Harkamal Singh v. Robert Cerna, et al.

District Court, W.D. Oklahoma·Decided August 4, 2026·No. 5:26-cv-01194·Unknown

Opinion

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT WESTERN DISTRICT OF OKLAHOMA HARKAMAL SINGH, ) ) Petitioner, ) ) v. ) Case No. CIV-26-1194-J ) ROBERT CERNA,1 et al., ) ) Respondents. ) REPORT AND RECOMMENDATION Petitioner Harkamal Singh, a noncitizen2 and Indian national proceeding with counsel, filed a Petition for Writ of Habeas Corpus (“Petition”), Doc. 1, challenging under 28 U.S.C. § 2241 his detention by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (“ICE”). United States District Judge Bernard M. Jones, II referred this matter to the undersigned Magistrate Judge in accordance with 28 U.S.C. § 636(b)(1)(B)-(C). Doc. 3. The undersigned set an expedited briefing schedule, Doc. 10, and the Petition is at issue. For the reasons set forth below, the undersigned recommends that the Court grant the Petition, Doc. 1, in part and order Respondents to immediately release Petitioner subject to the conditions of his prior release on bond.

1 Chris Gantt was announced as Warden of Cimarron Correctional Facility in May 2026. He replaces Scarlet Grant and is substituted as the proper respondent pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 25(d). David Venturella was announced as Acting Director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement on June 1, 2026. He replaces Todd Lyons and is substituted as the proper respondent pursuant to Rule 25(d). 2 Unless quoting, this Report and Recommendation “uses the term ‘noncitizen’ as equivalent to the statutory term ‘alien.’” Nasrallah v. Barr, 590 U.S. 573, 578 n.2 (2020) (citing 8 U.S.C. § 1101(a)(3)). I. Background Petitioner, a citizen of India, entered the United States on or about January 25, 2016. Pet. at 4-5; Doc. 14-7 at 3 (Petitioner’s Form I-213). Shortly thereafter, ICE encountered

and detained Petitioner. Pet. at 5. On February 20, 2016, ICE placed Petitioner into removal proceedings before the Immigration Court pursuant to 8 U.S.C. § 1229a through the issuance of a Notice to Appear, and charged him with being inadmissible under 8 U.S.C. § 1182(a)(6)(A)(i) as someone who entered the United States without inspection. Pet. at 5-6; Doc. 1-1 at 1 (Notice to Appear); Doc. 14-7 at 3.

On April 12, 2016, an Immigration Judge (“IJ”) ordered Petitioner released from custody on a $30,000 bond. Pet. at 5; Doc. 14-2 at 6 (Bond Order). Petitioner alleges he has “fulfilled the conditions of his release.” Pet. at 5; see also id. at 6 (describing Petitioner’s “compliance while released, including attending his court hearings in his removal proceedings”). Respondents do not contest this assertion.

After his release on bond, Petitioner received an employment authorization and filed an asylum application. Id. at 5; Doc. 1-6 at 1 (Employment Authorization); Doc. 14-3 at 1 (Asylum Application). On January 17, 2020, an IJ denied Petitioner’s asylum application and ordered him removed to India. Pet. at 5; Doc. 14-6 at 11 (Removal Order). Petitioner appealed this decision; his appeal remains pending. Pet. at 5; Resp. at 2; Doc. 1-4 at 1

(Immigration Court Docket). Therefore, his removal order is not yet final under 8 C.F.R. § 1241.1. On May 9, 2026, the Oklahoma Highway Patrol (“OHP”) stopped Petitioner, who was working as a commercial truck driver, to inspect his vehicle. Pet. at 6; Doc. 1-5 at 1 (Driver/Vehicle Examination Report). While OHP’s inspection did not uncover any violations, OHP detained Petitioner and subsequently transferred him to ICE custody. Pet.

at 6; Doc. 14-7 at 3. Respondents contend Petitioner is detained pursuant to 8 U.S.C. § 1225(b)(2)(A). Resp. at 6. It is not clear whether Petitioner has requested a bond hearing. See Pet. at 10 (asserting he “has no administrative remedies to exhaust” and “[f]utility is an exception to the prudential exhaustion requirement”). Such a request, though, would likely be futile because all IJs are subject to the binding precedent of Matter of Yajure Hurtado, 29 I & N

Dec. 216 (BIA 2025), which holds those noncitizens who entered the country without admission or parole are ineligible for a bond hearing. When Petitioner filed his Petition, he was detained at Cimarron Correctional Facility in Cushing, Oklahoma. Pet. at 7. He remains detained there. See ICE Online Detainee Locator System, at https://locator.ice.gov/odls/#/results (last visited August 4, 2026).

II. Petitioner’s Claims Petitioner asserts six counts in his Petition. • Count I: Violation of the Immigration and Nationality Act (“INA”). Petitioner alleges his continued detention under 8 U.S.C. § 1225(b)(2) is unlawful and violates the INA because that provision does not apply to noncitizens, like him, who previously had been granted bond pursuant to § 1226(a) and have no change in circumstances. Pet. at 19-20. • Count II: Violation of Due Process. Petitioner alleges his continued detention without an individualized custody determination violates his right to procedural due process. Id. at 20-22. • Count III: Violation of the Administrative Procedure Act (“APA”). Petitioner alleges his detention without an individualized custody determination is arbitrary and capricious in violation of the APA. Id. at 22-24. • Count IV: Violation of Equal Protection. Petitioner alleges his detention without an individualized bond hearing, when similarly situated noncitizens have received one, violates his right to equal protection. Id. at 24-26. • Count V: Violation of the Suspension Clause. Petitioner alleges the lack of a meaningful opportunity to challenge his detention before the Immigration Court violates the Suspension Clause. Id. at 26-28. • Count VI: Violation of the Accardi Doctrine. Petitioner alleges ICE’s disregard for its own regulations violates the principle that executive branch agencies must follow their own binding regulations. Id. at 28-30. He asks the Court to declare his continued detention unlawful and “order [his] immediate release from ICE custody.” Pet. at 30-31. Petitioner also requests an award of attorney fees and costs under the Equal Access to Justice Act (“EAJA”).3 Id. at 31. III. Standard of Review To obtain habeas corpus relief, Petitioner must show that he is “in custody in violation of the Constitution or laws or treaties of the United States.” 28 U.S.C. § 2241(c)(3). “Challenges to immigration detention are properly brought directly through habeas.” Soberanes v. Comfort, 388 F.3d 1305, 1310 (10th Cir. 2004) (citing Zadvydas v. Davis, 533 U.S. 678, 687-88 (2001)).

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