Antonio Vargas Cervantes v. Markwayne Mullin, et al.

District Court, E.D. California·Decided July 2, 2026·No. 1:26-cv-04467·Unknown

Opinion

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT 9 FOR THE EASTERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA 10 11 ANTONIO VARGAS CERVANTES No. 1:26-cv-04467-DC-SCR (A# 205-380-366), 12 Petitioner, 13 FINDINGS & RECOMMENDATIONS v. 14 MARKWAYNE MULLIN, et al., 15 Respondents. 16 17 18 Petitioner is a federal immigration detainee who filed this habeas corpus action pursuant 19 to 28 U.S.C. § 2241. The matter was referred to a United States Magistrate Judge pursuant to 28 20 U.S.C. § 636(b)(1)(B) and Local Rule 302. For the reasons explained below, the undersigned 21 recommends granting the § 2241 petition and ordering Petitioner immediately released from 22 immigration custody and restored to his deferred action status. 23 I. Factual and Procedural History 24 Petitioner is a native and citizen of Mexico who has lived in the United States since 2012 25 after entering without inspection by immigration officials. ECF No. 1 at 4. Since that time, he 26 created his own business while working multiple construction jobs and established a family that 27 includes a U.S. citizen child and two step-children. ECF No. 1 at 6. 28 1 On January 16, 2018, Petitioner filed a petition for U Nonimmigrant Visa Status—i.e., a 2 “U-visa”—with United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”) because he had 3 been the victim of a felony assault. ECF No. 1 at 2. As part of this application process, Petitioner 4 disclosed his criminal history to USCIS by providing documents related to his arrests and three 5 DUI convictions. ECF No. 1 at 6. “Other charges against him from other arrests have been 6 dismissed, including a federal case against him dismissed in January 2023.” Id. 7 On October 4, 2024, USCIS determined that Petitioner met the criteria for a U-visa, but 8 the fiscal year’s limit for this visa category had already been reached. ECF No. 1-2 at 1; see also 9 8 C.F.R. § 214.14(d)(2). As a result, USCIS placed Petitioner on a waiting list for a U-visa and 10 granted him deferred action “as permitted by regulation.” ECF No. 1-2 at 1. As a result of being 11 placed into deferred action, Petitioner was also eligible to apply for an employment authorization 12 document (“EAD”). Id. USCIS issued him an EAD on October 20, 2024, which is valid until 13 October 20, 2028. Id. 14 On May 5, 2026, in an operation specifically targeting him, Immigration and Customs 15 Enforcement (“ICE”) arrested Petitioner after he left his home. See also ECF No. 6-1 at 2 (I-213 16 Form). 17 Petitioner raises four separate claims for relief in his § 2241 petition. First, he asserts that 18 his detention is unlawful because it violates the preliminary injunction issued in the class action 19 lawsuit of Immigrant Center for Women & Children v. Noem, et al., No. 2:25-cv-09848-AB-AS, 20 2026 WL 1455004 (C.D. Cal. May 20, 2026), appeal docketed, No. 26-3961 (9th Cir. June 22, 21 2026) (“ICWC”). ECF No. 1 at 17-18. Next, Petitioner contends that he is entitled to notice and 22 an opportunity to be heard under the Fifth Amendment’s procedural due process clause before his 23 deferred action status can lawfully be revoked. ECF No. 1 at 18-20. In claim three, Petitioner 24 alleges that his detention violates the Fifth Amendment’s substantive due process clause. Id. at 25 20-22. Finally, petitioner contends that his detention violates the Accardi Doctrine because it is 26 contrary to the agency’s longstanding policy and practice. Id. at 22-23. 27 Respondents filed an untimely answer to the petition, contending that Petitioner is an 28 1 “applicant for admission” who is properly detained pursuant to 8 U.S.C. § 1225(b).1 ECF No. 6. 2 Respondents do not address any of the substantive claims based upon Petitioner’s deferred action 3 status at the time of his arrest by ICE. 4 Without explanation as to their legal significance, Respondents attached numerous 5 immigration documents to their answer. ECF Nos. 6-1; 6-2; 6-3. These documents demonstrate 6 that Petitioner was issued a Notice to Appear (“NTA”) for removal proceedings two days after his 7 arrest by ICE. The NTA charges him with being removable pursuant to Immigration and 8 Nationality Act § 212(a)(6)(A)(i) for being present without being admitted or paroled into the 9 United States. ECF No. 6-1 at 9-11. Additionally, USCIS issued a letter dated June 22, 2026— 10 but filed in this habeas action on June 19, 2026—and captioned as a “Request for Evidence” 11 (“RFE”). The RFE does not merely seek evidence from Petitioner. It revokes Petitioner’s 12 deferred action status and employment authorization and removes Petitioner’s U-visa application 13 from the nonimmigrant visa waiting list.2 ECF No. 6-3 at 2. USCIS took this action based on 14 Petitioner’s arrests dating from December 2014 to January 23, 2023. Id. at 2-3. In the letter, 15 USCIS acknowledged that it had received documents concerning these arrests from Petitioner in 16 September 2024. Id. at 3.3 17 In his reply, Petitioner points out that the exhibits attached to the answer demonstrate that 18 ICE was aware of the U visa application before they arrested Petitioner. ECF No. 7 at 3.4 19 Petitioner also notes that the criminal records requested by USCIS in June 2026 were already “in 20 its possession at the time of its grant of deferred action in October 2024.” ECF No. 7 at 3. 21 According to Petitioner, this “timing… suggests [the RFE letter] was generated as a result of the 22

