Constantinovici v. Bondi

CourtDistrict Court, S.D. California
DecidedOctober 10, 2025
Docket3:25-cv-02405
StatusUnknown

This text of Constantinovici v. Bondi (Constantinovici v. Bondi) 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
Constantinovici v. Bondi, (S.D. Cal. 2025).

Opinion

1 2 3 4 5 6 UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT 7 SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA 8 9 ADONIS CONSTANTINOVICI, Case No.: 3:25-cv-02405-RBM-AHG

10 Petitioner, ORDER GRANTING PETITION 11 v. FOR WRIT OF HABEAS CORPUS PURSUANT TO 8 U.S.C. § 2241 12 PAMELA BONDI, ATTORNEY GENERAL

et al., 13 [Doc. 1] Defendants. 14 15 16 17 18 Pending before the Court is Petitioner Adonis Constantinovici’s (“Petitioner”) 19 Petition for Writ of Habeas Corpus pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 2241 (“Petition”) (Doc. 1). 20 Along with his Petition, Petitioner filed an Emergency Motion or Request for Expedited 21 Handling Under 28 U.S.C. § 1657 with Reference to 28 U.S.C. Ch. 153 (“Motion to 22 Expedite”) (Doc. 2) and an Emergency Motion for Temporary Restraining Order Under 23 FRCP 65(b) and Preliminary Injunction Under FRCP 65(a) (“TRO Motion”) (Doc. 3). 24 Respondents filed a Response (“Response”) (Doc. 8), and Petitioner filed a Reply 25 (“Reply”) (Doc. 9). 26 The Court held a hearing on October 1, 2025. For the reasons set forth below, the 27 Petition (Doc. 1) is GRANTED. 28 1 I. BACKGROUND 2 A. Factual Background 3 Petitioner, formerly a citizen of Romania, is currently detained by U.S. Immigration 4 and Customs Enforcement (“ICE”) at the Otay Mesa Detention Center in San Diego, 5 California. (Doc. 1 ¶ 16.)1 Petitioner states he is “currently stateless” and that he “lost his 6 Romanian citizenship in 1987 when he illegally crossed the border from Romania to 7 Hungary.” (Id. ¶ 2.) On April 17, 2001, an immigration judge ordered Petitioner removed. 8 (Id.; see Doc. 13-1 at 1.) The order of removal became final on May 17, 2001. (Doc. 1 9 ¶ 3.) On May 18, 2001, Petitioner was released under an order of supervision pursuant to 10 8 C.F.R. § 241.4(e) (the “Order of Supervision”). (Id. ¶ 4; see Doc. 1-3 at 1–4.) 11 On February 10, 2010, Petitioner was arrested for a DUI. (Id. ¶ 5; Doc. 1-3 at 2.) 12 Shortly after he was released from county jail, Petitioner was re-detained and taken into 13 ICE custody. (Doc. 1 ¶ 5.) On October 7, 2010, Petitioner was released on his existing 14 Order of Supervision. (Doc. 1-3 at 1–2; Doc. 8-1, Declaration of Denise E. Barroga 15 [“Barroga Decl.”] ¶ 5.) The record reflects that Petitioner was re-detained by ICE at some 16 point between October 7, 2010 and November 2010. (See Doc. 1 ¶¶ 6, 10; Doc. 8-1 17 [Barroga Decl.] ¶¶ 5–6 (stating Petitioner was released on an Order of Supervision on 18 October 7, 2010 and on August 23, 2011).) “On November 18, 2010, while detained by 19 immigration, [Petitioner] filed a Motion to Reopen and Reconsider, Freedom of 20 Information Act Request Regarding Former Counsel and a Motion for Stay of Removal.” 21 (Doc. 1 ¶ 6; see Doc. 13-1 at 3.) An immigration judge denied the motions on December 22 8, 2010. (Doc. 1 ¶¶ 7–8; see Doc. 13-1 at 2–4.) Petitioner appealed the denial, which the 23 Board of Immigration Appeals denied on February 14, 2011. (Doc. 1 ¶ 9; Doc. 8-2 at 4.) 24 On or about August 23, 2011 (Doc. 8-1 [Barroga Decl.] ¶ 6), Petitioner was released 25 from ICE custody on his existing Order of Supervision “because it was determined that he 26 27 28 1 1 had demonstrated to ICE’s satisfaction that his removal would not occur in the reasonably 2 foreseeable future.” (Doc. 1 ¶ 10.) According to Petitioner, it was “also necessarily 3 determined at that time that [he] did not present an ongoing danger or a flight risk.” (Id. 4 ¶ 11 (citing 8 C.F.R. § 241.4(e)(2)–(6).) Petitioner “was required to complete annual (and 5 often more frequent) check ins with ICE through August 2025.” (Id. ¶ 13.) Petitioner’s 6 most recent check-in, prior to his arrest, was in July 2025 where he was informed that his 7 assigned immigration officer was unavailable. (Id. ¶ 14.) 8 On August 21, 2025, while attending a check-in required under the conditions of his 9 release, Petitioner was re-detained by ICE. (Id. ¶ 15.) Petitioner was detained pursuant to 10 an arrest warrant issued on a DHS Form I-200. (Doc. 8-2 at 3; see Doc. 13-1 at 7.) On 11 September 17, 2025, 27 days after Petitioner was arrested and two days after filing this 12 lawsuit, Deportation Officer M. Aguilar served Petitioner with a Notice of Revocation of 13 Release stating the following: 14 This letter is to inform you that your order of supervision has been revoked, and you will be detained in the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs 15 Enforcement (ICE) at this time. This decision has been made based on a 16 review of your official alien file and a determination that there are changed circumstances in your case. 17

