Records offer some insight about man detained by ICE

WASHINGTON — A handful of public records released since U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detained a Muscatine man have revealed more context about his case.

Noel Lopez was arrested in July on drug-related allegations, and held in the Washington County Jail until the local government dropped charges earlier this month. Shortly after that, however, he was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement staff. He has since been transferred to the Linn County Jail.

While it wasn’t officially clear why the federal agency had a detainer out for Lopez, public records shared by the county on Friday included a copy of that order. It said federal agents had probable cause to suspect Lopez was a “removable individual,” based on statements he’d made to an immigration officer “or other reliable evidence” that he’s “removable under U.S. immigration law.”

The detainer order was provided by Washington County law enforcement in response to a public records request. A similar, federal-level FOIA request sent to the Department of Homeland Security has not yet been fulfilled.

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In response to the public records request, Washington County Sheriff Jared Schneider said fourteen other detainers had been sent to Washington County by ICE since the start of 2025. The sheriff said those records weren’t immediately available, but that staff from the county attorney’s office and county jail were working to retrieve those records and calculate the fees needed to do so.

The records related to Lopez included a copy of his detainer, and the email it was attached to which ICE sent to the Washington County Jail July 9, eight days after a warrant was served for his arrest. The detainer said Lopez was a Mexican citizen, suggesting federal authorities may seek to deport him there.

The documents also included an email exchange on Aug. 15, when county jail staff told Immigration and Customs Enforcement that Lopez’s charges were dismissed. ICE agent Jess Leibold replied saying they’d be in Washington “first thing tomorrow morning to pick him up.”

It remains unclear what evidence, specifically, federal officials have to believe Lopez resides in the U.S. illegally, or how they learned of his arrest in the first place. ICE’s website claims the agency typically issues detainers for individuals “after a court has convicted them of one or more crimes — and typically when the alien poses a public safety or national security threat.”

But Lopez’s criminal record is clean, save for the now-dropped misdemeanor charges in Washington County. And federal data last updated Aug. 11 said less than 30% of the 46,113 people detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement since October of 2024 were convicted of a crime. Another 25% had “pending criminal charges” when they entered ICE’s custody, while the plurality — 45.38% — are labeled “other immigration violators.”

A family member interviewed earlier this month declined to comment on Lopez’s immigration status until they could consult with an attorney.

Since Lopez’s removal from Washington County, federal authorities have scheduled his hearing in Nebraska, according to records in an automated database maintained by the Executive Office for Immigration Review, which did not return any results related to Lopez the day he was moved into ICE’s custody. As of Monday morning, the government website did not mention any motions on Lopez’s court docket, but it did offer a time and address for his hearing at an immigration court in Omaha Sept. 4.

Comments: Kalen.McCain@southeastiowaunion.com