Coreas v. Bounds

District Court, D. Maryland·Decided May 7, 2020·No. 8:20-cv-00780·Unknown

Opinion

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT DISTRICT OF MARYLAND

MAURICIO COREAS, ANGEL GUZMAN CEDILLO and WILLIAM KEMCHA,

Petitioners,

v.

DONNA BOUNDS, in her official capacity as Warden, Worcester County Detention Center, JACK KAVANAUGH, in his official capacity as Director, Howard County Detention Center, JANEAN OHIN, Civil Action No. TDC-20-0780 in her official capacity as Acting Baltimore Field Office Director, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, MATTHEW T. ALBENCE, in his official capacity as Deputy Director and Senior Official performing the duties of the Director of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and IMMIGRATION AND CUSTOMS ENFORCEMENT,

Respondents.

MEMORANDUM OPINION Pending before the Court is a Renewed Motion for a Preliminary Injunction by Petitioners Angel Guzman Cedillo and William Kemcha seeking release from the Worcester County Detention Center in Snow Hill, Maryland (“WCDC”) at which they are detained by United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (“ICE”) on alleged or established immigration violations. At a case management conference on April 27, 2020, the parties agreed that upon completion of briefing, the Motion could be resolved without a hearing. The Motion is now fully briefed, and the Court finds that no hearing is necessary. See D. Md. Local R. 105.6. For the reasons set forth below, the Motion will be GRANTED. BACKGROUND I. Procedural History

On April 3, 2020, the Court issued a Memorandum Opinion and Order denying without prejudice a Motion for a Temporary Restraining Order (“TRO”) (“the First Motion”) in which Petitioners Guzman Cedillo and Mauricio Coreas sought release based on their claim that their continued ICE detention during the COVID-19 pandemic violated their right to due process under the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution. Coreas v. Bounds, No. TDC-20- 0780, 2020 WL 1663133, at *1, *5 (D. Md. Apr. 3, 2020) (“Coreas I”). In that opinion, the Court concluded that although it did not find a likelihood of success on the merits of Guzman Cedillo’s claim in light of the lack of any evidence that the Coronavirus had entered WCDC, it would find a constitutional violation likely upon either a showing that a detainee or staff member at WCDC

had tested positive for COVID-19, or upon Respondents’ “fail[ure] to submit a timely certification that they have obtained COVID-19 tests and will administer a test to any individual at [the] Detention Facility who exhibits suspected COVID-19 symptoms.” Id. at *11-13. The Court also found that under such circumstances, the Court would find likely irreparable harm to Guzman Cedillo and that the balance of the equities and the public interest would favor release. Id. at *13- 14. Where the vast majority of the analysis necessary to resolve the present Motion is set forth in Coreas I, the Court fully adopts, restates, and incorporates by reference Coreas I as part of this Memorandum Opinion. In Coreas I, the Court denied the First Motion without prejudice and stated that Petitioners could renew the Motion under certain circumstances, including if Respondents failed to certify that they would administer a COVID-19 test to “any individual at . . . WCDC with suspected COVID-19 symptoms” or if there were “other materially changed circumstances.” Coreas I, 2020 WL 1663133, at *15. Although Guzman Cedillo had an immigration hearing on April 17, 2020,

an additional hearing before an immigration judge was scheduled for June 6, 2020. On April 26, 2020, Petitioners filed an Amended Complaint in which Kemcha was added as a Petitioner. On April 27, 2020, Coreas filed a Renewed Motion for a Preliminary Injunction seeking his release from the Howard County Detention Center in Jessup, Maryland, which was granted on April 30, 2020. On April 28, 2020, Guzman Cedillo and Kemcha (hereinafter, “Petitioners”) filed the present Motion seeking release from WCDC. II. WCDC With the Motion, Petitioners have provided new evidence that at least one WCDC detainee, Esvin Octavio Benavente-Perez, had symptoms of COVID-19 yet was not tested. Specifically,

Benavente-Perez began to develop a severe cough on or about March 20, 2020 and reported his symptoms to a nurse. He was later placed in an isolation cell near the nurse’s office and as his cough persisted, he also reported that he believed he had a fever and that his chest and lungs were hurting. On March 27, 2020, he was provided with a face mask and instructed to wear it at all times. Correctional officers and medical staff who entered his cell wore full protective suits, similar to hazmat suits, as well as masks and gloves. On April 3, 2020, through a translator, Benavente-Perez was told that he was isolated because he was showing COVID-19 symptoms. On April 8 and 9, his cough remained and he still had chest pain, but his fever had declined. He was released from isolation on April 11, 2020. Medical records confirm that as of March 27, 2020, Benavente-Perez had a cough, chest discomfort, a sore throat, and a fever of 99.3 degrees and was placed in an isolation cell at the direction of WCDC Warden Donna Bounds. As of March 30, his fever was 99.8 degrees. Although his fever later declined, from March 30 and continuing until at least April 2, Benavente- Perez was still required to wear a mask, including in the shower and while on the telephone, and

medical staff continued to wear personal protective equipment (“PPE”) during their encounters with him. On April 2, 2020, Benavente-Perez was moved from the medical unit to “secondary housing” to complete a quarantine period. Benavente-Perez Med. Records (“Med. Records II”) at 34, ECF No. 92-24. On April 10, 2020, WCDC’s tracking chart noted that Benavente-Perez had “completed 14 day quarantine for suspected COVID-19 infection,” that he had remained fever- free and no longer claimed symptoms, and was cleared to return to the general population. Id. at 37. The medical records specifically state that Benavente-Perez was monitored for “suspected COVID-19” on April 1 and “possible COVID-19 infection” on April 2. Benavente-Perez Med.

Records (“Med. Records I”) at 3-4, 73, Renewed Mot. Prelim. Inj. Ex. 75, ECF No. 81. Moreover, WCDC tracked Benavente-Perez’s progress on forms entitled “Patient Monitoring for Confirmed or Suspected COVID-19,” with a subheading of “Monitoring of Symptomatic patient with suspected or confirmed COVID-19,” from March 28 to April 2, 2020. Med. Records I at 20-32. WCDC also maintained a tracking chart with each entry for Benavente-Perez during those same dates containing the designation “Patient Monitoring for Confirmed or Suspected COVID-19.” Med. Records II at 27-34. Nevertheless, Benavente-Perez was never tested for COVID-19. On April 25, 2020, Benavente-Perez had chest pains, cold sweats, shortness of breath, and a fever of 99.3 degrees. He was sent to a hospital because of concerns about his heart condition, but during that visit his electrocardiogram was deemed normal. He was returned to WCDC and underwent 14 days of quarantine because he left the facility. In addition to Benavente-Perez, since March 27, 2020, there were two other immigration detainees who were moved to the medical housing area because of elevated temperatures and were isolated and monitored for 14 days. According to Warden Bounds, they were not tested for

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