Jajati v. United States Customs and Border Protection

District Court, S.D. California·Decided October 14, 2022·No. 3:22-cv-00175·Unknown

Opinion

JACOBO JAJATI, Case No.: 3:22-cv-00175-RBM-AGS

Plaintiff, ORDER: (1) GRANTING MOTION v. TO DISMISS FOR LACK OF JURISDICTION; AND (2) DENYING AS MOOT MOTION FOR PROTECTION, et al. PRELIMINARY INJUNCTION Defendants. [Docs. 7, 10] Presently before the Court are: (1) a motion to dismiss for lack of jurisdiction filed by Defendants United States Customs and Border Protection (“CBP”) and Christopher Magnus in his official capacity as the Commissioner of CBP (collectively “Defendants”) (Doc. 7); and (2) a motion for preliminary injunction filed by Plaintiff Jacobo Jajati (“Plaintiff”) (Doc. 10). The parties filed opposition and reply briefs in response to each motion. (See Docs. 8, 9, 13, 14.) On August 2, 2022, the Court took the matters under submission pursuant to Civil Local Rule 7.1(d)(1). For the reasons discussed below, Defendants’ motion to dismiss for lack of jurisdiction is GRANTED. Accordingly, Plaintiff’s motion for preliminary injunction is denied as MOOT. A. Plaintiff’s Allegations This case involves Defendants’ decision to revoke Plaintiff’s membership in Secure Electronic Network for Travelers Rapid Inspection (“SENTRI”), one of the Trusted Traveler Programs administered through the United States Department of Homeland Security (“DHS”). (See Doc. 1 (“Compl.”).) Plaintiff is a United States citizen who resides in San Diego, California. (Id. ¶ 6.) He alleges he “has a perfect record, personally and with respect to business, and has never been convicted (or ever charged) with any criminal misconduct of any kind.” (Id.) Plaintiff also alleges he “has no personal or business involvement with any criminals and no association whatsoever with any criminal conduct by others.” (Id.) In 2013, Plaintiff separated from his then-wife, Margarita Rozillio Jajati (“Rozillio Jajati”). (Id. ¶ 15.) Plaintiff and Rozillio Jajati’s divorce finalized on May 21, 2015. (Id.) On October 12, 2018, Rozillio Jajati was arrested for crossing the United States-Mexico international border with methamphetamines. (Id. ¶ 16.) Plaintiff alleges on information and belief that Rozillio Jajati “bailed out and fled.” (Id.) The publicly available criminal docket in Rozillio Jajati’s case confirms Rozillio Jajati absconded and currently has outstanding a warrant for her arrest. See United States v. Rozillio Jajati, Case No. 18-cr- 4803-W (S.D. Cal.), Docs. 28 and 29 (showing failure to appear and issuance of a bench warrant on February 4, 2019). Plaintiff alleges neither he nor the two children he shares with Rozillio Jajati are in personal or business contact with Rozillio Jajati. (Compl. ¶ 29.) The same day Rozillio Jajati was arrested (October 12, 2018), Plaintiff received notice that his SENTRI membership had been revoked. (Id. ¶ 17.) On or around February 19, 2019, Plaintiff had an interview with a CBP supervisor regarding revocation of his SENTRI membership. (Id. ¶ 18.) On August 2, 2019, Plaintiff’s membership in SENTRI was reinstated. (Doc. 7-1 at 7.) On August 2, 2021, Plaintiff received notice from CBP that his SENTRI membership had again been revoked. (Id. ¶ 22.) The letter from CBP indicated the reason for the revocation was that Plaintiff “no longer qualif[ied] for the Trusted Traveler Program.” (Id.) Plaintiff attributes the second revocation of his SENTRI membership to Operation Sentinel, a “counter-network targeting operation focused on transnational criminal organizations affiliated with the smuggling of migrants” administered by DHS, which was announced by DHS Secretary Alejandro N. Mayorkas on April 27, 2021. (Id. ¶¶ 20–21.) Plaintiff alleges he had a second “interview with a supervisor regarding the revocation of his” SENTRI membership on or around September 30, 2021. (Id. ¶ 26.) As of the date of this Order, Plaintiff’s membership in SENTRI remains revoked. (See id. ¶ 27.) Plaintiff subsequently filed this lawsuit on February 7, 2022, seeking a declaration from the Court that CBP’s revocation of Plaintiff’s SENTRI membership is arbitrary and capricious and contrary to law in violation of the Administrative Procedure Act (“APA”),

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Jajati v. United States Customs and Border Protection, (S.D. Cal. 2022).

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