Bahman Alizadeh Asfestani v. Current or Acting Field Office Director, San Francisco Field Office, United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement, et al.

CourtDistrict Court, E.D. California
DecidedDecember 18, 2025
Docket1:25-cv-01562
StatusUnknown

This text of Bahman Alizadeh Asfestani v. Current or Acting Field Office Director, San Francisco Field Office, United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement, et al. (Bahman Alizadeh Asfestani v. Current or Acting Field Office Director, San Francisco Field Office, United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement, et al.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, E.D. California primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Bahman Alizadeh Asfestani v. Current or Acting Field Office Director, San Francisco Field Office, United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement, et al., (E.D. Cal. 2025).

Opinion

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT 9 FOR THE EASTERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA 10 11 BAHMAN ALIZADEH ASFESTANI, No. 1:25-cv-1562-SCR 12 Petitioner, 13 v. ORDER 14 CURRENT OR ACTING FIELD OFFICE DIRECTOR, SAN FRANCISCO FIELD 15 OFFICE, UNITED STATES IMMIGRATION AND CUSTOMS 16 ENFORCEMENT, et al., 17 Respondents. 18 19 Petitioner is a civil immigration detainee and is representing himself in this petition for 20 writ of habeas corpus filed pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 2241. The parties have consented to the 21 jurisdiction of the undersigned for all further proceedings, including the entry of final judgment. 22 ECF No. 10. For the reasons provided below, the Court grants the petition and orders petitioner’s 23 immediate release from custody. 24 I. Factual and Procedural History1 25 Petitioner was born in Iran and admitted into the United States on November 20, 1984 as a 26 lawful permanent resident (“LPR”). ECF No. 1 at 5; ECF No. 9-1 at 6. He settled in Fresno 27 1 The facts set out in this section are taken from petitioner’s verified § 2241 petition as well as 28 other evidence in the record. 1 County, California where he bought a home, started a family, and built a home improvement and 2 remodeling business. See ECF No. 11 at 15-33 (letters from petitioner’s family, friends, and 3 business clients). Petitioner is currently engaged to a U.S. citizen and has three American 4 children. ECF No. 1 at 20-22 (letters from family members). 5 On February 14, 1995, in Fresno County Superior Court, petitioner was convicted of 6 felony possession of a controlled substance for sale and sentenced to 300 days in jail and 36 7 months of probation. ECF No. 9-1 at 12-13 (U.S. Customs and Border Protection, U.S. 8 Department of Homeland Security, NNSV Query Result). On June 19, 1995, in Fresno County 9 Superior Court, petitioner was convicted of possession of a controlled substance for sale and 10 possession/purchase of a controlled substance. ECF No. 9-1 at 14. The court sentenced him to 11 ten years in prison for these two felony convictions. Id. Petitioner successfully discharged from 12 state probation on June 18, 2005. ECF No. 1 at 34. Fresno County Superior Court later granted 13 him a Certificate of Rehabilitation on June 8, 2018.2 Id. 14 On July 12, 2000, an immigration judge ordered petitioner’s removal to Iran based on his 15 felony convictions, pursuant to Immigration and Nationality Act (“INA”) § 237(a)(2)(A)(iii). 16 ECF No. 9-1 at 20. Petitioner waived his right to appeal this final order of removal. However, 17 immigration officials could not effectuate petitioner’s deportation within “the period prescribed 18 by law.” ECF No. 9-1 at 20 (Order of the Immigration Judge); ECF No. 1 at 42. As a result, after 19 spending six months in detention, immigration officials released petitioner on conditions of 20 supervision on October 15, 2000. ECF No. 1 at 40 (INS Order of Supervision). 21 For 25 years, petitioner reported to immigration officials as instructed. ECF No. 1 at 41, 22 43-46. In 2024, he filed an application for asylum and withholding of removal with the U.S. 23 2 Pursuant to California Penal Code § 1203.4, a defendant who “has fulfilled the conditions of 24 probation for the entire period of probation… shall… be permitted by the court to withdraw their plea of guilty or plea of nolo contendere and enter a plea of not guilty; or, if they have been 25 convicted after a plea of not guilty, the court shall set aside the verdict of guilty; and, in either 26 case, the court shall thereupon dismiss the accusations or information against the defendant and except as noted below, the defendant shall thereafter be released from all penalties and disabilities 27 resulting from the offense of which they have been convicted….” See also Cal. Penal Code § 4852.13(a) (stating that a court’s certificate of rehabilitation recommends to the Governor that 28 petitioner receive a full pardon). 1 Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”). ECF No. 1 at 5, 38; ECF No. 9-1 at 3 2 (indicating petitioner filed an affirmative asylum application on July 11, 2024). 3 On June 22, 2025, petitioner reported as directed to the Fresno Immigrations and Customs 4 Enforcement (“ICE”) Sub-Office and was arrested by ICE officers. ECF No. 9-1 at 3. He was 5 served with a Notice of Revocation of Release which indicated that his case was “pending review 6 for the issuance of a travel document by a third country.” ECF No. 9-1 at 30-31. This Notice 7 also informed petitioner that he would “promptly” be afforded an informal interview to respond 8 to reasons for the revocation as well as a subsequent informal interview “within approximately 9 three months of the date of this notice” if he was not released. ECF No. 9-1 at 30. 10 Since that date, petitioner has been detained at the Golden State Annex in Kern County, 11 California. He asserts that he cannot be returned to Iran and that he is neither a flight risk nor a 12 danger to his community based on his economic and family ties to this country. ECF No. 1 at 5, 13 15-33 (letters from petitioner’s family, friends, and business clients supporting his release from 14 immigration custody and return to the community).3 In his § 2241 petition, petitioner contends 15 that his prolonged detention without a bond hearing violates his Fifth Amendment right to due 16 process and his Eighth Amendment right against excessive bail and that he should be immediately 17 released from immigration custody, with appropriate conditions of supervision, if necessary.4 18 ECF No. 1 at 12-13. In the alternative, petitioner asserts that, at a minimum, due process requires 19 that he be afforded a bond hearing before an immigration judge based upon his prolonged 20 detention. ECF No. 1 at 8. Specifically, petitioner submits that at such bond hearing, the 21 government should be required to demonstrate by clear and convincing evidence that he is a 22 danger to the community or a flight risk. ECF No. 1 at 9. 23 3 Petitioner also attached a copy of his Certificate of Rehabilitation issued by the Fresno County 24 Superior Court on June 8, 2018, which followed his earlier discharge from state probation or parole. ECF No. 1 at 34. 25

