Homero Garcia v. Warden of the California City Correctional Center, et al.

CourtDistrict Court, E.D. California
DecidedMay 18, 2026
Docket2:26-cv-00511
StatusUnknown

This text of Homero Garcia v. Warden of the California City Correctional Center, et al. (Homero Garcia v. Warden of the California City Correctional Center, 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
Homero Garcia v. Warden of the California City Correctional Center, et al., (E.D. Cal. 2026).

Opinion

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT 9 EASTERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA 10 11 HOMERO GARCIA, Case No. 2:26-cv-00511-JLT-CDB (HC) 12 Petitioner, FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS TO DENY PETITION FOR WRIT OF HABEAS 13 v. CORPUS AND DENY MOTIONS FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (A-Number 246 060 14 WARDEN OF THE CALIFORNIA CITY 030) CORRECTIONAL CENTER, et al., 15 (Docs. 1, 13, 14) Respondents. 16 14-Day Objection Period 17 18 Petitioner Homero Garcia, a federal immigration detainee proceeding pro se, initiated this 19 action on February 20, 2026, with the filing of a petition for writ of habeas corpus under 28 U.S.C. 20 § 2241. (Doc. 1). That same day, Petitioner filed a motion for temporary restraining order 21 (“TRO”). (Doc. 3). Petitioner is in the custody of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (“ICE”) 22 at the California City Correctional Center. (Doc. 1 at 1). Respondents are the unnamed Warden of 23 the California City Correctional Center; the unnamed Field Office Director for the ICE San Diego 24 Field Office; Todd M. Lyons, Acting Director of ICE; Markwayne Mullin, Secretary of the 25 Department of Homeland Security (“DHS”); and Todd Blanche, Attorney General of the United 26 States.1 Id. 27 1 Markwayne Mullin is automatically substituted for the former Secretary of DHS, Kristi Noem, and 28 Todd Blanche for Pamela Bondi, former United States Attorney General. Fed. R. Civ. P. 25(d). 1 On February 20, 2026, the assigned district judge denied Petitioner’s motion for TRO and 2 referred the matter to the undersigned for a determination on the merits. (Doc. 7). On March 13, 3 2026, Respondents filed a response to the petition. (Doc. 8). Petitioner thereafter filed a traverse 4 and an amended traverse. (Docs. 9, 10). Respondents filed a supplemental exhibit on March 25, 5 2026, after which Petitioner filed a reply. (Docs. 11, 12). Petitioner then filed two motions, both 6 for immediate release. (Docs. 13, 14). 7 For the reasons set forth herein, the undersigned recommends that Petitioner’s petition for 8 writ of habeas corpus be denied. 9 I. Relevant Background 10 The relevant facts are drawn from the parties’ filings. See (Docs. 1, 8-12). Petitioner is a 11 Mexican national who entered the United States in April 2000. Petitioner asserts that he “lawfully 12 entered” the United States, that he was “paroled into the country,” and “subsequently filed an 13 application for asylum,” which remains pending as of the date of his petition. He alleges that ICE 14 previously released him from custody and allowed him to remain in the community while removal 15 proceedings were pending. (Doc. 1 at 1-2, 4). Petitioner asserts that, on September 3, 2025, ICE 16 agents arrested him at his workplace. Id. at 2. He asserts that he has been detained without being 17 provided a bond hearing or custody redetermination. Id. at 5. Petitioner attaches numerous 18 documents to his petition, many of which are only partially legible. Insofar as the Court can 19 determine, they appear to consist of printouts of immigration case information and orders, banking 20 records, a birth certificate, wage and tax records, and a residential lease. Id. at 10-49. 