Hilde Hernandez Bernal, Carlos Herrera Garzon, Mohammad Haroon Latifi, Nahomy Ore Aquije, Nelson Rey Puerta, and Alejandro Torres Palafox v. Christopher Chestnut, et al.

District Court, E.D. California·Decided January 27, 2026·No. 1:25-cv-01887·Unknown

Opinion

HILDE HERNANDEZ BERNAL, Case No. 1:25-cv-01887-JLT-HBK (HC) CARLOS HERRERA GARZON, MOHAMMAD HAROON LATIFI, FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS TO NAHOMY ORE AQUIJE, NELSON REY GRANT PETITIONERS’ MOTION FOR PUERTA, and ALEJANDRO TORRES PRELIMINARY INJUNCTION IN PART1 PALAFOX, (Doc. 5) Petitioners, v. FIVE (5) DAY OBJECTION PERIOD CHRISTOPHER CHESTNUT, et al., Respondents. Before the Court is Petitioners Hilde Hernandez Bernal, Carlos Herrera Garzon, Mohammad Haroon Latifi, Nahomy Ore Aquije, Nelson Rey Puerta, and Alejandro Torres Palafox’s (collectively, “Petitioners”) motion for preliminary injunction (“motion”), filed in conjunction with their petition for writ of habeas corpus under 28 U.S.C. § 2241 challenging their re-detention and ongoing detention in U.S. Immigration Customs and Enforcement (“ICE”) custody without a pre-deprivation hearing (Doc. 1). (Doc. 5). For the reasons stated below, the undersigned recommends granting Petitioners’ motion as to the named Petitioners except for 1 This matter was referred to the undersigned pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 636(b)(1)(B) and Local Rule 302 (E.D. Cal. 2022).

