Federal judge orders Canadian dentist released from ICE detention in Minnesota

A federal judge has ordered the immediate release of a Canadian dentist arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents during a green card interview in Minnesota. U.S. District Judge Michael J. Davis ruled that the arrest and detention of Dr. William Lizardo, 32, originally from Mississauga, Ont., violated his constitutional rights.

Lizardo was taken into custody on Oct. 23 and held at Sherburne County Jail after missing immigration hearings for which notices had been sent to an incorrect address. He was also ordered removed from the United States. Davis found that ICE agents had no reason to consider him a flight risk.

According to court documents, Lizardo entered the United States on a student visa in 2019 to attend the University of Minnesota School of Dentistry. He completed his studies in 2023 and married an American that year. The couple had a daughter two years later.

His wife submitted a petition for an alien relative in September 2023, while Lizardo sought to change his immigration status to permanent residency. The court said the relative petition received approval in January 2025. His own permanent residency application was denied in January because he had not supplied a certified document from Ontario.

Court documents also describe Lizardo's work providing dental care in areas federally designated as having a shortage of practitioners. When his work authorization was revoked, he began volunteering at a low-cost clinic in Burnsville, Minn.

Davis described the circumstances of the case as "appalling." Although Lizardo and his wife had moved several times, the judge noted that Lizardo had reported each address change to both the post office and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. The agency had then corresponded with him at each new address. Davis also noted that Lizardo had never previously been arrested during his time in the United States.

Lizardo challenged the removal order on the grounds that he had never received the hearing notices. On Oct. 28, an immigration court granted his request to rescind that order, finding that he had presented sufficient evidence that he had not been notified.

ICE nevertheless argued that Lizardo should remain detained while his green card case was under consideration. Davis rejected that position and directed that he be freed immediately. Rather than write an extensive account of the abuses described in the case, the judge said his priority was ensuring that Lizardo did not spend another night in jail.