21 In their response to the petition, Respondents assert that they “do not have a record 22 indicating [that Petitioner was] encountered before 2025.” (Doc. 8 at 2). Respondents contend that 23 Petitioner filed a prior petition for a writ of habeas corpus in the Central District of California: 24 Garcia v. Noem, No. 2:25-cv-9474-KK-AS. Id. at 1-2. Respondents note that, in the prior Garcia 25 v. Noem action, Petitioner (through counsel) filed a motion for TRO which was granted on October 26 9, 2025, providing Petitioner with a bond hearing. Id. at 1 (citing Garcia v. Noem, No. 2:25-cv- 27 9474-KK-AS, 2025 WL 3898482, at *1 (C.D. Cal. Oct. 9, 2025)). Respondents assert that 28 Petitioner presents the same issues in the instant action that were decided, or could have been 1 decided, in the first petition filed by Petitioner, namely Petitioner’s eligibility for a bond hearing 2 under 8 U.S.C. § 1226(a). Respondents note that Petitioner received a bond hearing and chose not 3 to appeal the decision. Id. at 2. Respondents assert that Petitioner was “granted the opportunity to 4 voluntarily depart the United States by December 2, 2025,” but appealed the order and is “now 5 subject to a removal order entered on December 3, 2025.” Id. at 3. Respondents attach to their 6 response orders of the immigration judge (“IJ”), including three orders concerning bond hearings, 7 as well as an order to show cause issued by the district judge in the Garcia v. Noem case. (Docs. 8 8-1, 8-2, 8-3, 8-4). In an order regarding custody redetermination proceedings dated October 8, 9 2025, the IJ states that, as Petitioner is “an individual who has entered without inspection,” he is 10 not entitled to a bond hearing. (Doc. 8-2 at 1; citing Matter of Yajure Hurtado, 29 I. & N. Dec. 216 11 (B.I.A. 2025)). In another such order dated October 16, 2025, the IJ states that the bond request 12 was withdrawn at the request of the immigration detainee to allow for attorney preparation. Id. at 13 3. And in another such order, dated November 12, 2025, the IJ states that bond is denied due to 14 risk of flight, setting forth reasoning regarding community ties and residency. Id. at 5. 15 In his traverse and amended traverse, Petitioner asserts that he has “never filed any prior 16 habeas corpus petition challenging his detention or raising the claims presented in this action.” 17 Petitioner states that Respondents’ claim “appears to stem from a fundamental error, likely 18 involving a misidentification with a different individual who shares a similar or identical name.” 19 (Doc. 9 at 4); see (Doc. 10 at 1) (asserting that Respondents have “confused the identity of two 20 distinct people … without bothering to verify Alien Registration Numbers”). 21 Petitioner attaches numerous documents to his amended traverse, including a verification 22 of tenancy from Allan Suwito, dated October 23, 2025, that purports to confirm Petitioner’s tenancy 23 at an address in Burbank, California, with his tenancy having commenced on October 1, 2011, and 24 remaining presently active under the terms of a written lease agreement. (Doc. 10 at 6). Petitioner 25 attaches a letter, dated September 13, 2025, from Jacob Bersegian, manager at Vineland Car Wash 26 in North Hollywood, California, asserting that Petitioner has worked at the car wash since 2008 27 and until he was detained by ICE. Id. at 7. Petitioner attaches a letter, dated October 23, 2025, 28 from his neighbor Casimiro Saucedo Mendez who supports the fact that Petitioner lives at the 1 Burbank address and is married. Petitioner includes a scan of Mr. Saucedo Mendez’s California 2 driver license. Id. at 12-15. Petitioner also includes letters from two other neighbors, Stephanie 3 Saucedo and Mayra Villalvazo, the former dated October 22, 2025, and the latter undated. Id. at 4 17, 24. Petitioner also attaches the declaration of Juan Eduardo Martinez Arguello, which 5 erroneously asserts that Mr. Martinez Arguello is the petitioner in the instant action, and contains 6 information inapplicable herein. Id. at 31-34. 7 Respondents attach two exhibits in a supplemental filing. See (Doc. 11). The first is a 8 purported filing by attorney Jose R. Jordan in an underlying immigration proceeding in support of 9 bond redetermination, identifying the same Alien Number as Petitioner in this action. (Doc. 11-1 10 at 1-3). The second is an order granting a TRO in the Garcia v.

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Homero Garcia v. Warden of the California City Correctional Center, et al., Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/homero-garcia-v-warden-of-the-california-city-correctional-center-et-al-caed-2026.