Two Togolese Asylum-Seekers Fight Detention in Iowa Jail

Two asylum-seekers from Togo are asking a federal court to release them from Muscatine County Jail in Iowa, where U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has held them since August 2026. Both men entered the United States near the Arizona border in January 2025 and were released at that time before applying for asylum.

Key facts

• Both men are citizens of Togo and entered the U.S. near the Arizona border in January 2025
• ICE arrested both in August 2026 during check-in visits
• They are being held at Muscatine County Jail, Iowa
• A federal judge has given officials until 26 October 2026 to respond in one case

Who is detained?

Ahouansou Jomlan Berdino Gnassounou, 23, says he entered the United States near the Arizona border in January 2025 and was released by U.S. Border Patrol before seeking asylum. His lawsuit alleges ICE agents arrested him in August 2026 after he arrived at an ICE office for a voluntary check-in, and that the agency has given no explanation for revoking his release or continuing to hold him at the Muscatine County Jail.

Kota Djimba, 47 — whose name appears as "Kjimba" in some court records — says he was also detained by Border Patrol near the Arizona border in January 2025 and released soon after. He alleges ICE arrested him in August 2026 when he reported to the agency's Cedar Rapids office for what he expected to be a routine check-in, then transferred him to the Muscatine County Jail, where he remains.

What are the lawsuits seeking?

Gnassounou's lawsuit asks the court to order the Department of Homeland Security to give him a bond hearing at which the agency would have to prove he is a flight risk or a danger to the community. He states that he has no criminal history or outstanding warrants. ICE detention records filed as court exhibits say he told authorities he feared returning to Togo and "he will be tortured if returned."

Djimba argues he has no criminal history and that ICE violated his constitutional rights by denying him a meaningful chance to challenge his continued detention. His lawsuit seeks a writ restoring the conditions of his release from January 2025.

What happens next?

Chief Judge Stephanie Rose of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Iowa issued an order on Wednesday, 21 October 2026, giving federal officials until Monday, 26 October 2026 to state the true cause and expected duration of Djimba's confinement and to show why the writ he seeks should not be issued. The U.S. Department of Justice has not yet responded to either lawsuit.

The suits name Muscatine County Sheriff Quinn Riess, U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche, Secretary of Homeland Security Markwayne Mullin and ICE field office director David Easterwood.