July 24th, 2025 | A Deaf, non-verbal asylum seeker from Mongolia has been released from U.S. immigration custody following months of detention without access to an interpreter. In a major legal victory for disability and immigrant rights, a federal court order last week mandated that U.S. immigration authorities provide proper accommodations in compliance with federal disability law.
The man, identified publicly as Avirmed due to concerns about government retaliation if he is returned to Mongolia, had been detained at the Otay Mesa Detention Center since February. Avirmed fled to the U.S., where his sister, a U.S. citizen, lives after he survived a brutal assault targeting him because of his disability. That attack left him with a traumatic brain injury, seizures, and memory loss. Despite repeated attempts by his legal team to secure accommodations in detention, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) failed to provide a qualified Mongolian Sign Language (MSL) interpreter, relying instead on tools like Google Translate to conduct critical interviews. This disregard for Avirmed’s rights under federal law resulted in dangerous and absurd miscommunications, including misidentifying his sister as his daughter, and left him with no way to effectively communicate with immigration officials about his asylum claim or his medical and mental condition.
On July 16, 2025, Judge Dana Sabraw of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California issued a preliminary injunction ordering the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to:
- Provide a qualified MSL interpreter for all future proceedings
- Redo mental health and credible fear evaluations that were previously conducted without interpretation
- Reschedule his competency hearing following proper assessments
- Remove the flawed earlier evaluations from the record
- Allow additional time for daily video calls with legal counsel and an MSL interpreter
- Ensure his sister is present for all future proceedings.
Shortly after the court order, Avirmed was quietly released from ICE custody and is now living with his sister in Virginia. His immigration case remains open.
“Avirmed’s release is an important step forward, but the harm he experienced has further exposed systemic failures,” said Sylvia Torres-Guillen, President & CEO of the Disability Rights Legal Center (DRLC). “Detaining someone for months without any way to communicate is not just illegal, it is inhumane.”
The case underscores ongoing civil rights violations in the immigration detention system, particularly for people with disabilities.
“The fact that the government needed a federal court order to comply with basic civil rights law is deeply troubling,” said Laura Murchie, Staff Attorney at Disability Law United (DLU). “DHS, which includes both ICE and CBP, is not above the law. Asylum seekers have rights, people with disabilities have rights, and if immigration officials continue to violate these legal protections, we will enforce them.”
While it remains unclear why Avirmed was released without a bond hearing, DRLC and DLU will continue to monitor his immigration proceedings to ensure that the order for accommodations is complied with, and his rights are fully protected.
“This is about more than one man,” added Alegría De La Cruz, Director of Litigation at the Disability Rights Legal Center. “It is about ensuring that every person—with respect for ability, immigration status, and language—is afforded their right to be heard, understood, and treated with dignity under the law.”
Press
ICE releases deaf Mongolian immigrant after holding him for months without interpreter | Los Angeles Times
Deaf immigrant detained by ICE for 4 months without interpreter | CalMatters
DLU & Co-Counsel Prevent Immediate Deportation of Disabled, Deaf Asylum Seeker, Force ICE to Provide Accommodations | Disability Law United
The plight of a disabled man in ICE custody shows impact of Trump immigration orders | KPBS Public Media
Court Documents
Order Granting Motion for Preliminary Injunction
