The Latest: Judge to rule 'soon' on man's bid to stay in US

COLLEGE PARK, Md. (AP) — The Latest on a lawsuit that led to a federal judge blocking a Maryland resident's deportation (all times local):

11:45 a.m.

A federal judge who blocked a Maryland man's deportation is now weighing whether the man is entitled to remain in the U.S. while he seeks to legalize his immigration status.

U.S. District Judge George Hazel heard arguments Friday on Wanrong Lin's request for a preliminary injunction that would allow him to stay in the country with his wife and their three children. The judge said he will issue a written ruling "relatively soon."

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents detained Lin in August after he showed up for an interview as part of his application for a "stateside waiver," which allows noncitizens facing deportation to remain in the U.S. while seeking legal status.

In November, ICE agents put Lin on a flight to his native China that hadn't landed before Hazel ordered him to be returned to the U.S.

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12:21 a.m.

A Maryland resident whose deportation was blocked by a federal judge while he was on a flight to his native China is seeking a court order allowing him to remain in the U.S. with his family.

U.S. District Judge George Hazel is scheduled to hear arguments Friday from attorneys for Wanrong Lin and the federal government.

In November, Hazel ordered Lin to be returned to the U.S. just before his flight landed in China. The American Civil Liberties Union of Maryland had sued on Lin's behalf only minutes before U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents put him on the plane to Shanghai.

Lin is asking for more time to stay here with his family while he seeks permanent residence in the U.S. His wife and three children are U.S. citizens.