18 ICE has determined that you can be expeditiously removed from the United States pursuant to the outstanding order of removal against you. On April 17, 19 2001, you were ordered removed to Romania by an authorized U.S. DHS/DOJ 20 official. Your case is under current review for removal to Romania.

21 Based on the above, and pursuant to 8 C.F.R. § 241.4 / 8 C.F.R. § 241.13, you 22 are to remain in ICE custody at this time. You will promptly be afforded an informal interview at which you will be given an opportunity to respond to 23 the reasons for the revocation. You may submit any evidence or information 24 you wish to be reviewed in support of your release. If you are not released after the informal interview, you will receive notification of a new review, 25 which will occur within approximately three months of the date of this notice. 26 27 (Doc. 13-1 at 5–6.) Petitioner currently remains in ICE custody. 28 1 B. Procedural History 2 On September 15, 2025, Petitioner filed the instant Petition challenging the 3 lawfulness of his ongoing detention against Respondents Pamela Bondi, Kristi Noem, 4 Department of Homeland Security (“DHS”), Todd M. Lyons, Marcos Charles, Patrick 5 Divver, Christopher J. LaRose, and ICE (collectively, “Respondents” or the 6 “Government”). (Doc. 1 ¶¶ 33–40.) The next day, Petitioner filed the Motion to Expedite 7 and the TRO Motion. (Docs. 2, 3.) On September 17, 2025, the Court issued an Order 8 Requiring Response to Habeas Corpus Petition and the TRO Motion. (Doc. 5.) 9 Respondents filed a Response in Opposition to Petitioner’s Habeas Petition and 10 Application for Temporary Restraining Order on September 19, 2025 (“Response”). (Doc. 11 8.) On September 21, 2025, Petitioner filed a Reply (“Reply”). (Doc. 9.) 12 II. LEGAL STANDARD 13 A writ of habeas corpus is “available to every individual detained within the United 14 States.” Hamdi v. Rumsfeld, 542 U.S. 507, 525 (2004) (citing U.S. Const., Art. I, § 9, cl. 15 2). “The essence of habeas corpus is an attack by a person in custody upon the legality of 16 that custody, and . . . the traditional function of the writ is to secure release from illegal 17 custody.” Preiser v. Rodriguez, 411 U.S. 475, 484 (1973). Under 28 U.S.C. § 2241

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Constantinovici v. Bondi, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/constantinovici-v-bondi-casd-2025.