Edgar Vinicio Pilamunga-Toalombo represents a rare cross-over case: an apparent illegal alien with one federal judge considering a habeas corpus petition for his release, with another federal judge having ordered his detention on federal criminal charges. Call him Habeas Man.
At present Pilamunga is being held by the U.S. Marshals in the federal lockup at the Sherburne County jail, pending disposition of his federal criminal case (26-mj-146).
Let’s start at the beginning. According to federal court records, On February 1, Pilamunga was picked up by ICE in the course of their pursuit of a different illegal alien. ICE agents performed a traffic stop during which the original target fled, but they were able to arrest Pilamunga. Moments later, he fled on foot, while still handcuffed.
On February 11, a federal district magistrate judge signed a warrant for Pilamunga’s arrest. A signed judicial arrest warrant is supposed to be the holy grail in such cases. Senate Democrats are currently withholding budget funding for the Department of Homeland Security in yet another government shutdown over demands for ICE “reform.” Signed judicial search warrants for all illegal aliens is the Democrats No. 1 demand. In Pilamunga’s case, the feds went through the extra process to obtain one.
On February 19, Pilamunga made his first appearance in federal district court, facing a charge of fleeing arrest. He was accompanied by a taxpayer-paid appointed attorney and a taxpayer-paid Spanish-language interpreter. He was ordered to be detained.
That same morning, a habeas corpus petition was reported filed (26-cv-1516) on Pilamunga’s behalf by his private attorney. That same day, a different federal judge ordered that Pilamunga not be deported, based solely on his private lawyer’s filing.
The habeas petition is not viewable by the general public, so we have no way of knowing whether Pilamunga’s private lawyer disclosed either the judicial arrest warrant or still-pending criminal case against his client.
Perhaps to clear up the confusion, federal criminal prosecutors filed yesterday (February 20) to dismiss the criminal charge (reserving the right to refile it later) while they pursue Pilamunga’s deportation.
The left hand doesn’t know what the right hand is doing, and you the taxpayer are paying for all of it.
For those keeping score at home, we are now up to 971 habeas cases filed in Minnesota so far in 2026. KSTP-5 TV reports,
ICE officers in Minnesota now number less than 500, down from the 3,000 federal agents present at the height of the operation. [Tom] Homan told CNN his eventual goal is to get ICE personnel “to the regular footprint, which is 150.”
Arrests are running about 20 per day, which accounts for the proportional drop off of habeas filings the past few days.
Meanwhile, a different illegal alien, Angel Guzman-Rodriquez, has earned Minnesota Man of the Week honors.
Guzman, now aged 37, was indicted on three federal criminal felony counts this week, all related to his illegal immigration.
Our story begins back in November 2009, when Guzman and an accomplice were arrested for robbery of a store in downtown Willmar. In March 2010, the St. Paul Pioneer Press reported,
Angel Guzman-Rodriguez, 20, of Willmar, was sentenced Tuesday to 41 months in prison for robbing a downtown Willmar business at gunpoint.
A second felony count was dismissed as part of Guzman’s plea deal.
According to federal court records, Guzman was then deported in March 2012. In May 2017, Guzman was convicted in federal district court in Louisiana of felony illegal re-entry of a previously deported alien. In February 2018, Guzman was deported again.
In early February 2026, Guzman was picked up in Lac Qui Parle County, also on a fleeing from police charge. He made his first federal court appearance on February 19 and is due back in court on March 11.
