Jhonmer Ramon Ramirez Gonzalez v. Department of Homeland Security et al.

CourtDistrict Court, W.D. Michigan
DecidedFebruary 27, 2026
Docket1:26-cv-00373
StatusUnknown

This text of Jhonmer Ramon Ramirez Gonzalez v. Department of Homeland Security et al. (Jhonmer Ramon Ramirez Gonzalez v. Department of Homeland Security et al.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, W.D. Michigan primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Jhonmer Ramon Ramirez Gonzalez v. Department of Homeland Security et al., (W.D. Mich. 2026).

Opinion

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT WESTERN DISTRICT OF MICHIGAN SOUTHERN DIVISION ______

JHONMER RAMON RAMIREZ GONZALEZ, proceeding by his next friend ORFA ISAMAR DURAN MOLINA,

Petitioner, Case No. 1:26-cv-373

v. Honorable Jane M. Beckering

DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY et al.,

Respondents. ____________________________/ OPINION Petitioner, a United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detainee currently detained at the North Lake Processing Center located in Baldwin, Lake County, Michigan, proceeding by his next friend Ms. Duran Molina, filed this petition for a writ of habeas corpus pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 2241 challenging the lawfulness of Petitioner’s detention.1 (Pet., ECF No. 1.) For the following reasons, the Court will grant Petitioner’s petition for a writ of habeas corpus pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 2241.

1 As set forth below, the Court will permit Ms. Duran Molina to proceed as next friend of Petitioner in this action. Discussion I. Procedural History In Petitioner’s § 2241 petition, Petitioner challenges the lawfulness of his current detention and asks the Court to, inter alia, issue a writ of habeas corpus pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 2241 ordering Respondents to release Petitioner. (Pet., ECF No. 1, PageID.4.)2 In an Order entered on February 12, 2026, the Court directed Respondents to show cause,

within three business days, why the writ of habeas corpus and other relief requested by Petitioner should not be granted. (Order, ECF No. 8.) Respondents filed their response on February 18, 2026. (ECF No. 4.) II. Next Friend Status As a preliminary matter, the Court must determine whether Ms. Duran Molina may proceed as “next friend” of Petitioner. A petition for a writ of habeas corpus must be in writing and “signed and verified by the person for whose relief it is intended or by someone acting in [her] behalf,” known as a “next friend.” 28 U.S.C. § 2242; Whitmore v. Arkansas, 495 U.S. 149, 163 (1989). “A ‘next friend’ does not [herself] become a party to the habeas corpus action in which [she] participates, but simply pursues the cause on behalf of the detained person, who remains the real

party in interest.” Whitmore, 495 U.S. at 163 (citations omitted). Next friend status, therefore, is an exception to 28 U.S.C. § 1654, which states: “In all courts of the United States the parties may

2 In addition to filing the § 2241 petition, Petitioner also filed several motions in this action, seeking expedited review of the case, a temporary restraining order restricting Respondents from taking certain actions during the pendency of the action, and immediate release. (ECF Nos. 2, 3, 4.) As set forth in this opinion, the Court will grant Petitioner’s § 2241 petition and order Respondents to release Petitioner from custody. In light of this, the entry of the Court’s opinion and corresponding judgment moots Petitioner’s pending motions. plead and conduct their own cases personally or by counsel as, by the rules of such courts, respectively, are permitted to manage and conduct causes therein.” 28 U.S.C. § 1654. To act on a detainee’s behalf, a putative next friend must demonstrate that the detainee is unable to prosecute the case on his or her own behalf due to “inaccessibility, mental incompetence, or other disability” and that the next friend is “truly dedicated to the best interests of the person on

whose behalf he [or she] seeks to litigate.” Whitmore, 495 U.S. at 163–64 (citations omitted); see West v. Bell, 242 F.3d 338, 341 (6th Cir. 2001); Franklin v. Francis, 144 F.3d 429, 432 (6th Cir. 1998). The Whitmore Court noted that the next friend might demonstrate his or her dedication to the “best interests” of the real party in interest by showing “some significant relationship” with that party. Whitmore, 495 U.S. at 164. The putative next friend must clearly establish “the propriety of his [or her] status” in order to “justify the jurisdiction of the court.” Id. (citations omitted). Standing to proceed as next friend on behalf of a prisoner “is by no means granted automatically to whomever seeks to pursue an action on behalf of another.” Id. at 163. “[A] next-friend may not file a petition for a writ of habeas corpus on behalf of a detainee

if the detainee . . . could file the petition.” Wilson v. Lane, 870 F.2d 1250, 1253 (7th Cir. 1989) (citing Weber v. Garza, 570 F.2d 511, 513 (5th Cir. 1978)). The putative next friend “must clearly and specifically set forth facts sufficient to satisfy the[] Art[icle] III standing requirements” because “[a] federal court is powerless to create its own jurisdiction by embellishing otherwise deficient allegations of standing.” Whitmore, 495 U.S. at 155–56 (citation omitted). Most significantly, “when the application for habeas corpus filed by a would be ‘next friend’ does not set forth an adequate reason or explanation of the necessity for resort to the ‘next friend’ device, the court is without jurisdiction to consider the petition.” Weber, 570 F.2d at 514; see Whitmore, 495 U.S. at 163. In this action, the Court concludes that the petition and attached documents adequately demonstrate that the justice system is inaccessible to Petitioner, who is detained in an ICE detention facility with limited English proficiency. Moreover, Ms. Duran Molina, Petitioner’s partner, has demonstrated both a significant relationship with Petitioner, and that she is truly dedicated to acting in Petitioner’s best interests. Accordingly, the Court will permit Ms. Duran

Molina to proceed as next friend to Petitioner. III. Factual Background Petitioner is a native and citizen of Venezuela. (Notice to Appear (NTA), ECF No. 9-1, PageID.95.) On October 14, 2024, Petitioner entered the United States at the San Ysidro, California, Port of Entry. (Id.) At that time, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) issued Petitioner a Form I-862, NTA, charging him with inadmissibility pursuant to § 212(a)(7)(A)(i)(I) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) for being “an immigrant who, at the time of application for admission, is not in possession of [valid immigration and travel documents].” (Id., PageID.95, 98.) DHS then paroled Petitioner into the United States pursuant to 8 U.S.C. § 1182(d)(5). (2024 Form I-213, ECF No. 9-2, PageID.100 (stating that Petitioner was “paroled

into the United States”).)3 At the time of Petitioner’s entry into the United States, he filed an asylum application, which remains pending. (2025 Form I-213, ECF No. 9-3, PageID.103.) Subsequently, Petitioner received authorization to work in the United States. (See id. (stating that Petitioner has an employment authorization document valid until October 2026).)

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Jhonmer Ramon Ramirez Gonzalez v. Department of Homeland Security et al., Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/jhonmer-ramon-ramirez-gonzalez-v-department-of-homeland-security-et-al-miwd-2026.