto Beans” Wins Victory Over Trump Admin as Judge Halts ICE Deportation

Amid a crackdown by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) across the country, numerous people have turned to courts to challenge their arrests and prevent deportation. In a major victory for one such immigrant, a Utah court has temporarily stopped the Trump administration from deporting him.

On February 23, Lorenzo Chavez-Rascon was arrested by Utah state authorities on suspicion of a drug sale. However, forensic testing later revealed that Chavez-Rascon possessed dried pinto beans, not illegal drugs.

Though the charges against him were dropped, ICE issued an immigration detainer and later took Chavez-Rascon into custody. As Chavez-Rascon faced potential deportation, his lawyers filed a habeas corpus petition arguing that his detention was unlawful.

On March 11, U.S. District Judge Robert J. Shelby ruled in favor of the immigrant and issued a temporary restraining order to stop his deportation. The judge noted that Chavez-Rascon entered the U.S. as a minor in 2017 and applied for asylum. Later, he also applied for a U-visa, a special visa for victims of crimes who cooperate with law enforcement.

His visa petition was deemed ‘bona fide’ by the U.S. Customs and Immigration Services (USCIS), meaning the application appeared legitimate. This granted him deferred action status, which protects immigrants from deportation while their visa application is processed.

In his ruling, Shelby noted that Chavez-Rascon still has a deferred action status, and it is not likely to be revoked. “Here, it appears that Chavez's deferred action status makes removal unforeseeable, and therefore unreasonable. Chavez appears to have deferred action status from his February 2026 USCIS determination, finding he presented a bona fide U-visa petition,” the judge said.

The court also noted that due to a massive backlog in U-visa processing, Chavez-Rascon’s deferred action status would remain unchanged for years. “Because there is currently a severe backlog of U-visa petitions, it is likely that he will remain in deferred action for many years to come. As such, his immigration proceedings and removal would certainly not be considered foreseeable,” the order read.

Shelby ruled that Chavez-Rascon’s detention and potential deportation are unreasonable, ordering the government to cease efforts to deport him while the legal proceedings continue. Immigration officials have also been asked to allow him to communicate with his lawyer.

“Chavez's detention thus concerns a fundamental constitutional right, and he is also likely to prevail on the merits of his claim against the asserted constitutional violation. And throughout this process, he has been denied access to communications with his lawyer. Altogether, these injuries satisfy the requirement for irreparable harm necessary to obtain emergency relief,” Shelby said in the ruling.

The judge also took into account the fact that Chavez-Rascon was mistakenly arrested, as he did not actually possess drugs. “While Chavez was arrested by state police on charges related to selling narcotics (in and of itself grounds for detention and removal), Chavez was not charged by the State of Utah with any crime,” Shelby said.