Nahomy Ore Aquije and Alejandro Torres Palafox, and as to them, granting the motion in part for the reasons set forth below. On December 16, 2025, Petitioners filed a joint petition for writ of habeas corpus under 28 U.S.C. § 2241 (Doc. 1, “Petition”) alleging that their detention in ICE custody without a hearing violates their Fifth Amendment procedural and substantive due process rights; their re-arrest violates the Fourth Amendment; and their re-detention was in violation of the Administrative Procedure Act. (Id. at 38-41). On December 19, 2025, Petitioners filed a motion for preliminary injunction requesting that the Court order Respondents to: (1) immediately release all Petitioners from custody and enjoin Respondents from re-detaining them during the pendency of the Petition; or in the alternative, (2) immediately release the Petitioners from custody and enjoin Respondents from re-detaining Petitioners unless, prior to re-detaining them, a neutral adjudicator finds that Respondents have proven by clear and convincing evidence that there has been a material change in their circumstances, and that their conditional release would pose a danger to the community or a flight risk that cannot be mitigated by an monetary or nonmonetary conditions. (Doc. 5 at 31). On January 5, 2026, Respondents filed an opposition to the motion for preliminary injunction on the sole basis that that Petitioners’ detention is mandatory under U.S.C. § 1225(b). (Doc. 11). On January 13, 2026, Petitioners filed a reply. (Doc. 13). The six Petitioners in this case are immigrant detainees in ICE custody at the California City Detention Center in California City, California who, after apprehension and brief periods of detention following arrival in this country, were released into the United States and recently re- detained without notice. The Court will briefly outline each Petitioner’s respective backgrounds:2 //// 2 The facts articulated in this section come from Petitioners’ verified petition, including attached declarations and exhibits. A court “may treat the allegations of a verified ... petition [for writ of habeas corpus] as an affidavit.” L. v. Lamarque, 351 F.3d 919, 924 (9th Cir. 2003) (citing McElyea v. Babbitt, 833 F.2d 196, 197–98 (9th Cir. 1987)). On January 22, 2026, after repeatedly failing to produce relevant A-file documents pursuant to Court Orders (Doc. 14, 17), Respondents expressly declined to file documents in support of their “argument regarding the applicability of 8 U.S.C. § 1225(b)” and “respectfully request[ed] a ruling without need for additional supporting documentation pertaining to petitioners’ individual cases.” (Doc. 19). Hilde Hernandez Bernal (“Bernal”): • Bernal is a native and citizen of Venezuela who entered the United States without inspection on or about June 2024 and was detained almost immediately thereafter. (Doc. 1-1, ¶ 1). • On June 28, 2024, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”) issued an Order of Release on Recognizance and a Notice to Appear charging Bernal as subject to removal pursuant to 8 U.S.C. § 1182(a)(6)(A)(i) (alien entry without inspection) and 8 U.S.C. § 1182(a)(7)(i)(I) (alien not in possession of valid entry document). (Doc. 1-7 at 9-17, Exh. A). • On August 13, 2024, ICE informed Bernal she would report to the Intensive Supervision Appearance Program (“ISAP”) going forward according to the terms of her release, and report to ICE once a year. (Doc. 1-1, ¶¶ 4-5). At some point, she applied for asylum and received work authorization. (Id., ¶ 6). • In October 2025, Bernal was contacted by her ISAP case manager, who informed her that she would need to appear in person for her next court hearing in Miami Immigration Court, as she lived there prior to moving back to Northern California in or around May 2025. (Id., ¶¶ 8-9). She flew to Miami for the hearing on October 31, 2025, but the Immigration Judge (“IJ”) did not show up, so she was given a new hearing date on December 26, 2026, and flew back to California. (Id., ¶ 10). While she was in Miami, her ISAP case manager called her and informed her she was not answering her calls, which Bernal declares she did not receive, and told her to come to the ISAP office in California on Monday, November 3, 2025. (Id., ¶ 11). • On Sunday, November 2, 2025, Bernal’s ISAP case manager called to confirm her address and told her to go outside because agents were looking for her. (Id., ¶ 12). Bernal went outside and saw agents in the distance, so she called to them, at which point they immediately handcuffed her and took her to the San Francisco office where she was shackled and asked to sign papers she did not understand. (Id., ¶¶ 12-14). She was then driven, after changing vehicles several times, to the California City Detention Facility, where she is currently detained. (Id., ¶¶ 17-19). • Before she was re-arrested and re-detained by ICE, Bernal lived in Daly City, California with her sister, her niece, and her niece’s children. (Id., ¶ 24). She works cleaning houses and working in kitchen at Chase Center, going to bible study, and attended English classes a few times a week. (Id.). She helps support her household financially, helps care for her sister who has high blood pressure, and helps care for the children in the household. (Id., ¶ 25). • Bernal has no criminal history and has complied with all her release conditions and attended all immigration court hearings. (Id., ¶¶ 7, 26). Her most recent Master Calendar hearing date was scheduled for January 13, 2026, at Adelanto Immigration Court. (Id., ¶ 21). Carlos Herrera Garzon (“Garzon”) • Garzon is a native and citizen of Columbia who entered the United States without inspection in October 2024, was almost immediately arrested and detained, and was processed for expedited removal per Immigration and Nationality Act (“INA”) Section 235(b)(1). (Doc. 1-7 at 20-21, Exh. B). • Garzon was initially detained for several months, both in Texas and California, and was released in December 2024 and issued a Notice to Appear vacating the expedited removal order pursuant to 8 C.F.R. §

Hilde Hernandez Bernal, Carlos Herrera Garzon, Mohammad Haroon Latifi, Nahomy Ore Aquije, Nelson Rey Puerta, and Alejandro Torres Palafox v. Christopher Chestnut, et al., (E.D. Cal. 2026).

Hilde Hernandez Bernal, Carlos Herrera Garzon, Mohammad Haroon Latifi, Nahomy Ore Aquije, Nelson Rey Puerta, and Alejandro Torres Palafox v. Christopher Chestnut, et al. (Hilde Hernandez Bernal, Carlos Herrera Garzon, Mohammad Haroon Latifi, Nahomy Ore Aquije, Nelson Rey Puerta, and Alejandro Torres Palafox v. Christopher Chestnut, et al.) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

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