Faruk Atik Adir filed a habeas petition on November 5, 2025, challenging his unlawful detention in immigration custody at Adams County Correctional Center in Natchez, Mississippi – a privately-run facility that is currently the largest ICE prison in the country. ICE is refusing to release Mr. Adir despite the fact that he won relief from deportation in immigration court.

Mr. Adir fled his native Turkey and sought protection in the United States after being persecuted and imprisoned for his affiliation with the Gülen Movement, a transnational social, educational, and religious network that has faced a sustained and targeted crackdown in Turkey over the past decade. He came to the United States to seek asylum and reunite with his wife and their two young sons, who are U.S. lawful permanent residents living in Georgia. 

Mr. Adir has been in immigration detention since January 2025, when he arrived at the United States-Mexico border, turned himself over to U.S. immigration officials and requested asylum. In May, an immigration judge granted Mr. Adir withholding of removal to Turkey based on the threats to his life or freedom he faces if deported there. The government is thus legally barred from deporting him to Turkey. Despite winning relief from deportation in immigration court, ICE is continuing to detain Mr. Adir, claiming they will be able to lawfully deport him to a “third country.”

Mr. Adir’s habeas petition challenges his ongoing detention in violation of the Immigration and Nationality and his constitutional due process rights.