A federal judge has ordered that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement return two men to Maine after they were arrested and flown to Louisiana.

Their attorney, Paula Esteves, said the orders could make it easier for attorneys to bring immigrants back to New England after they are detained and moved to states far from their homes.

Esteves said the rulings have already caught the attention of other lawyers — one, she said, cited it in another case within hours and others have told her they plan to do the same.

“In Maine specifically, I hope it sets the precedent,” Esteves said in an interview.

Her clients — Selvin Isaias Situj Garcia and Elder Benjamin Ortiz Sintuj — were arrested Jan. 15 at a construction site in Bethel.

Esteves said the two men will likely be detained at U.S. Customs and Border Patrol facilities when they get back to Maine. In his rulings Wednesday, U.S. District Judge John Woodcock also ordered that Garcia and Sintuj are entitled to bond hearings in immigration court within 14 days of their return to the state. He said he would have “grave concerns” about their ability to prepare for bond hearings with more than 1,600 miles between them and their lawyers.

He also ordered the government to provide sworn affidavits that detail the timeline of their move to Louisiana.

According to the rulings, the men filed petitions for writ of habeas corpus on Jan. 18, challenging the constitutionality of their detentions. Within hours, Woodcock filed orders in both cases that barred the government from removing the men from the state. ICE then informed the court the men had been moved to Louisiana after they filed their petitions but before the judge issued his orders.

“It is of course possible that Respondents removed Mr. Sintuj from the District of Maine between 11:22 a.m. and 2:45 p.m. on January 18, 2026, and ordinarily the Court would accept the Respondents’ factual representation at face value,” Woodcock wrote in a footnote in one order. “However, given Respondents’ disobedience of a court order and misrepresentation of critical facts to the Court regarding another immigration case … the Court orders Respondents to submit an affidavit or sworn declaration confirming the exact time of Mr. Sintuj’s departure.”

The case he referenced was that of Abigail Lima Da Silva O’Leary, who was moved from Maine to Massachusetts this week, two hours before federal attorneys asked Woodcock for permission to do so.

When the U.S. Attorney’s Office told Woodcock the following day that it was not informed of O’Leary’s transfer until later, Woodcock ordered her immediate release.

On Wednesday, Woodcock ordered that Cristian Yair de la Cruz Guillermo, who was also arrested at the construction site in Bethel, was also entitled to a bond hearing. The U.S. Attorney’s Office told the court last week that Guillermo was in Massachusetts — only to correct the information later that day to say he was in Fort Fairfield.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew Lizotte said Wednesday that ICE had misinformed his office of Guillermo’s location and that his staff immediately updated the court when they learned of the error.

Lawyers say that it’s been harder for their detained clients to get those bond hearings in immigration court. They have filed dozens of habeas petitions, arguing the detention is illegal, and asking federal judges to order bond hearings.

In one case, another judge in Maine ordered a bond hearing for one of Esteves’ clients, and the court didn’t tell the attorneys about the hearing until after it was supposed to start. The man was released on bond later that same day, but Esteves said the courts are overwhelmed.

“I’m holding onto the good things that happen, even if they’re little,” she said. “Those two orders yesterday are keeping me going.”

Editor’s note: This story was updated on Jan. 29 to correct the spelling of Paula Esteves‘ name.