City of Pembroke Pines v. U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement

141 F. Supp. 3d 1330, 2015 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 147093
CourtDistrict Court, S.D. Florida
DecidedOctober 19, 2015
DocketCASE NO. 15-61164-CIV-ALTONAGA
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 141 F. Supp. 3d 1330 (City of Pembroke Pines v. U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, S.D. Florida primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
City of Pembroke Pines v. U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement, 141 F. Supp. 3d 1330, 2015 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 147093 (S.D. Fla. 2015).

Opinion

ORDER

CECILIA M. ALTONAGA, UNITED STATES DISTRICT JUDGE

THIS CAUSE came before the Court on Defendant, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (“ICE[’s]”) Motion for Remand (“Motion”) [ECF No. 20], filed Sep.tember 18, 2015, On October 5, 2015, Plaintiff, City of Pembroke Pines (“Pembroke Pines”) filed a Response ... (“Response”) [ECF No. 21], to which ICE filed a Reply ... (“Reply”) [ECF No. 23]. The Court has carefully considered the parties’ written submissions, the Complaint [ECF No. 1], the record, and applicable law.

According to the Complaint, Pembroke Pines commenced this case after it was unable to obtain the depositions of three ICE employees 'in an underlying state-court case. (See generally' Compl.). In the state-court case, the Town of Southwest Ranches (“Southwest Ranches”) brought claims against its neighbor, Pembroke Pines, arising out of a transaction that never came to fruition. (See generally id.). The transaction contemplated the construction of an ICE detention facility in Southwest Ranches, and the parties to the "transaction requested the provision of water and wastewater services from Pem- ' broke Pines. (See id,. ¶¶ 5-13). As. of the time the Complaint in this suit was filed, ■however, Pembroke Pines still had not given its approval for those services. . (See id. ¶ 14). In the meantime, ICE decided it no longer intended to proceed with the transaction. (See id. ¶¶ 15-16). Southwest Ranches therefore sued Pembroke Pines in October 2012, . alleging Pembroke Pines’s failure to give approval for water and wastewater services derailed the deal, thereby violating Southwest Ranches’s rights' under two inter-local agreements. (See id. ¶ 18). '

To defend against the claims, Pembroke Pines sought information from ICE regarding its decision to withdraw from the deal. Although ICE withdrew in June 2012 by issuing a statement (see id. ¶ 15), in February 2013, ICE, acting through its former Executive Associate Director, Gary Mead, also sent a letter to Southwest Ranches in which it stated, “[b]ased on several considerations, ICE decided it [1332]*1332would not pursue its facility in” Southwest Ranches (id. ¶ 16 (alteration in original)). On March 13, 2013, Pembroke Pines submitted a Freedom of Information Act request to ICE seeking information relating to the “several considerations” identified by Gary Mead in the February 2013 letter. (See id. ¶ 21). ICE responded four days later, stating it was unable to locate or identify any, responsive records. (See id. ¶ 22).

The following month, Pembroke Pines submitted a formal request for testimony from Gary Mead. (See id. ¶23). ICE denied the request. (See id. ¶ 25). According to Pembroke Pines, the “boilerplate ... correspondence ■ provided no explanation for ICE’s denial beyond a formulaic' citation to the relevant factors.” (Id. (alteration added)). In March 2014, Pembroke Pines filed a second formal request, this time seeking the testimony of ICE employees Marc Moore and Michael Meade in addition to Gary Mead. (See id. ¶27). ICE denied this request as well, providing, as Pembroke Pines sees it, yet another “boilerplate response which contained no legitimate analysis of the relevant factors.” (Id. ¶ 28).

Over a year later, Pembroke Pines filed the Complaint in this case, seeking judicial review of ICE’s denials on the grounds the agency’s actions were arbitrary, capricious, and an abuse of discretion, as well as contrary to constitutional right, power, privilege, or immunity,’in violation of the Administrative Procedure Act (“APA”), spécifícally 5 U.S.C. section 706(2)(A). (See Compl. Count I).1 Pembroke Pines sought an order (a) setting aside ICE’s decisions, and (b) ordering ICE to produce Gary Mead, Michael Meade, and Marc Moore for depositions. (See id. Prayer for Relief).

ICE filed an Answer.... [ECF No. 12]. At a telephonic conference [ECF No. 18] on August 21, 2015, ICE agreed to file the administrative record regarding the denials within a month and, if Pembroke Pines did not dispute the completeness of the administrative record, file a motion for summary.judgment, as no discovery would be needed. (See Order [ECF No. 19]). Instead of filing the administrative record when the time, came to do so, ICE filed the instant Motion, seeking an order remanding this matter to ICE “for reconsideration and development of the administrative record.” (Mot.l).

ICE explains “Joseph A. Macri, the signatory on the denial letters and the original ICE decision maker, is no longer an ICE employee and no longer recalls the specific basis' for his decisions made in 2013 and early 2014. ICE, therefore, is unable to supplement the administrative record.” (Id.). Upon remand, ICE states it will “reconsider the request and issue a new decision with a full and complete administrative record.” (Id. 1-2). Pembroke Pines takes the Motion as ICE’s concession (a) its" decision was arbitrary and capricious and (b) no administrative record exists .to support its decision. (See Resp. 1). For these reasons, as well as the purported “reasonableness of [its] initial request,” Pembroke Pines argues the [1333]*1333Motion should be denied and “ICE should be required to defend its decision as it stands now.” (Id. (alteration added)).

In the Reply, ICE clarifies it “seeks voluntary remand because it is unable to verify what was considered in rendering its initial decision ... [and] is unable to verify a complete and accurate administrative record.” (Reply 1 (alterations added)). Further, ICE avers it did in fact rely on an administrative record, but it did not compile and maintain the record as a formal record because it was unaware at the time of its decision litigation would ensue. (See id. 1-2 n.l). ICE also asserts it does not concede its actions violated section 706(2)(A). (See id. 3-4).

In United States ex rel. Touhy v. Ragen, 340 U.S. 462, 71 S.Ct. 416, 95 L.Ed. 417 (1951), the U.S. Supreme Court upheld regulations allowing a federal agency to restrict- its employees from testifying about information acquired in their official capacities in private litigation as to which the United States is not a party. “Similar regulations are commonplace among other federal agencies, and have been upheld by the federal courts.” Moore v. Armour Pharm. Co., 927 F.2d 1194, 1197 (11th Cir.1991) (citations omitted). These regulations are commonly known as Touhy regulations, and requests implicating the regulations are known as Touhy requests.

ICE is subject to the Touhy regulations promulgated by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, codified at 6 C.F.R. sections 5.41-49. ICE explains when it “receives a Touhy request, the request is processed internally and assigned to an agency attorney for consideration in accordance with the governing agency Touhy regulations and factors.” (Mot. 5 n.l). Additionally, “[w]hen a Touhy request is made and evaluated, an administrative record is not created simultaneously. ■ Rather, the Touhy request is handled informally by the agency (ie., without a hearing or formal proceeding generating a record).” (Id. 5 (alteration added)).

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141 F. Supp. 3d 1330, 2015 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 147093, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/city-of-pembroke-pines-v-us-immigration-customs-enforcement-flsd-2015.