J Felix Garcia Cardosa v. George Dedos, Warden, Torrance County Detention Center, and Kristi Noem, Secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security

CourtDistrict Court, D. New Mexico
DecidedFebruary 13, 2026
Docket1:26-cv-00077
StatusUnknown

This text of J Felix Garcia Cardosa v. George Dedos, Warden, Torrance County Detention Center, and Kristi Noem, Secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (J Felix Garcia Cardosa v. George Dedos, Warden, Torrance County Detention Center, and Kristi Noem, Secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. New Mexico primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

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J Felix Garcia Cardosa v. George Dedos, Warden, Torrance County Detention Center, and Kristi Noem, Secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, (D.N.M. 2026).

Opinion

IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

FOR THE DISTRICT OF NEW MEXICO ___________________________

J FELIX GARCIA CARDOSA,

Petitioner,

v. Case No. 1:26-cv-00077 KWR-KRS

GEORGE DEDOS, Warden, Torrance County Detention Center, and KRISTI NOEM, Secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security,

Respondents.

MEMORANDUM OPINION AND ORDER

THIS MATTER comes before the Court on Petitioner’s Petition for Writ of Habeas Corpus (Doc. 1). Having reviewed the parties’ pleadings, briefing, and the relevant law, the Court finds that the Petition is well-taken and therefore is GRANTED in part. The Court orders Respondents to hold an individualized bond hearing for Petitioner within five (5) days of the entry of this order. BACKGROUND Petitioner is a citizen of Mexico. Pet. ¶ 2, Doc. 1. Petitioner has resided in the United States since 2003 and entered without inspection. Id. ¶ 17. He was taken into immigration detention on January 6, 2026. Id. ¶ 18. On September 5, 2025, the Board of Immigration Appeals issued a decision holding that immigration judges lacked authority or jurisdiction to consider bond requests for any person who entered the United States without admission. Matter of Yajure Hurtado, 29 I & N Dec. 216 (BIA 2025) (“Immigration Judges lack authority to hear bond requests or to grant bond to aliens who are present in the United States without admission.”). Here, on January 21, 2026, an immigration judge denied Petitioner bond because the immigration judge lacked jurisdiction pursuant to Hurtado. Doc. 5, Ex. A. In the alternative, the immigration judge found that Petitioner was a flight risk. Id. In sum, Petitioner has remained in federal immigration custody without an opportunity to

post bond or request a conditional release because his detention has been classified as mandatory under 8 U.S.C. § 1225(b)(2)(A). Petitioner requests that the Court issue a writ of habeas corpus requiring Respondents to (1) release Petitioner or (2) conduct an individualized bond hearing. LEGAL STANDARD The Constitution guarantees that the writ of habeas corpus is “available to every individual detained within the United States.” Hamdi v. Rumsfeld, 542 U.S. 507, 525 (2004) (citing U.S. Const., art I, § 9, cl. 2). A federal court may grant a writ of habeas corpus to a petitioner who demonstrates that he is in custody in violation of the Constitution or federal law. 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)). DISCUSSION Petitioner asserts he is “in custody in violation of the Constitution or laws or treaties of the United States.” 28 U.S.C. § 2241(c)(3). He argues that he is improperly detained pursuant to 8 U.S.C. § 1225(b)(2)(A), and that he is instead entitled to release or a bond hearing under 8 U.S.C. § 1226(a). As explained below, Petitioner, who has lived in the United States for years, is subject

to the discretionary detention provisions of § 1226(a) and is therefore entitled to an individualized bond hearing before an immigration judge. I. Whether mandatory detention under § 1225(b)(2)(A) or discretionary detention under § 1226(a) applies. At issue is whether § 1225(b)(2)(A) or § 1226(a) governs Petitioner’s detention while a decision on his removal is pending. Mandatory detention under § 1225(b)(2)(A) applies to noncitizens “seeking admission” into the United States. Petitioner asserts that he is entitled to a

bond hearing or immediate release pursuant to § 1226(a), as he has resided in the United States for years and is not “seeking admission” into the United States. Despite this statutory language, Respondents argue that the mandatory detention provision under § 1225(b)(2)(A) applies, as that provision covers not only those who present themselves at the border, but any noncitizen who is present in the United States without admission, pending a decision on removal. See, e.g., Matter of Yajure Hurtado, 29 I & N Dec. 216 (BIA 2025) (“Immigration Judges lack authority to hear bond requests or to grant bond to aliens who are present in the United States without admission.”). As explained below, the statutory phrase “seeking admission” cannot be interpreted to apply to Petitioner, who has lived in the United States for years. Therefore, Petitioner is entitled to a bond

hearing under § 1226(a). In construing the statute at issue, the Court begins with its plain text. See Chickasaw Nation v. United States, 208 F.3d 871, 876 (10th Cir. 2000). “If the terms of the statute are clear and unambiguous, they are controlling absent rare and exceptional circumstances.” Id. In ascertaining the meaning of the text, the Court considers the “language itself, the specific context in which that language is used, and the broader context of the statute as a whole.” Robinson v. Shell Oil Co., 519 U.S. 337, 341 (1997); see also Conrad v. Phone Directories Co., 585 F.3d 1376, 1381 (10th Cir. 2009) (“We also take into account the broader context of the statute as a whole when ascertaining the meaning of a particular provision.”). The Court also considers traditional canons of statutory interpretation. Conrad, 585 F.3d at 1381; Ramah Navajo Chapter v. Salazar, 644 F.3d 1054, 1062 (10th Cir. 2011). Generally, the Court only considers non-textual evidence bearing on Congress’s intent or purpose, such as legislative history, if statutory language is ambiguous. See, e.g., United States v. Husted, 545 F.3d 1240, 1247 (10th Cir. 2008). The Immigration and Nationality Act (“INA”) generally contemplates two detention

regimes for noncitizens pending a decision on removal. See Jennings v. Rodriguez, 583 U.S. 281, 289 (2018). The first detention regime provides that when “an applicant for admission” is “seeking admission” and “not clearly and beyond a doubt entitled to be admitted,” the noncitizen “shall be detained” for removal proceedings. 8 U.S.C. § 1225(b)(2)(A). This provision mandates detention and does not expressly afford a bond hearing. Id. Section 1225 has exceptions to mandatory detention, which are not relevant here. The second detention regime authorizes the arrest and detention “on a warrant issued by the Attorney General” of noncitizens “pending a decision on whether [they are] to be removed.” 8 U.S.C. § 1226(a). Section 1226(a) expressly authorizes the Attorney General to detain the arrested noncitizen, or release them on bond or conditional parole.

Id.

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J Felix Garcia Cardosa v. George Dedos, Warden, Torrance County Detention Center, and Kristi Noem, Secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/j-felix-garcia-cardosa-v-george-dedos-warden-torrance-county-detention-nmd-2026.