In an order released earlier this week, a judge in the U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona held that the INA's mandatory detention provision, INA § 236(c), does not apply to offenses committed before October 1, 1998. Ortiz v. Napolitano, No. CV 009-0045-PHX-MHM, slip op. (D. Az. Oct. 19, 2009) (Murguia). As a result, DHS cannot rely on the mandatory detention provision to keep people detained who were released from custody for the removable offense prior to October 1, 1998 even if they were later detained for a non-removable offense. Ortiz, No. CV 009-0045-PHX-MHM, slip op. [...]