Jose Emmanuel v. De Anda-YbarraJose Emmanuel v. De Anda-Ybarra
MEMORANDUM OPINION AND ORDER
This matter is before the Court on Dieguez Ulloa Jose Emmanuel‘s Petition for a Writ of Habeas Corpus, Doc. 1, the Government‘s Response, Doc. 6, and Mr. Jose Emmanuel‘s Reply, Doc. 7. For the reasons below, the Court grants the petition and orders a bond hearing.
I. Background
Mr. Jose Emmanuel, a native and citizen of Cuba, entered the United States in 2024. Doc. 1 at 1–2. Shortly after entry, Customs and Border Protection agents apprehended him but released him on parole under
In August 2025, DHS notified Petitioner that his parole had been terminated. Id. In May 2026, local law enforcement arrested Petitioner for an unrelated charge and transferred him tо Immigration and Customs Enforcement (“ICE”) custody. Id.
Mr. Jose Emmanuel now challenges his continued detention. He contends that, because he has lived in the United States for years and is subject to full removal proceedings, his detention is governed by
The Government opposes the petition. See Doc. 6. It argues that, because Mr. Jose Emmanuel was paroled into the United States under
II. Legal Standard
Federal courts have jurisdiction to review habeas petitions filed by noncitizen detainees alleging “custody in violation of the Constitution or laws or treaties of the United States.”
The Immigration and Nationality Act (“INA”) and its implementing regulations outline the appropriate procedures for the detention and removal of noncitizens without legal status in the United States. “Noncitizens who arrive at a port of entry without a visa or other entry documents...are deemed inadmissible under
Two provisions of the INA govern the detention of noncitizens pending removal proceedings. See Jennings v. Rodriguez, 583 U.S. 281, 288–89 (2018). First,
By contrast,
Immigration parole is a narrow exception to the otherwise mandatory detention of noncitizens under
III. Analysis
For the reasons below, the Court concludes that (A) Mr. Jose Emmanuel is subject to detention under
A. Mr. Jose Emmanuel is subject to detention under § 1225(b).
To start, Mr. Jose Emmanuel is subject to detention under
B. The Due Process Clause applies.
Under the INA, Mr. Jose Emmanuel is subject to detention under
Courts analyze due process claims in two steps. First, they evaluate whether a protected liberty interest exists, and second, whethеr the procedures used to deprive that interest satisfy due process. Domingo v. Castro, 2025 WL 2941217, at *3 (D.N.M.).
1. Mr. Jose Emmanuel has a cognizable liberty interest because he has lived here for years.
It is well-settled that the Due Process Clause grants protection to “all persons within the territory of the United States.” Wong Wing v. United States, 163 U.S. 228, 238 (1896). “Freedom frоm imprisonment—from government custody, detention, or other forms of physical restraint—lies at the heart of the liberty that [the Due Process] Clause protects.” Zadvydas, 533 U.S. at 690. Protection under the Due Process Clause extends to noncitizens “whether their presence here is lawful, unlawful, temporary, or pеrmanent.” Id. at 693. The Supreme Court has recognized that a noncitizen physically present in the United States may acquire a cognizable liberty interest through “substantial connections” here. United States v. Verdugo-Urquidez, 494 U.S. 259, 271 (1990) (“[A]liens receive constitutional protections when they have come within the territory of the United States аnd developed substantial connections with this country”); see also Landon v. Plasencia, 459 U.S. 21, 34 (1982) (holding that noncitizens have a “weighty” interest in their right “to stay and live and work in this land of freedom” and to “rejoin...immediate family”).
The Government argues that Mr. Jose Emmanuel has no entitlement to any legal protections, constitutional or otherwise, other than those prescribed by Congress. Doc. 6 at 3–4. It relies on Thuraissigiam, 591 U.S. at 139, see id., but that reliance is misplaced. In Thuraissigiam, a noncitizen who was apprehended 25 yards inside the United States challenged his expedited removal and denial of asylum on due process grounds. Thuraissigiam, 591 U.S. at 114–15. The Supreme Court rejeсted his claims, applying the “entry fiction” doctrine, under which certain noncitizens physically present in the United States are treated, for due process purposes, as if stopped at the border. Id. at 139–40. The Supreme Court declined to grant constitutional significance to the 25 yards at issue. Id. (“[A]n аlien who is detained shortly after unlawful entry cannot be said to have ‘effected an entry.’”). Rather, it concluded that “an alien in [the noncitizen‘s] position has only those rights regarding admission that Congress has provided by statute.” Id. at 138; see also Shaughnessy v. United States ex rel. Mezei, 345 U.S. 206, 213 (1953) (holding that a noncitizen detained on Ellis Island remained an “entering alien” and that “[w]hatever the procedure authorized by Congress is, it is due process as far as an alien denied entry is concerned”). Applied here, Thuraissigiam makes clear that Mr. Jose Emmanuel‘s due process rights regarding his admission into the country are limited to those authorized by Congress.
