A 23-year-old Carnegie resident has been sitting in federal immigration custody since January, and his congressman wants to know why.
Rep. Chris Deluzio says his office has confirmed that the man, Luis Mayancela, has valid work authorization along with Special Immigrant Juvenile status and deferred-action protections. Despite that, Deluzio says the federal government is trying to remove Mayancela from the United States, and his lawyers have now taken the fight to federal court with a habeas petition challenging his months-long detention.
According to WPXI, Deluzio told local reporters that Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents arrested Mayancela in January and that his office has been monitoring the case ever since. The congressman said his staff learned Mayancela "has valid work authorization, Special Juvenile status and Deferred Action" and that he is demanding answers about the "detention for three-plus months" and the government’s effort to deport him.
Federal Court Fight
On April 18, Mayancela’s attorneys filed a 28 U.S.C. § 2241 habeas corpus petition in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania. The case is listed as Loja Mayancela v. Oddo, with facility administrator Leonard Oddo named as the respondent and attorney Joseph P. Murphy appearing for the petitioner. The filing asks a federal judge to review whether Mayancela’s continued detention is lawful, according to Justia Dockets.
Where He Is Being Held
Court documents and recent filings indicate that immigration detainees from the Pittsburgh area, including Mayancela, have been transferred to the Moshannon Valley Processing Center, a facility that houses immigration detainees for ICE’s Philadelphia field office. ICE’s public information lists the center’s address as 555 GEO Drive in Philipsburg and provides contact details for detainee inquiries. Legal trackers and public dockets show a recent cluster of habeas petitions naming the facility’s administrator, as reflected by ICE and Habeas Dockets.
How Juvenile Protections And Deferred Action Fit In
Special Immigrant Juvenile (SIJ) classification can open a path to apply for lawful permanent residence. Deferred action, meanwhile, is a form of discretionary relief that can allow for temporary work authorization but does not itself provide permanent immigration status. Guidance from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services explains that SIJ eligibility typically rests on juvenile-court findings and agency approvals, and that an SIJ order or a grant of deferred action can influence removal proceedings but does not automatically bar enforcement. Outcomes can differ widely depending on the specifics of each case and on what protections or status have actually been granted, according to USCIS.
What Happens Next
Deluzio says he plans to keep pressing ICE and using congressional oversight channels to pry loose more information about Mayancela’s arrest and detention while the federal courts weigh his habeas petition. Court dockets indicate the case is active and that a judge will decide whether any immediate relief is warranted; the filing is one of several recent habeas petitions challenging detention conditions and transfers involving the Moshannon Valley Processing Center, according to court records.
Deluzio’s previous public letters and press releases show he has repeatedly pushed ICE for greater transparency about regional enforcement and detention practices, an oversight effort documented by Rep. Deluzio's office.
