Azimov v. U.S. Department of Homeland Security

CourtDistrict Court, S.D. California
DecidedOctober 18, 2022
Docket3:22-cv-00439
StatusUnknown

This text of Azimov v. U.S. Department of Homeland Security (Azimov v. U.S. Department of Homeland Security) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, S.D. California primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Azimov v. U.S. Department of Homeland Security, (S.D. Cal. 2022).

Opinion

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT 9 SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA 10 11 ALI AKBAR AZIMOV; IZATILLO Case No.: 22CV439-GPC(KSC) GAFFAROV, 12 ORDER GRANTING DEFENDANTS’ Plaintiffs, 13 MOTION TO DISMISS FOR LACK v. OF SUBJECT MATTER 14 JURISDICTION U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND 15 SECURITY; ALEJANDRO

16 MAYORKAS, under his title of Secretary [Dkt. No. 6.] of Homeland Security; U.S. CITIZEN 17 AND IMMIGRATION SERVICES; U.R. 18 JADDOU, under her Title of Director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration 19 Services; TED H. KIM, under his title of 20 Acting Associate Director Refugee, Asylum and International Operations 21 Directorate; U.S. DEPARTMENT OF 22 JUSTICE; MERRICK B. GARLAND, under his title of Attorney General; 23 EXECUTIVE OFFICE FOR 24 IMMIGRATION REVIEW; DAVID L. NEAL under his title of Director of the 25 Executive Office for Immigration Review; 26 ANNE KRISTINA PERRY, under her title of Assistant Chief Immigration Judge 27 for the Otay Mesa Immigration Court; and 28 1 SERGIO PRECIADO, under his title of 2 Court Administrator for the Otay Mesa 3 Immigration Court,, 4 Defendants. 5 6 7 Before the Court is Defendants’ motion to dismiss the complaint for lack of 8 jurisdiction pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 12(b)(1) and for failure to state a 9 claim pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 12(b)(6). (Dkt. No. 6.) Plaintiffs 10 opposed the motion. (Dkt. No. 11.) Defendants replied. (Dkt. No. 14.) Based on the 11 reasoning below, the Court GRANTS Defendants’ motion to dismiss for lack of subject 12 matter jurisdiction. 13 Background 14 On April 4, 2022, Plaintiffs Ali Akbar Azimov (“Azimov”) and Izatillo Gaffarov 15 (“Gaffarov) (collectively “Plainitffs”) filed a complaint seeking “declaratory, mandatory 16 and injunctive relief” under the Administrative Procedure Act (“APA”) and the United 17 States Constitution against a number of federal agencies and officers. (Dkt. No. 1, 18 Compl.) 19 Plaintiff Azimov was apprehended by the defendants at the time of his arrival on 20 August 9, 2021 and is an asylum seeker. (Dkt. No. 1, Compl. at p. 6.) He is being 21 housed at the Otay Mesa Detention Center in Otay Mesa, California.1 (Id.) Plaintiff 22 Gaffarov was apprehended inside the United States on September 23, 2021 and is an 23 asylum seeker and being housed at the Otay Mesa Detention Center. (Id.) 24 Azimov had his credible fear interview (“CFI”) on October 6, 2021 before Asylum 25 Officer (“AO”) Enrique Madden. (Dkt. No. 1, Compl. ¶ 16; Dkt. No. 1-2, Ex. A-12 at 26

27 1 In their reply, Defendants assert that after the Ninth Circuit dismissed his petition for review and 28 1 14. ) On the same day, AO Madden issued a Negative Credible Fear Determination 2 (“NCFD)3 which started the running of the 7-day statutory time period for the 3 immigration judge (“IJ”) to conclude the review hearing under 8 U.S.C. § 4 1225(b)(1)(B)(iii)(III). (Dkt. No. 1, Compl. ¶ 16(i); Dkt. No. 1-2, Ex. A-16 at 18.) 5 However, nine days later, on October 19, 2021, AO Supervisor C. Generous issued, 6 served and filed the NORIJ4 with the Otay Mesa Immigration Court (“OMIC”). (Dkt. 7 No. 1, Compl. ¶ 16(ii); Dkt. No. 1-2, Ex. A8-A9 at 10-11.) The NORIJ informed 8 Azimov that his review hearing by the IJ was to be scheduled on an unknown date TBD. 9 (Dkt. No. 1, Compl. ¶ 16(iii); Dkt. No. 1-2, Ex. A9 at 11.) Six days later, the OMIC 10 accepted the NORIJ for filing and served a notice of the review hearing on October 25, 11 2021 and scheduled it on October 28, 2021. (Dkt. No. 1, Compl. ¶ 16(iv); Dkt. No. 1-2, 12 Ex. A7 at 9.) On October 28, 2021, the IJ conducted a hearing, affirmed and returned the 13 case to DHS for removal. (Dkt. No. 1, Compl. ¶ 16(v); Dkt. No. 1-2, Ex. A6 at 8.) 14 Plaintiffs allege that each of these acts was conducted outside the statutory time 15 limitations mandated by Congress under 8 U.S.C. § 1225(b)(1)(B)(iii)(III); therefore, 16 each of the acts alleged rendered the review hearing as well as the IJ’s order outside the 17 jurisdictional timeline and thus, invalid ab initio as extra judicial acts. (Dkt. No. 1, 18 Compl. ¶¶ 17-18.) Azimov attempted to file motions to set aside and vacate the IJ’s 19 invalid extra judicial order before the OMIC but Defendants frustrated Plaintiff’s attempt 20 by unlawfully rejecting his filings. (Id. ¶¶ 19-21; Dkt. No. 1-2, Ex. A1-A5 at 3-7.) 21 On November 13, 2021, Azimov filed a petition for review with the Ninth Circuit. 22 (Asimov v. Garland, Case No. 21-1149, Dkt. No. 1, (9th Cir. Nov. 13, 2021).) On March 23 18, 2022, the Ninth Circuit granted the respondents’ motion to dismiss for lack of 24

