Dionelis Jose Lopez Camacho v. ICE Field Office Director

District Court, W.D. Washington·Decided May 6, 2026·No. 2:26-cv-00925·Unknown

Opinion

HONORABLE RICHARD A. JONES

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT AT SEATTLE DIONELIS JOSE LOPEZ CAMACHO, CASE NO. 2:26-cv-00925-RAJ Petitioner, ORDER v. ICE FIELD OFFICE DIRECTOR, Respondent. THIS MATTER comes before the Court on Petitioner Dionelis Jose Lopez Camacho’s Petition for Writ of Habeas Corpus, Dkt. # 3. The court has reviewed the petition, the submissions in support of and in opposition to the petition, and the balance of the record. For the reasons set forth below, the Court GRANTS Petitioner’s petition. Petitioner is a citizen of Venezuela. Dkt. # 7 ¶ 3. On or around December 29, 2022, immigration officials encountered Petitioner near the U.S.-Mexico border and detained him. Id. ¶ 4. On the same day, a Notice to Appear (“NTA”) was issued, charging him as inadmissible under Section 212(a)(6)(A)(i) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (“INA”). Id. ¶ 5. The next day, on December 30, 2022, he was released on an Order of Release on Recognizance (“OREC”). Id. ¶ 6. The OREC states it was issued “[i]n accordance with section 236 of the Immigration and Nationality Act [codified at 8 U.S.C. § 1226].” Dkt. # 8-3 at 3. According to a declaration from Deportation Officer Enrique Rodriguez, Petitioner “failed to report over the course of 2023 through 2025.” Dkt. # 7 ¶ 7. The Form I-213 summarizing Petitioner’s arrest also references that Petitioner “violated the terms of his OREC paperwork since he failed to report on his initial office visit,” although it does not say this was the reason for his arrest. Dkt. # 8-1 at 4. There are no further details regarding the alleged missed appointments in the government’s submission. Petitioner disputes the government’s assertions. He states he has “never missed any appointments” and “complied with all required processes, including USCIS appointments, fingerprinting, address changes, and all necessary check-ins.” Dkt. # 9. It is undisputed that Petitioner has no criminal record. See id. (“I have no criminal record or charges such as DUI or any other offenses”); Dkt. # 8-1 at 4 (“There are no known criminal arrests or convictions against LOPEZ-CAMACHO”). On December 17, 2025, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (“ICE”) officers arrested Petitioner during “targeted enforcement operations in Portland, Oregon, focusing on individuals unlawfully present in the United States with prior immigration violations.” Dkt. # 8-1 at 3. Although unclear, it appears ICE may have used false pretenses to cause Petitioner to drive to a parking lot where ICE arrested him. See Dkt. # 9 (letter from Petitioner stating he “was selling a car through the Marketplace,” but when he drove to the address provided by an individual claiming to be an interested buyer, he “suspect[ed] that something was not right” and “[a]bout 20 seconds later, another vehicle arrived with immigration agents (ICE)”); Dkt. # 8-1 at 3 (Form I-213 stating “DHS Officers were in constant communication with LOPEZ using Open Source markets and messaging.”). On the same day, ICE issued a Cancellation of Form I-220A, cancelling Petitioner’s OREC. Dkt. # 8-4 at 2. Petitioner was booked into the Northwest ICE Processing Center (“NWICP”) where he remains today. Dkt. # 7 ¶ 8. On February 11, 2026, Petitioner appeared for a bond hearing. Dkt. # 8-5 at 2. The immigration judge (“IJ”) denied bond, finding there was no jurisdiction because Petitioner was subject to mandatory detention. Id. No alternative finding was made. Id. Petitioner requested reconsideration of the bond determination, and on March 18, 2026, an IJ held a new bond hearing. Dkt. # 7 ¶ 11. The IJ again denied bond based on a finding of no jurisdiction due to mandatory detention, with no alternative findings. Dkt. # 8-6 at 2. Petitioner reserved his right to appeal, although the government represents that at the time it filed its return memorandum, Petitioner had not appealed the bond denial. Dkt. # 7 ¶ 11. On March 25, 2026, an IJ entered an order of removal to Venezuela and denied Petitioner’s application for asylum and withholding of removal. Id. ¶ 12. Petitioner appealed the decision on or around April 13, 2026. Dkt. # 11 at 1. The government filed a status report indicating that as of April 29, 2026, “ICE has not yet received a notice of receipt or rejection regarding Petitioner’s appeal from the BIA.” Dkt. # 11 at 2. “Writs of habeas corpus may be granted by . . . the district courts . . . within their respective jurisdictions.” 28 U.S.C. § 2241(a). The district courts’ habeas jurisdiction includes challenges to immigration-related detention. Zadvydas v. Davis, 533 U.S. 678, 687 (2001). A petitioner may seek habeas relief by showing that he or she is “in custody in violation of the Constitution or laws or treaties of the United States.” 28 U.S.C. § 2241(c). The petitioner bears the burden of proof by a preponderance of the evidence. Davis v. Woodford, 384 F.3d 628, 638 (9th Cir. 2004). A. Bruce Scott is Added as an Additional Respondent Petitioner, proceeding pro se, listed “ICE Field Office Director” as the sole respondent in this case. Dkt. # 4. The government does not challenge the designated respondent. See generally Dkt. # 7. The proper respondent for a § 2241 habeas petition, however, is the warden of the facility where the petitioner is detained. See Doe v. Garland, 109 F.4th 1188, 1197 (9th Cir. 2024) (“Padilla set forth a clear rule requiring core habeas petitioners challenging their present physical confinement to name their immediate custodian, the warden of the facility where they are detained, as the respondent to their petition”). Naming the appropriate respondent has jurisdictional implications. See id. at 1194–95 (finding “failure to name the Facility Administrator renders the district court’s exercise of jurisdiction erroneous.”). Accordingly, in light of the Court’s obligation to construe pro se filings leniently, the Court will direct the clerk to add Bruce Scott, Warden of NWIPC, as a respondent in this case. See Alejo Amezcua v. Scott, No. 26-cv-820, 2026 WL 1004610, at *1 n.1. (W.D. Wash. Apr. 14, 2026) (“Consistent with its obligation to construe pro se filings leniently, the Court substitutes NWIPC Warden Bruce Scott as the respondent in this matter.”); Triminio Martinez v. ICE Field Office Director, No. 26-cv- 748, 2026 WL 925625, at *1 n.1 (W.D. Wash. Apr. 4, 2026) (in pro se case, directing clerk to name Bruce Scott as a respondent). B. Petitioner is detained pursuant to 8 U.S.C. § 1226(a). The government argues Petitioner “is lawfully detained pursuant to 8 U.S.C. § 1225(b)(2) and is subject to mandatory detention while his removal proceedings remain pending.” Dkt. # 6 at 4. Construing Petitioner’s petition liberally, he argues that he is detained under 8 U.S.C. § 1226(a) and is not subject to mandatory detention. See Dkt. # 3 at 3–4 (noting “custody has changed . . . to 1226(a)” and “the Agency no longer had mandatory detention of the [noncitizen], but has the authority to order release on bond or upon conditions.”). The Court finds Petitioner is detained under 8 U.S.C. §

Dionelis Jose Lopez Camacho v. ICE Field Office Director, (W.D. Wash. 2026).

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