Gurpinder Singh v. Warden of the Golden State Annex ICE Detention Facility, et al.

CourtDistrict Court, E.D. California
DecidedApril 8, 2026
Docket1:25-cv-01629
StatusUnknown

This text of Gurpinder Singh v. Warden of the Golden State Annex ICE Detention Facility, et al. (Gurpinder Singh v. Warden of the Golden State Annex ICE Detention Facility, et al.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, E.D. California primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Gurpinder Singh v. Warden of the Golden State Annex ICE Detention Facility, et al., (E.D. Cal. 2026).

Opinion

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT 9 FOR THE EASTERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA 10 11 GURPINDER SINGH, A 249-386-725, No. 1:25-cv-1629 AC 12 Petitioner, 13 v. ORDER 14 WARDEN OF THE GOLDEN STATE ANNEX ICE DETENTION FACILITY, et 15 al., 16 Respondents. 17 18 Petitioner, an immigration detainee proceeding through counsel, has filed a petition for a 19 writ of habeas corpus pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 2241. Currently before the court is petitioner’s 20 petition for writ of habeas corpus (ECF No. 1), which respondents oppose (ECF No. 22). 21 Petitioner has also filed a motion for temporary restraining order (ECF No. 26) and motion for 22 expedited relief (ECF No. 27). The parties have consented to magistrate judge jurisdiction. ECF 23 No. 17. 24 I. Factual and Procedural Background 25 Petitioner, a citizen of India, entered the United States without inspection, admission, or 26 parole on August 14, 2024, and was detained and placed into expedited removal after 27 encountering a Border Patrol Agent and admitting that he did not have proper immigration 28 documentation allowing him to enter the country. ECF No. 22 at 1-2; ECF No. 22-1 at 6, 8; ECF 1 No. 25 at 4-5. Petitioner expressed fear of being returned to India and had a credible fear hearing, 2 at which petitioner was found to possess a credible fear of persecution. ECF No. 22 at 2; ECF 3 No. 25 at 5. As a result, petitioner’s expedited removal order was vacated and he was placed in 4 standard removal proceedings under 8 U.S.C. § 1229a. ECF No. 22 at 2; ECF No. 22-1 at 10; 5 ECF No. 25 at 5. The Notice to Appear identified petitioner as “an alien present in the United 6 States who has not been admitted or paroled,” not as “an arriving alien.” ECF No. 22-1 at 10. 7 Petitioner has remained in custody since his arrival. ECF No. 1 at 5; ECF No. 22 at 2; ECF No. 8 25 at 4. 9 Respondent asserts that petitioner initially requested a custody redetermination hearing 10 but later withdrew the request. ECF No. 22 at 23; ECF No. 22-1 at 14. Petitioner asserts that in 11 October 2024 he was told he would be paroled, but that parole was denied sometime around 12 December. ECF No. 1 at 6. He further asserts that at his first master calendar hearing, which 13 took place on September 30, 2024, the immigration judge (IJ) told him she had no power to give 14 him bond or parole.1 Id.; ECF No. 25 at 5. Petitioner’s case was then set for a hearing on 15 November 27, 2024, at which time the IJ set a deadline for petitioner to submit an I-589 16 application for asylum and withholding of removal. ECF No. 25 at 6; ECF No. 25-2 at 23 17 (transcript showing IJ advised detainees, including petitioner, that next hearing was scheduled for 18 January 22, 2025, and I-589 form had to be received by January 16, 2025). 19 Petitioner had another hearing on January 3, 2025, before a different IJ during which he 20 was given different instructions regarding the deadline for his I-589 petition. ECF No. 25 at 6; 21 ECF No. 25-2 at 9-10 (transcript showing IJ set next hearing for January 14, 2025, and advised 22 petitioner his I-589 application was due by that date). Petitioner appeared before the IJ on 23 January 14, 2025, by video and the IJ ordered him removed for failing to file his I-589, even 24 though petitioner had the application in hand. ECF No. 25 at 6; ECF No. 25-2 at 3-7 (transcript 25 of hearing). Petitioner appealed, and on May 9, 2025, the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) 26