25 26 2 Page numbers are based on the CM/ECF pagination. 3 Plaintiff does not explain the acronyms throughout his complaint but Defendants do. (See Dkt. No. 6 27 at 13.) 4 Although not stated, it appears that NORIJ is the Notice of Referral to Immigration Judge. (Dkt. No. 28 1 jurisdiction and dismissed Asimov’s petition for review of an order issued in expedited 2 removal proceedings for lack of jurisdiction relying on 8 U.S.C. § 1252(a)(2)(A) and 3 Guerrier v. Garland, 18 F.4th 304, 306-07, 311 (9th Cir. 2021). (Id., Dkt. No. 19.) 4 Petitioner’s petition for panel rehearing was denied and the mandate issued on July 5, 5 2022. (Id., Dkt. Nos. 22, 23, 24.) 6 Plaintiff Gaffarov had his CFI on November 4, 2021 before AO Enrique Madden. 7 (Dkt. No. 1, Compl. ¶ 22; Dkt. No. 1-2, Ex. B7 at 25.) On the same day, AO Madden 8 issued the NCFD which started the running of the 7-day statutory time period for IJ to 9 conclude the review hearing. (Dkt. No. 1, Compl. ¶ 22(i); Dkt. No. 1-2, Ex. B11 at 29.) 10 Five days later, on November 9, 2021, Keri Summers, the AO’s supervisor, issued and 11 filed the NORIJ with the OMIC and served in on Gaffarov informing him that his review 12 hearing before the IJ would be scheduled for an unknown date TBD. (Dkt. No. 1, Compl. 13 ¶ 22 (ii); Dkt. No. 1-2, Exs. B3-B4 at 21-22.) On November 10, 2021, Plaintiff’s review 14 hearing was set for November 15, 2021. (Dkt. No. 1, Compl. ¶ 22(iii); Dkt. No. 1-2, Ex. 15 B2 at 20.) However, the IJ did not conclude the review hearing until November 17, 2021 16 which is outside the statutory time period set by Congress for completion of the review 17 hearing under the expedited removal scheme. (Dkt. No. 1, Compl. ¶ 22(iv); Dkt. No. 1-2, 18 Exs. B1 at 19.) 19 On December 16, 2021, Gaffarov filed a petition for review with the Ninth Circuit. 20 (Gaffarov v. Garland, Case No. 21-1358, Dkt. No. 1 (9th Cir. Dec. 16, 2021). On August 21 19, 2022, the Ninth Circuit granted the respondents’ motion to dismiss for lack of 22 jurisdiction and dismissed Gaffarov’s petition for review of an order issued in expedited 23 removal proceedings for lack of jurisdiction relying on 8 U.S.C. § 1252(a)(2)(A) and 24 Guerrier v. Garland, 18 F.4th 304, 306-07, 311 (9th Cir. 2021). (Id., Dkt. No. 29.) The 25 mandate issued on October 12, 2022. (Id., Dkt. No. 30.) 26 Shortly after Asimov’s petition for review was denied, on April 4, 2022, Plaintiffs 27 filed the instant complaint seeking a review of the IJ’s void order as a violation of the 28 Administrative Procedure Act and the United States Constitution. (Dkt. No. 1, Compl.) 1 They seek a declaration that 1) “8 U.S.C. § 1225

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Azimov v. U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/azimov-v-us-department-of-homeland-security-casd-2022.