Crespin v. Evans

256 F. Supp. 3d 641, 2017 WL 2385330, 2017 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 84397
CourtDistrict Court, E.D. Virginia
DecidedMay 31, 2017
DocketCase No. 1:17-cv-140
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 256 F. Supp. 3d 641 (Crespin v. Evans) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, E.D. Virginia primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Crespin v. Evans, 256 F. Supp. 3d 641, 2017 WL 2385330, 2017 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 84397 (E.D. Va. 2017).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM OPINION

T.S. Ellis, III, United States District Judge

The primary question presented by this habeas corpus immigration petition is whether the government’s detention of an illegal alien for ten months pursuant to a reinstated order of removal violates the Due Process Clause where the alien’s application for relief under the Convention Against Torture remains pending before the immigration judge following the government’s successful appeal to the Board of Immigration Appeals, which vacated the initial grant of relief and remanded the matter for a new relief determination. The resolution of this question turns on which of two statutes governs petitioner’s detention: (1) Immigration and Nationality Act (“INA”) § 236 (8 U.S.C. § 1226), which governs detention for aliens pending a decision on their removal, or (2) INA § 241 (8 U.S.C. § 1231), which governs detention for aliens who have been ordered removed. The text and structure of the INA point convincingly to the conclusion that petitioner is subject to 8 U.S.C. § 1231(a), which -means that his detention must be analyzed under the framework established by the Supreme Court in Zadvydas v. Davis, 533 U.S. 678, 121 S.Ct. 2491, 150 L.Ed.2d 653 (2001). Under this analytical framework, petitioner’s detention currently does not violate the Due Process Clause, though circumstances may arise in the future that would require release or a bond hearing under the Fifth Amendment.

I.

The facts in this case are straightforward and undisputed. Petitioner Jose Ricardo Ayala Crespin is a native and citizen of El Salvador. He seeks a writ of habeas corpus under '28 U.S.C. § 22411 against respondent United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (“ICE”)2, which is currently detaining petitioner.

Petitioner entered the United States illegally and without inspection at an unknown place on an unknown date. In November 2012, he pled guilty in the Circuit Court of Fairfax County, Virginia to possession of cocaine, a felony under Virginia law.3 Respondent then issued petitioner a Notice to Appear in February 2014, charg[644]*644ing him as removable (i) as an illegal alien under 8 U.S.C. § 1182(a)(6)(A)(i) and (ii) as an alien convicted of violating a law relating to a controlled substance under 8 U.S.C. § 1182(a)(2)(A)(i)(II). Petitioner was released into respondent’s custody that same month as an alien subject to mandatory detention due to his state cocaine conviction. In March 2014, petitioner appeared, represented by counsel, before the immigration court in Arlington, Virginia for a hearing. Petitioner admitted to the charges in the Notice to Appear, conceded his removability, declined to seek relief from removal, and accepted a removal order (the “2014 removal order”). The immigration judge ordered his removal to El Salvador, petitioner waived his appeal, and respondent removed petitioner to El Salvador in April 2014.

Despite his removal, petitioner again entered the United States illegally and without inspection at an unknown place and on an unknown date. In May 2016, respondent arrested petitioner and turned him over to the United States Marshals. Petitioner pled guilty to reentry of a removed alien in violation of 8 U.S.C. § 1326(a)(1), (b)(1) and was sentenced to 90 days incarceration. See United States v. Crespin, No. 1-16-cr-94 (E.D. Va. June 20, 2016). During petitioner’s incarceration, respondent reinstated his 2014 removal order under 8 U.S.C. § 1231(a)(5).4 Upon his release from prison, petitioner was transferred to respondent’s custody on August 3, 2016.5

Following his transfer to respondent’s custody, petitioner expressed fear at the prospect of returning to El Salvador. Under the INA, when an alien, like petitioner, who is subject to a reinstated removal order expresses fear of returning to the country of removal, a United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (“US-CIS”) officer must interview the alien to determine if the alien has a “reasonable fear” of persecution or torture. See generally 8 C.F.R. § 1208.31. As a result, a USCIS officer interviewed petitioner. The officer determined that petitioner had a reasonable fear of returning to El Salvador, and the matter was referred to an immigration judge to determine if petitioner’s removal should be withheld or deferred under the INA and the Convention Against Torture (“CAT”). See 8 C.F.R. § 1208.31(e),(g).6 Petitioner, represented by counsel, also filed an application for asylum and withholding of removal.

After holding a hearing on the merits of withholding or deferring petitioner’s re[645]*645moval, the immigration judge issued a decision in January 2017. The immigration judge denied petitioner’s request for withholding of removal under the INA and the CAT because he had committed serious nonpolitical crimes in El Salvador due to his membership in the MS-13 gang. See 8 C.F.R. § 1208.16(d)(2); see also 8 U.S.C. § 1231(b)(3)(B). As for petitioner’s request for deferral of removal under the CAT, the immigration judge concluded that petitioner had established that it was more likely than not that he would be tortured if removed to El Salvador. See 8 C.F.R. § 1208.16(c)(2). As a result, the immigration judge granted petitioner’s request for deferral of removal under the CAT. In January 2017, respondent appealed that decision to the Board of Immigration Appeals (“BIA”).

While petitioner’s case worked through the immigration court, deportation officers conducted two assessments, or “Post Order Custody Reviews” (“POCR”), to determine whether petitioner should remain in detention. Respondent conducted the first POCR on October 19, 2016. The deportation officer recommended that petitioner remain in custody pending the resolution of his case because of the significant likelihood of petitioner’s removal and his designation as an enforcement priority. Petitioner was informed of this decision on November 15, 2016. On January 30, 2017, soon after respondent appealed the immigration judge’s decision to the BIA, respondent conducted another POCR.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
256 F. Supp. 3d 641, 2017 WL 2385330, 2017 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 84397, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/crespin-v-evans-vaed-2017.