27 1 Transcripts provided with petitioner’s traverse support this allegation. See ECF No. 25-2 at 31 (IJ advising detainees at September 30, 2024 hearing that she did “not have the authority to give 28 [them] bond”). 1 sustained the appeal and remanded to provide petitioner a final opportunity to submit his 2 application for asylum and withholding of removal. ECF No. 22-1 at 19-20; ECF No. 25 at 6. 3 Petitioner submitted his application on June 24, 2025, and a hearing was set for August 4 29, 2025. ECF No. 22 at 2; ECF No. 25 at 7. The day before the hearing, petitioner, through 5 counsel, moved to continue the hearing because severe flooding in his home area interfered with 6 his ability to gather and transmit the necessary documentation in a timely manner. ECF No. 22 at 7 2; ECF No. 22-1 at 29; ECF No. 25 at 7. The motion was granted and the court continued the 8 hearing until December 30, 2025. ECF No. 22 at 2; ECF No. 25 at 7. However, at the time of 9 briefing, petitioner’s case had been taken off calendar with no explanation. ECF No. 25 at 7; 10 ECF No. 25-1 (EOIR docket). The EOIR’s website now reflects that petitioner’s hearing is 11 scheduled for June 26, 2026, before yet another judge. 12 On November 16, 2025, petitioner filed a pro se petition arguing that his continued, 13 indeterminate detention without a bond hearing violates his Fifth Amendment right to due 14 process. ECF No. 1. Petitioner requests relief in the form of a bond hearing, either by this court 15 or the immigration court. Id. at 16. The petition was accompanied by a motion for appointment 16 of counsel (ECF No. 4), which was granted (ECF No. 6). Respondents oppose the petition, 17 arguing that because petitioner was an “arriving alien” without valid entry documents who has 18 been placed in expedited removal, he is subject to mandatory detention under § 1225(b)(1) and 19 not entitled to any process. ECF No. 22 at 3-4. Respondents also argue that petitioner’s due 20 process rights have not been violated. Id. at 4-7. Petitioner, through appointed counsel, filed a 21 traverse in which he argues that because he was not charged as an arriving alien and was placed 22 into full removal proceedings, he is detained under § 1226(a) and therefore statutorily entitled to a 23 bond hearing. ECF No. 25 at 8-10. He further argues that even if he is not statutorily eligible for 24 bond, under the Due Process Clause he has “the right to be free from prolonged detention without 25 any opportunity to seek release from a judge.” Id. at 10-18. 26 II. Legal Standards 27 A. Standards for Habeas Corpus 28 A writ of habeas corpus may be granted to anyone who is held in custody in violation of 1 the Constitution or laws or treaties of the United States. 28 U.S.C. § 2241(c)(3); Magana-Pizano 2 v. I.N.S., 200 F.3d 603, 609 (9th Cir. 1999) (“28 U.S.C. § 2241 expressly permits the federal 3 courts to grant writs of habeas corpus to aliens when those aliens are ‘in custody in violation of 4 the Constitution or laws or treaties of the United States.’” (citations omitted)). In federal habeas 5 proceedings, the petitioner is required to prove their case by a preponderance of the evidence. 6 Davis v. Woodford, 384 F.3d 628, 638 (9th Cir. 2004). 7 B. Constitutional Standards 8 The Due Process Clause protects persons in the United States from being “deprived of 9 life, liberty, or property, without due process of law.” U.S. Const. amend. V. “[T]he Due Process 10 Clause applies to all ‘persons’ within the United States, including aliens, whether their presence 11 here is lawful, unlawful, temporary, or permanent.” Zadvydas v. Davis, 533 U.S. 678, 693 (2001) 12 (citations omitted).

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Gurpinder Singh v. Warden of the Golden State Annex ICE Detention Facility, et al., Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/gurpinder-singh-v-warden-of-the-golden-state-annex-ice-detention-facility-caed-2026.