Here, by contrast, Mr. Jose Emmanuel challenges the constitutionality of his detention, a question squаrely within this Court‘s habeas power. See Zadvydas, 533 U.S. at 687 (recognizing jurisdiction over habeas petitions alleging custody “in violation of the Constitution or laws...of the United States” (quoting
Second, Mr. Jose Emmanuel‘s circumstances differ from those in Thuraissigiam because he has resided in the United States for years. The petitioner in Thuraissigiam made it 25 yards intо the country—“the functional equivalent of a cartographic rounding error,” to which the Supreme Court declined to assign constitutional significance. Rincon, 810 F. Supp. 3d at 111. Applying the entry fiction to Mr. Jose Emmanuel‘s circumstances would “require[] a much greater sleight of hand.” Id. at 112. While Congress, under its sovereign prerogаtive, may define or limit statutory rights collateral to admission, it may not extinguish protections that arise from the Constitution. Id. Indeed, Thuraissigiam itself described the entry fiction as applying to
2. Under the Due Process Clause, a bond hearing is warranted.
Because the Due Process Clause affords Mr. Jose Emmanuel a liberty interest, the Court next determinеs what process is due. In the immigration context, courts apply the framework established in Mathews v. Eldridge, 424 U.S. 319 (1976). See, e.g., Landon, 459 U.S. at 34; Velasco Lopez v. Decker, 978 F.3d 842, 851 (2d Cir. 2020); Hernandez v. Cremer, 913 F.2d 230, 238 (5th Cir. 1990). Under Mathews, the Court balances (1) “the private interest” affected; (2) “the risk of erroneous deprivation” through the procedures used and the probable value of additional safeguards; and (3) “the Government‘s intеrest,” including the fiscal and administrative burdens of additional procedures. 424 U.S. at 335.
Turning to the first Mathews factor, the Court finds that Mr. Jose Emmanuel has a significant private interest in remaining free from detention after living outside of physical custody. “Freedom from imprisonment—from government custody, detention, or other forms of physiсal restraint—lies at the heart of the liberty that the [Due Process] Clause protects.” Zadvydas, 533 U.S. at 690. As mentioned above, Mr. Jose Emmanuel was free from physical custody for approximately two years before he was redetained, and his interest in his liberty grew stronger as he worked and lived within his community. His privatе interest in freedom from arbitrary or unlawful physical custody is substantial.
The second Mathews factor also favors Mr. Jose Emmanuel. The risk of erroneous deprivation is high because mandatory detention does not adequately protect his interest in
Finally, the third Mathews factor favors Mr. Jose Emmanuel. While the Government has a strong interest in enforcing its immigration laws, its interest in detaining noncitizens absent an individualized justification for doing so is low. Id. The Government previously determined that Mr. Jose Emmanuel could pursue his immigration case while at liberty, and it has identified no material change in circumstances that would justify a different conclusion today. The Court recognizes that providing Mr. Jose Emmanuel a bond hearing necessarily entails an “administrative burden[].” See Mathews, 424 U.S. at 335. But “[c]ourts generally have fоund that the cost of providing a bond hearing is relatively minimal.” Hilario M.R. v. Warden, Mesa Verde Det. Ctr., 2025 WL 1158841, at *9 (E.D. Cal.) (citing cases). And because Mr. Jose Emmanuel‘s removal proceedings will continue regardless of his detention status, a bond hearing does not interfere with the Government‘s “sovereign prerogative...to decide which [noncitizens] to admit.” Landon, 459 U.S. at 32. Nor does this Order affect the Government‘s authority to
IV. Conclusion
For the reasons above, the Petition for Writ of Habeas Corpus, Doc. 1, is granted. The Court orders:
- Within 14 days of this Order, the Government shall providе Mr. Jose Emmanuel with an individualized bond hearing before an immigration judge.
- At the hearing, Mr. Jose Emmanuel bears the burden of proving by a preponderance of the evidence that conditions of release would adequately address any risk of flight or danger to the community.
- If a bond hearing is not providеd within 14 days, Mr. Jose Emmanuel shall be released under the same conditions that governed his release immediately prior to detention.
IT IS SO ORDERED.
/s/Kenneth J. Gonzales
CHIEF UNITED STATES DISTRICT JUDGE
- Please note that this document has been electronically filed. To verify its authenticity, please refer to the Digital File Stamp on the NEF (Notice of Electronic Filing) accompanying this document. Electronically filed documents can be found on the Court‘s PACER public access system.