Full Breakdown
Court Orders Release of Clayton Herman from Adelanto ICE Detention Center
6/18/2026, 2:18:33 AM
Release from Adelanto ICE Detention Center
After nearly 250 days in ICE custody, Clayton Herman was freed on Monday when Judge Michael Kaufman ordered his release, finding the detention violated his due-process rights. He was taken to Adelanto after ICE alleged a breach of his VeriWatch monitoring during an October check-in and returned to his Ojai home.
Legal Context and VeriWatch Issues
Herman was required to wear a VeriWatch ankle monitor from BI Electronic Monitoring, a Geo Group subsidiary. The device was described as “glitchy” and had poor reception, yet ICE cited violations without providing the DHS form that listed 18 infractions without dates or types. He filed a habeas corpus petition; Craig Durham was appointed. Judge Kaufman found immigration judge “abused its discretion” and deemed the evidence insufficient.
Key Actors
Key actors: Clayton Herman (detainee), Judge Michael Kaufman, attorney Craig Durham, ICE, Geo Group (owner of Adelanto), BI Electronic Monitoring (VeriWatch provider), Department of Homeland Security.
Facility Conditions
Adelanto, a 1,940-bed for-profit detention center owned by the Geo Group, reported that nearly half its revenue last year came from ICE contracts. Herman said food, medical care, and showers were limited and noted mold and “rampant” illness. The facility faces a federal lawsuit alleging inhumane conditions.
Official Judicial Findings
Judge Kaufman ruled that detaining Herman without a chance to contest the alleged violations violated his due-process rights and concluded that the VeriWatch technology was not an appropriate condition of supervision, ordering that it not be used as a release condition.
Criticism and Personal Account
Attorney Craig Durham argued that many immigrants are detained without due process and that monitoring devices create incentives for detention. Herman described Adelanto food as “vile, garbage excuse of what they call food,” and said he was relieved to reunite with his cats, Poquito and Butters.
Verbatim Quotes
- “I'm thinking the first three days is every healthiest food, all the green hippie slop imaginable … just so my body can heal from the damage I took from the vile, garbage excuse of what they call food in that place,” — Clayton Herman
- “This is someone who should never be in detention regardless of whether ultimately his immigration case is successful or not. He doesn't need to be housed like a common criminal in horrible conditions while that process is going on,” — Craig Durham, attorney
- “That's just a horrible way to run an imprisonment system because there's incentives, obviously, to have more people detained,” — Craig Durham
- “Given the evidence presented here, it is clear that the VeriWatch technology is not an appropriate condition of supervision for (Herman),” — Court decision
Outlook
Herman’s immigration case remains pending, and he continues to check in with ICE. He hopes his habeas corpus victory will serve as precedent for detainees challenging monitoring-device-related arrests.