23 1 Any future untimely filing that is not preceded by a motion for administrative relief pursuant to Local Rule 233 may be stricken from the docket as in violation of a Court order. 24 2 The letter indicates that it is in reference to Petitioner’s I-192 Application for Advance Permission to Enter as a Nonimmigrant. ECF No. 6-3 at 1. 25 3 Respondents also filed an immigration judge (“IJ”) order dated June 17, 2026 finding a lack of 26 jurisdiction over Petitioner’s request for a custody redetermination. ECF No. 6-2 at 1. 4 It is not clear exactly what Petitioner references here, though Petitioner’s I-213 does indicate 27 that ICE agents ran a “check” with “CIS,” which returned a “positive” result. ECF No. 6-1 at 2. The I-213 also notes that Petitioner filed a pending U-visa application in 2018 and “claims to 28 have pending applications” before USCIS. Id. at 4. 1 Petition for Writ of Habeas Corpus, an ex post facto action to undercut Petitioner’s argument and 2 reverse engineer justification for his detention and removal, as Petitioner’s circumstances have 3 not changed since October 2024[.]” Id. (emphasis in original). Based on the recent revocation of 4 Petitioner’s deferred action status, Petitioner requests that the Court order Petitioner’s deferred 5 action status restored “absent changed circumstances and procedural safeguards allowing for a 6 response prior to termination of this conferred benefit.” Id. at 5. 7 II. Legal Standards 8 A. Due Process 9 The Due Process Clause protects persons in the United States from being deprived of life, 10 liberty, or property without due process of law. U.S. Const. amend. V. The Supreme Court has 11 concluded that “the Due Process Clause applies to all ‘persons’ within the United States, 12 including [non-citizens], whether their presence here is lawful, unlawful, temporary, or 13 permanent.” Zadvydas v. Davis, 533 U.S. 678, 693 (2001). This provision “protects individuals 14 against two types of government action: violations of substantive due process and procedural due 15 process.” United States v.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Antonio Vargas Cervantes v. Markwayne Mullin, et al., (E.D. Cal. 2026).

Antonio Vargas Cervantes v. Markwayne Mullin, et al. (Antonio Vargas Cervantes v. Markwayne Mullin, et al.) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

Related

United States Ex Rel. Accardi v. Shaughnessy
347 U.S. 260 (Supreme Court, 1954)
Morrissey v. Brewer
408 U.S. 471 (Supreme Court, 1972)
Mathews v. Eldridge
424 U.S. 319 (Supreme Court, 1976)
Kentucky Department of Corrections v. Thompson
490 U.S. 454 (Supreme Court, 1989)
Foucha v. Louisiana
504 U.S. 71 (Supreme Court, 1992)
Schlup v. Delo
513 U.S. 298 (Supreme Court, 1995)
Reno v. American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee
525 U.S. 471 (Supreme Court, 1999)
Gerhart v. Lake County, Mont.
637 F.3d 1013 (Ninth Circuit, 2011)
United States v. Royal Barney
568 F.2d 134 (Ninth Circuit, 1978)
Zadvydas v. Davis
533 U.S. 678 (Supreme Court, 2001)
Xochitl Hernandez v. Jefferson Sessions
872 F.3d 976 (Ninth Circuit, 2017)
United States v. Sonia Quintero
995 F.3d 1044 (Ninth Circuit, 2021)
Romeiro De Silva v. Smith
773 F.2d 1021 (Ninth Circuit, 1985)