Gonzalo v. Thornburgh

761 F. Supp. 1264, 1991 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 5216, 1991 WL 58176
CourtDistrict Court, W.D. Louisiana
DecidedApril 12, 1991
DocketCiv. A. Nos. 90-1245, 90-1247, 90-1248, 90-1254, 90-1256, 90-1280, 90-1317, 90-1323, 90-1331, 90-1350, 90-1362, 90-1368, 90-1414, 90-1421, 90-1423, 90-1467, 90-1471, 90-1626, 90-1633, 90-1647 and 90-1697
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 761 F. Supp. 1264 (Gonzalo v. Thornburgh) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, W.D. Louisiana primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Gonzalo v. Thornburgh, 761 F. Supp. 1264, 1991 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 5216, 1991 WL 58176 (W.D. La. 1991).

Opinion

RULING

LITTLE, District Judge.

Each petitioner is a Cuban national who came to the United States in 1980 [1265]*1265during the Mariel boatlift. The Immigration and Naturalization Service detained petitioner upon his arrival at the United States border and eventually decided to exclude him from admission into the country. 8 U.S.C. § 1226. De jure, petitioner has never entered this country. De facto, he is physically present and living subject to INS detention.1 8 U.S.C. § 1101(a)(13).

Under the statutory scheme, whenever the INS renders a formal order of exclusion, it is to deport the alien to the country of his origin, or failing that, to the country of which he is a citizen, where he was born, where he has a residence, or any country willing to accept the alien. 8 U.S.C. § 1227. Unfortunately, INS has been unable to deport petitioner because Cuba has refused to accept him. Thus, INS has continued to detain petitioner pending either Cuba’s agreement to accept petitioner, or an administrative decision to parole petitioner into the country. 8 U.S.C. § 1182(d)(5); 8 C.F.R. §§ 212.12; 212.13. INS has granted parole status to the petitioner, enabling him to live outside of a governmental detention facility, albeit with restrictive conditions upon his movements and activities.2 To date, INS has not released petitioner from its detention facilities.3

Petitioner now brings this application for writ of habeas corpus. Because of the form nature of his pleadings, it is difficult to discern the precise ground which he claims justifies outright release, or entitlement to habeas review. Nevertheless, the court will attempt to parse through the relevant statutory and regulatory provisions as they apply to petitioner.

Generally, petitioner claims that INS possesses no authority to detain him. He asserts that INS may detain an excludable alien only for a reasonable time after it has rendered a final order of exclusion; thereafter, it must either deport the alien or release him outright. Each petitioner points to the existence of various Constitutional and statutory provisions in support of his assertion that the INS is violating his liberty interests.

Petitioner first alleges that his continued detention violates his fifth amendment right to due process of law and his sixth amendment privileges. An alien seeking admission into the United States does not possess fifth amendment rights because the power to admit aliens into the country is a sovereign prerogative. Landon v. Plascencia, 459 U.S. 21, 32, 103 S.Ct. 321, 329, 74 L.Ed.2d 21 (1982). Thus, an alien seeking admission is afforded only those rights that Congress decides to extend. United States ex rel. Knauff v. Shaughnessy, 338 U.S. 537, 544, 70 S.Ct. 309, 313, 94 L.Ed. 317 (1950) (“Whatever the procedure authorized by Congress is, it is due process as far as an alien denied entry is concerned”). The government does not violate an excludable alien’s due [1266]*1266process rights if it continues to detain him pending his deportation, even where the government offers no reason for the alien’s continued detention. Shaughnessy v. United States ex rel. Mezei, 345 U.S. 206, 212, 73 S.Ct. 625, 629, 97 L.Ed. 956 (1953); Fernandez-Roque v. Smith, 734 F.2d 576, 582 (11th Cir.1984) (“Fernandez-Roque I”). Furthermore, the sixth amendment is not implicated because immigration proceedings and detention do not constitute criminal proceedings or punishment and the rights afforded to those accused of committing crimes are not invoked. INS v. Lopez-Mendoza, 468 U.S. 1032, 1038, 104 S.Ct. 3479, 3483, 82 L.Ed.2d 778 (1984).

Petitioner cites cases supporting his contention that excludable aliens possess constitutional rights. Those holdings are distinguishable from the present matter because those cases addressed either an alien’s constitutional interests in matters extraneous to immigration or the constitutional rights of aliens who have entered the country and therefore possess a modicum of constitutional protection. See e.g Plyler v. Doe, 457 U.S. 202, 102 S.Ct. 2382, 72 L.Ed.2d 786 (1982) (children of aliens who have entered the country illegally entitled to public education under fourteenth amendment); United States v. Henry, 604 F.2d 908 (5th Cir.1979) (alien must be given Miranda warnings in criminal proceedings). As the court has noted, such cases are not applicable to petitioner.

Petitioner next argues that his detention violates customary international law. Of course, international law is part of the law of the United States. The Paquete Habana, 175 U.S. 677, 700, 20 S.Ct. 290, 299, 44 L.Ed. 320 (1900). Customary international law is analogous to common law, and is comprised of internationally recognized principles of law. Assuming without deciding that petitioner’s detention violates customary international law, he is nevertheless not entitled to release. International law is applicable to a case only when domestic law does not speak to the outcome and is not controlling when there has been a conflicting legislative, executive, or judicial act. Paquete Habana, 175 U.S. at 700, 20 S.Ct. at 299; Committee of United States Citizens Living in Nicaragua v. Reagan, 859 F.2d 929, 939 (D.C.Cir.1988); United States v. Merkt, 794 F.2d 950, 954 (5th Cir.1986). Here, Congress has established a scheme for dealing with the Mariel Cubans, the executive branch has promulgated rules implementing this legislation, and the courts have held that an alien may not challenge his continued detention without a hearing. Thus, the Mariel Cubans may not challenge their detention on the basis of international law. Garcia-Mir v. Meese, 788 F.2d 1446, 1454-55 (11th Cir.1986).

Petitioner also asserts that the INS has no authority under the Immigration and Nationality Act, 8 U.S.C. § 1101 et seq. (INA), to detain indefinitely an excludable alien.

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Bluebook (online)
761 F. Supp. 1264, 1991 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 5216, 1991 WL 58176, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/gonzalo-v-thornburgh-lawd-1991.