Court documents filed by the government said Ramirez admitted to having gang ties when questioned by an immigration agent. His lawyers called the allegation false and said the federal government has failed to show proof of that statement.
Ramirez's attorneys said the bond hearing will only deal with the question of Ramirez's immediate release. They said they eventually want to get the court to develop standards to protect others under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program.
"This case is about more than Mr. Ramirez. We want to get him out of detention and protect his rights. But this could affect hundreds of thousands of people, and the judge recognized today that this case is important beyond this case," he added.