26 4 Respondent Warden of Immigration Detention Facility, who respondents note is technically the “facility administrator at the Golden State Annex,” requests that the court strike and dismiss the 27 other respondents from this action. ECF No. 9 at 1 n. 1. Given that petitioner has named the proper respondent, it is unnecessary to strike or dismiss the other respondents in order to 28 adjudicate the petition. 1 In their answer to the § 2241 petition, respondents note that petitioner has a final order of 2 removal from July 12, 2000 based on his conviction for an aggravated felony pursuant to INA 3 § 237(a)(2)(A)(iii). ECF No. 9 at 2. Respondents are detaining him pursuant to ICE’s 4 discretionary detention authority under 8 U.S.C. § 1231(a)(6) until he can be removed to a third 5 country. Respondents concede that petitioner has been detained beyond the statutory 90-day 6 removal period, but indicate that ICE “is actively pursuing petitioner’s removal to a third country, 7 awaiting only travel documents from the third country.” ECF No. 9 at 2-3. However, petitioner 8 has no scheduled or pending removal date to this third country. Id. at 4. Respondents never 9 identify this third country, nor have they provided petitioner any opportunity to claim a fear of 10 persecution or torture if removed to such undisclosed third country.

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

Related

Harris v. Nelson
394 U.S. 286 (Supreme Court, 1969)
United States v. Isaac Ramos
623 F.3d 672 (Ninth Circuit, 2010)
Prieto-Romero v. Clark
534 F.3d 1053 (Ninth Circuit, 2008)
Zadvydas v. Davis
533 U.S. 678 (Supreme Court, 2001)
Johnson v. Arteaga-Martinez
596 U.S. 573 (Supreme Court, 2022)
Andriasian v. Immigration & Naturalization Service
180 F.3d 1033 (Ninth Circuit, 1999)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
Bahman Alizadeh Asfestani v. Current or Acting Field Office Director, San Francisco Field Office, United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement, et al., Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/bahman-alizadeh-asfestani-v-current-or-acting-field-office-director-san-caed-2025.