ICE detained Chicago man acquitted in Bovino murder-for-hire plot, held him without a hearing for weeks

On Jan. 23, 2026, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement took Juan Espinoza Martinez, 37, into custody in Chicago, one day after a federal jury acquitted him of offering $10,000 for the murder of U.S. Border Patrol Cmdr. Gregory Bovino. Espinoza Martinez, who has lived in Chicago for more than 30 years, has no prior convictions, and worked for a decade at his brother's construction company, was transferred to the Clay County Justice Center in Brazil, Indiana, where he was held without ever receiving a hearing before an immigration judge to assess whether he posed a flight risk or danger.

Federal prosecutors in the criminal case had originally described Espinoza Martinez as a "high-ranking member of the Latin Kings" but did not attempt to prove that characterization at trial; U.S. District Judge Joan Lefkow separately barred gang-related evidence from the proceeding. Asked about ICE's decision to detain Espinoza Martinez immediately after his acquittal, a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson said the verdict "does not change the facts" of the underlying Snapchat messages that led to his prosecution.

On Feb. 6, 2026, U.S. District Judge James Hanlon of the Southern District of Indiana ruled that Espinoza Martinez's continued immigration detention was unlawful because he had never been given a hearing to assess flight risk or danger, and ordered the government to release him under reasonable conditions or provide a bond hearing by 4 p.m. that Wednesday.

Updates

2026-02-04 — Judge barred deportation while litigation proceeded [3]

Two days before the unlawfulness ruling, Hanlon separately barred the Trump administration from removing Espinoza Martinez from the United States or transferring him outside the Seventh Circuit (Illinois, Indiana, and Wisconsin) while his habeas litigation continued.

2026-02-11 — Immigration judge denied bond after a hearing [4]

At the bond hearing Hanlon's order required, immigration Judge Matthew Beese denied Espinoza Martinez bond, citing HSI records alleging Latin Kings affiliation that had been excluded from or not presented at his criminal trial. Espinoza Martinez's attorney called it an attempt to "relitigate the criminal case" and said she was considering an appeal; a removal hearing was set for Feb. 25, 2026. Espinoza Martinez remained in ICE custody at the Clay County Justice Center as of this reporting, the most recent coverage located as of this entry's recording.