Family of longtime Texas resident says he should be allowed to return home under supervision while his immigration case continues
RICHMOND, TEXAS — September 16, 2026 — A Richmond-area family is seeking answers and calling for the supervised release of Innocent Rutahagara Batamula, a 59-year-old father who has reportedly spent nearly three months in federal immigration custody and is currently being held at a detention facility in Mississippi.
According to reporting by KPRC 2/Click2Houston, Batamula’s family is not asking federal authorities to end the immigration proceedings against him. Instead, they are asking that he be permitted to return to Texas while the case moves forward, subject to conditions imposed by immigration authorities.
The family has indicated that it would accept measures such as an ankle monitor, bond or other forms of supervision as conditions of his release.
Their request centers on why continued detention is necessary if Batamula could remain under federal supervision while staying closer to his family in Texas.
A Longtime Texas Resident
Batamula is a Tanzanian citizen who has lived in the Houston area for many years.
Federal court records show that he entered the United States on a student visa in 2001 and later married a U.S. citizen and sought to change his immigration status.
His immigration history has been complicated by a federal criminal case dating back more than a decade.
Court records show that Batamula pleaded guilty to making a false statement to a federal agent and making a false statement in a passport application. He was sentenced to time served, one year of supervised release and a $2,000 fine.
The case later became the subject of federal appeals concerning whether his attorney had adequately advised him about the potential immigration consequences of his guilty plea.
Those earlier proceedings are separate from the family’s current request that he be released from detention under supervision while his immigration matter continues.
Family Wants Him Back in Texas
Batamula’s relatives say their immediate concern is having their father closer to home while the legal process plays out.
Rather than asking immigration authorities to abandon the case, the family is proposing that he comply with whatever reasonable supervision requirements federal officials consider appropriate.
The situation highlights a broader question faced by families navigating the U.S. immigration detention system: under what circumstances can an individual awaiting the outcome of an immigration proceeding remain with family under supervision instead of staying in a detention facility?
For Batamula’s family, that question has become deeply personal after months of separation and his transfer outside Texas.
As his immigration proceedings continue, his relatives are hoping federal authorities will consider an alternative that would allow him to return to the Richmond area while remaining accountable to immigration officials.
AfroVibes News will continue to follow the case as additional information becomes available.
This report is based on information reported by KPRC 2/Click2Houston and publicly available federal court records. Immigration proceedings can involve multiple stages and legal issues, and a person’s detention does not by itself determine the ultimate outcome of an immigration case.
Source: KPRC 2 / Click2Houston; U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit
AfroVibes News | Houston, Texas
