Jorge Rivera Larios v. Minga Wofford, et al.

CourtDistrict Court, E.D. California
DecidedMay 19, 2026
Docket1:26-cv-01498
StatusUnknown

This text of Jorge Rivera Larios v. Minga Wofford, et al. (Jorge Rivera Larios v. Minga Wofford, 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
Jorge Rivera Larios v. Minga Wofford, et al., (E.D. Cal. 2026).

Opinion

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT 9 FOR THE EASTERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA 10 11 JORGE RIVERA LARIOS, A-098-920- No. 1:26-cv-1498-DJC-CKD P 019, 12 Petitioner, 13 FINDINGS & RECOMMENDATIONS v. 14 MINGA WOFFORD, et al., 15 Respondents. 16 17 Petitioner Jorge Rivera Larios is detained by Immigrations and Customs Enforcement 18 (“ICE”) and seeks a writ of habeas corpus pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 2241. The petition, 19 respondents’ opposition, and Petitioner’s reply are before the court. (ECF Nos. 1, 18, 19.) This 20 matter is referred to the undersigned by operation of Local Rule 302(c)(17) pursuant to 28 U.S.C. 21 § 636(b)(1) and the order dated March 31, 2026. (ECF No. 17.) For the reasons set forth below, 22 the undersigned recommends the petition be denied. 23 I. Background1 24 Petitioner Jorge Rivera Larios was born in Mexico and is a resident of California. (Habeas 25 Pet. (“Pet.”) (ECF No. 1) ¶ 25.) He fled Mexico in 2017 after he was beaten by the Sinaloa Cartel. 26 (Id.) Petitioner was arrested multiple times in Lake County, California, between 2017 and 27 1 The undersigned adopts many facts included in the “Background” section set forth by the 28 assigned district judge in a March 18, 2026, order. (See ECF No. 16 at 2-4.) 1 September 2021, resulting in four convictions as follows: a misdemeanor violation of California 2 Vehicle Code § 14601.5(a); a felony violation of California Health and Safety Code § 11379(a); a 3 probation violation related to the Health and Safety Code conviction; and a felony violation of 4 California Penal Code § 29800(a)(1). (Id. ¶ 26.) On September 29, 2021, immigration authorities 5 detained Petitioner and reinstated a prior removal order under 8 U.S.C. § 1231(a)(5). (Id. ¶ 27.) 6 After an asylum officer determined Petitioner had a reasonable fear of persecution or torture, 7 Petitioner was referred to immigration court for withholding only proceedings. (Id.) 8 On January 28, 2022, immigration authorities released Petitioner with an order of 9 supervision pursuant to 8 C.F.R. § 241.5(a). (Pet. ¶ 27.) At the time of his release on supervision, 10 Petitioner asserts Respondents were “fully aware of his immigration and criminal history.” (Id. ¶ 11 28.) He was at liberty for three years and nine months and complied with all reporting 12 requirements. (Id. ¶ 29.) He subsequently applied for withholding of removal and deferral of 13 removal under the Convention Against Torture as well as for U nonimmigrant status, a visa for 14 certain crime victims. (Id. ¶¶ 30–31.) 15 During his release, Petitioner married his U.S. citizen wife and together they had a son. 16 (Pet. ¶ 34.) Petitioner’s wife battles alcoholism and has been verbally and physically abusive on 17 occasion. (Id. ¶ 35.) In August 2025, she became violent and Petitioner called the Lake County 18 Sheriff’s Office. (Id. ¶ 36.) The Lake County Sheriff detained Petitioner and released him the next 19 day and allegedly provided a “detention certificate.” (Id.) Subsequently, on October 14, 2025, 20 Petitioner was detained by immigration authorities during his check in at the San Francisco ICE 21 field office, where an officer informed him that he was being arrested because he had contact with 22 law enforcement in August 2025 and had violated his order of supervision. (Id. ¶ 37.) 