Beckford v. Lynch

168 F. Supp. 3d 533, 2016 WL 827389, 2016 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 27072
CourtDistrict Court, W.D. New York
DecidedMarch 3, 2016
Docket15-CV-1020-JTC
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 168 F. Supp. 3d 533 (Beckford v. Lynch) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, W.D. New York primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Beckford v. Lynch, 168 F. Supp. 3d 533, 2016 WL 827389, 2016 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 27072 (W.D.N.Y. 2016).

Opinion

INTRODUCTION

JOHN T. CURTIN, United States District Judge

Petitioner Garfield Beckford, an alien under a final immigration order of removal from the United States, has filed a petition for a writ of habeas corpus pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 2241 seeking release from detention in the custody of the United States Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (collectively, “DHS”) at the Buffalo Federal Detention Facility in Batavia, New York, pending his removal. See Item 1. As direct: ed by this court’s order entered December 21, 2015 (Item 2), respondent1 has submitted an answer and return (Item 6), along with an accompanying memorandum of law (Item 7) in opposition to the petition, and petitioner has filed a reply (Item 8).

For the reasons that follow, the petition is denied.

FACTUAL BACKGROUND AND PROCEDURAL HISTORY

DHS records on file with the court show that petitioner, a native and citizen of Jamaica, was admitted to the United States at New York City on November 18, 1973, as a lawful permanent resident. See Item 6-2 (Exh. A, attached to Declaration of DHS Deportation Officer Juanita Payan, Item 6-1), pp. 2, 20. Petitioner has been convicted of the following criminal offenses while a resident of the United States:

a. On or about November 30, 2006, Beckford was convicted, in the Criminal Court, New York County, State of New York, of Unlawful Possession of Marijuana.
b. On or about March 23, 2011, Beckford was convicted, in the Supreme Court, Queens County, State of New York, of Robbery in the 2nd Degree, Criminal Mischief: Intent to Damage Property, Possession of Burglary Tools, Petit Larceny, Criminal Possession of Stolen Property in the 5th Degree and Resisting Arrest.

Item 6-1, ¶ 6; Item 6-2, pp. 10, 23-24.

On April 25, 2011, while in the custody of the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision (“NYSDOCCS”) at the Ulster Correctional Facility in Napanoch, New York, petitioner was encountered by DHS agents assigned to the Criminal Alien Program Unit. Item 6-1, ¶ 8; Item 6-2, pp. 10, 23-24. Upon verification of his immigration status, an immigration detainer was lodged against him- at the correctional facility. Item 6-1, ¶ 8.

On February 19, 2014, upon his release from the custody of NYSDOCCS, petitioner was taken into DHS custody and served with a Notice to Appear (“NTA”) charging him with being subject to removal from the United States, pursuant to section 237(a)(2)(A)(iii) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (“INA”), 8 U.S.C. § 1227(a)(2)(A)(iii), as an alien who has been convicted of an aggravated felony as defined in INA § 101(a)(43)(F), 8 U.S.C. § 1001(a)(43)(F) (a crime of violence); and pursuant to INA § 237(a)(2)(A)(iii), 8 U.S.C. § 1227(a)(2)(A)(iii), as an alien who has been convicted of an aggravated felony [535]*535as defined in INA § 101(a)(43)(G), 8 U.S.C. § 1001(a)(43)(G) (a law relating to a theft offense or burglary offense). Item 6-1, ¶¶ 9,10; Item 6-2, pp. 10,19-21.

On July 9, 2014, Immigration Judge (“IJ”) John B. Reid denied petitioner’s applications for relief from removal and ordered petitioner removed from the United States to Jamaica. Item 6-2, pp. 17-18. Petitioner appealed the IJ’s decision to the Board of Immigration Appeals (“BIA”), and on December 3, 2014, the BIA dismissed the appeal. Id. at 11,15.

On December 12, 2014, DHS sent a presentation packet to the Consulate General of the Jamaica (“Consulate”) in New York City, requesting that a travel document be issued for petitioner’s removal. Id. at 25-31. On that same date, DHS served petitioner with a formal Warning for Failure to Depart (Form I-229(a)), along with an instruction sheet listing actions that petitioner was required to complete within 30 days to assist in obtaining a travel document for his removal from the United States. Id. at 13. The warning form advised petitioner, among other things, of penalties under INA § 243, 8 U.S.C. § 1253, for conniving or conspiring to prevent or hamper his departure from the United States, and also advised him that pursuant to INA § 241(a)(1)(C), 8 U.S.C. § 1231(a)(1)(C), a failure to comply or provide sufficient evidence of his inability to comply, may result in the extension of the removal period and subject him to further detention. Petitioner refused to sign the warning form. Id.

On January 5, 2015, petitioner filed in the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit a pro se petition for review (PFR) of the BIA’s December 3, 2014 order, followed by a motion for stay of removal filed on March 2, 2015. See id. at 33-36 (Docket Sheet, Petitioner v. Lynch, 2d Cir. Docket No. 15-242).

In accordance with immigration regulations (see 8 C.F.R. § 241.4), DHS reviewed petitioner’s custody status in March 2015, and on March 4, 2015, petitioner was notified that DHS had determined to continue his detention based upon the totality of information available in petitioner’s case file indicating that he would be a threat to the community and a flight risk if he were to be released from custody. Item 6-2, pp. 10-12. An additional review of custody status was conducted by DHS Headquarters Post Order Custody Review Unit (“HQPO-CRU”), including an in-person interview of petitioner on June 2, 2015. Id. at 8-9. Following completion of the file review and interview, petitioner was notified on June 15, 2015 that his detention in DHS custody would continue because his removal could not be processed while the petition for review of the BIA’s determination remained pending with the Second Circuit. Id. at 6-7. Additional custody status reviews were conducted by DHS in September 2015 and December 2015, and petitioner was notified following the completion of each review that DHS had determined to continue his detention in DHS custody pending the Second Circuit’s determination of the PFR. Id. at 2-5.

On February 1, 2016, the Second Circuit Court dismissed the PFR, finding that: “Petitioner is removable by reason of having committed an aggravated felony and does not raise any colorable constitutional claim or question of law that the agency mischaracterized the evidence or applied the wrong standard when finding that Petitioner did not show a likelihood of torture.” Id. at 37 (Petitioner v. Lynch, 2d Cir. Docket No. 15-242).

Meanwhile, on November 23, 2015, petitioner filed this action seeking habeas corpus relief pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 2241 on the ground that his continued detention in post-removal-order custody is unlawful [536]

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Bluebook (online)
168 F. Supp. 3d 533, 2016 WL 827389, 2016 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 27072, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/beckford-v-lynch-nywd-2016.