23 On October 14, 2025, Petitioner filed a petition for writ of habeas corpus in the Northern 24 District of California. See Larios v. Albarran, No. 25-CV-08799-AMO, 2025 WL 3043391, at *1 25 (N.D. Cal. Oct. 31, 2025). The district judge in the Northern District of California granted a 26 temporary restraining order (TRO) for Petitioner’s immediate release on October 15, 2025, and 27 granted a preliminary injunction on October 31, 2025. (Id.) The preliminary injunction ordered 28 “Respondents are ENJOINED AND RESTRAINED from re-detaining Rivera Larios without 1 notice and a pre-deprivation hearing before an Immigration Judge to evaluate whether his re- 2 detention is warranted based on flight risk or a danger to the community.” Id. at *10. 3 On November 3, 2025, Petitioner and his counsel appeared in immigration court for a pre- 4 deprivation hearing. (Pet. ¶¶ 45–46.) The Immigration Judge (IJ) issued alternate findings. 5 (Transcript (“Tr.”) (ECF No. 2–4) at 42:8.) The IJ first found that if the hearing had been a 6 custody redetermination hearing, the court would have no jurisdiction to address bond. (Tr. 42:8– 7 14.) The IJ alternately found that if the hearing were a 236(a) discretionary bond hearing, then 8 “based on the criminal convictions, the Court would find that the respondent is a danger to the 9 community.” (Id. at 42:16–19.) The IJ also found Petitioner was a flight risk. (Id. at 44:17.) The IJ 10 also found Petitioner did not violate the conditions of his release. (Id. at 45:16–17.) The IJ denied 11 bond and stated the determination whether Petitioner would be re-detained would be made by 12 immigration authorities. (Id. at 45:11–12; 46:10–47:5.) 13 After leaving the pre-deprivation hearing on November 3, 2025, Petitioner was re- 14 detained by immigration authorities. (Pet. ¶ 50.) He remains in custody. (Id. ¶ 5.) 15 On November 7, 2025, Petitioner filed a motion to enforce the Northern District’s 16 preliminary injunction. (Pet. ¶ 52.) The motion was denied. (Id.) Petitioner filed a motion for 17 leave to amend his petition for writ of habeas corpus in the Northern District and following 18 briefing on the motion to amend, Respondents filed a notice of appeal of the preliminary 19 injunction. (Id. ¶ 53.) On January 21, 2026, the parties filed stipulations to dissolve the 20 preliminary injunction and to dismiss the petition. (Id. ¶ 55.) The district court dissolved the 21 preliminary injunction and dismissed the case on January 26, 2026. (Id. ¶ 56.) The parties also 22 stipulated to dismiss the appeal, and, on January 27, 2026, the Ninth Circuit dismissed the appeal. 23 (Id.) 24 On February 20, 2026, Petitioner filed the petition for writ of habeas corpus now pending 25 in this court along with a motion for TRO. (ECF Nos. 1, 2.) The district judge assigned to this 26 case denied the motion for TRO on March 18, 2026. (ECF No. 16.) 27 In the pending petition, Petitioner asserts three claims as follows: (1) violation of 8 U.S.C. 28 § 1231(a); (2) violation of substantive due process under the Fifth Amendment of the United 1 States Constitution; and (3) violation of procedural due process under the Fifth Amendment of the 2 United States Constitution. (ECF No. 1.) Petitioner’s reply is also before the court. (ECF No. 19.) 3 Respondents filed an answer to the petition. (ECF No. 18.) According to Respondents, 4 “[t]he only update [to the background facts set forth in the Court’s order denying the TRO] is that 5 on February 23, 2026, the immigration court denied Petitioner’s applications for withholding of 6 removal and deferral of removal under the Convention Against Torture. Petitioner timely 7 appealed the denial of these applications to the Board of Immigration Appeals. The appeal 8 remains pending. Petitioner was recently transferred to the Golden State Annex.” (Id. at 2.) 9 II. Legal Standard 10 The Constitution guarantees the availability of the writ of habeas corpus “to every 11 individual detained within the United States.” Hamdi v. Rumsfeld, 542 U.S. 507, 525 (2004) 12 (citing U.S. Const., Art I, § 9, cl. 2).

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GUERRA
24 I. & N. Dec. 37 (Board of Immigration Appeals, 2006)
SUGAY
17 I. & N. Dec. 637 (Board of Immigration Appeals, 1981)

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Jorge Rivera Larios v. Minga Wofford, et al., Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/jorge-rivera-larios-v-minga-wofford-et-al-caed-2026.