Kevyn J. Daga Hurtado v. Angela Hoover

CourtDistrict Court, M.D. Pennsylvania
DecidedFebruary 27, 2026
Docket3:26-cv-00419
StatusUnknown

This text of Kevyn J. Daga Hurtado v. Angela Hoover (Kevyn J. Daga Hurtado v. Angela Hoover) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, M.D. Pennsylvania primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Kevyn J. Daga Hurtado v. Angela Hoover, (M.D. Pa. 2026).

Opinion

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT MIDDLE DISTRICT OF PENNSYLVANIA KEVYN J. DAGA HURTADO,

Petitioner, CIVIL ACTION NO. 3:26-CV-00419 v. (MEHALCHICK, J.) ANGELA HOOVER,

Respondents. MEMORANDUM Petitioner, Kevyn J. Daga Hurtado (“Hurtado”), a Peruvian citizen and asylum seeker, brings this petition for writ of habeas corpus. (Doc. 1). On February 19, 2026, Hurtado filed the instant petition, requesting that Respondent Angela Hoover (“Hoover”)1 release him from custody at the Clinton County Correctional Facility in McElhatten, Pennsylvania or provide him with a bond hearing pursuant to 8 U.S.C. § 1226(a). (Doc. 1, at 1). Hoover filed a response to Hurtado’s petition on February 26, 2026. (Doc. 4). For the following reasons, Hurtado’s petition (Doc. 1) is GRANTED, and Hoover is ORDERED to release Hurtado

1 Hoover is the proper respondent in this case pursuant to the “immediate custodian rule” because Hurtado is detained at the Clinton County Correctional Facility. (Doc. 1, at 2); Rumsfeld v. Padilla, 542 U.S. 426, 434 (2004) (quoting 28 U.S.C. § 2242) (“The federal habeas statute straightforwardly provides that the proper respondent to a habeas petition is ‘the person who has custody over [the petitioner].’”); 28 U.S.C. § 2243 (“[t]he writ, or order to show cause shall be directed to the person having custody of the person detained”); see Anariba v. Dir. Hudson Cnty. Corr. Ctr., 17 F.4th 434, 444 (3d Cir. 2021) (“if a § 2241 petitioner does not adhere to the immediate custodian rule, then the district court lacks jurisdiction to entertain the petition”). However, the government will be bound by the Court’s judgment because Hoover is acting as an agent of the federal government by detaining Hurtado on behalf of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (“ICE”). See Madera v. Decker, 18 Civ. 7314, 2018 WL 10602037, at *9-*10 (S.D.N.Y. Sep. 28, 2018) (finding the warden acts as an agent of the ICE regional director when ICE makes initial custody determinations including setting of a bond and review of conditions of release); Santana-Rivas v. Warden of Clinton County Correctional Facility, 3:25-cv-01896, 2025 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 252280, at *22 (M.D. Pa. Nov. 13, 2025) (finding same). from custody. I. FACTUAL AND PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND The following background and factual summary are derived from Hurtado’s petition, Hoover’s response, and the exhibits thereto. (Doc. 1; Doc. 4). Hurtado is a citizen of Peru,

who has lived and worked in the Kearney, New Jersey since November 2023. (Doc. 1, at 9). Hurtado entered the United States on or about November 14, 2023, at or near San Luis Arizona without admission or parole. (Doc.1, at 9; Doc. 1-3). Hurtado subsequently encountered United States Border Patrol, who issued Hurtado a Notice to Appear and ICE reporting instructions, before releasing Hurtado on his own recognizance due to lack of space. (Doc. 4-3, at 3). Since entering the United States, Hurtado has obtained work authorization and established ties in his local community. (Doc. 1, at 9). Hurtado has complied with the requirements of his immigration proceedings and conditions of release, and he has pursued

the immigration and humanitarian relief available to him. (Doc. 1, at 9). Either on February 3 or February 10, 2026, Hurtado was taken into ICE custody while working in Pennsylvania. (Doc. 1, at 9; Doc. 4, at 4; Doc. 4-3, at 3). Department of Homeland Security (“DHS”) records show that immigration officers conducted a vehicle stop and arrested Hurtado pursuant to an I-200 Warrant for Alien Arrest. (Doc. 4-3, at 3). DHS transferred Hurtado to the Williamsport sub office for processing and then transferred Hurtado to the Clinton County Correctional Facility, where he has been detained for approximately three weeks. (Doc. 1, at 10; Doc. 4, at 2). The Newark Immigration Court originally scheduled a master hearing for Hurtado on June 29, 2027 (Doc. 4-5); however, the Executive Office for Immigration Review’s case information indicates that Hurtado now has a master hearing on March 3, 2026 through the Elizabeth Immigration Court. EOIR Automated Case Information, https://acis.eoir.justice.gov/en/caseInformation (last visited Feb. 27, 2026). II. LEGAL STANDARD 28 U.S.C. § 2241 governs district courts’ power to grant the writ of habeas corpus.

Under 28 U.S.C. § 2241(b), the writ of habeas corpus extends to petitioners “in custody for an act done or omitted in pursuance of an Act of Congress, or an order, process, judgment or decree of a court or judge of the United States.” Claims where non-citizens challenge immigration enforcement-related detention “fall within the ‘core’ of the writ of habeas corpus and thus must be brought in habeas.” Trump v. J. G. G., 604 U.S. 670, 672 (2025) (quoting Nance v. Ward, 597 U.S. 159, 167 (2022)). “For ‘core habeas petitions,’ ‘jurisdiction lies in only one district: the district of confinement.’” J. G. G., 604 U.S. at 672. While reviewing a noncitizen’s habeas petition, courts evaluate whether the government complied with regulatory, statutory, and constitutional protections for noncitizens. See Martinez v. McAleenan,

385 F. Supp. 3d 349 (S.D.N.Y. 2019) (finding ICE failed to comply with regulatory and constitutional notice requirements prior to detaining a non-citizen petitioner and granting the petitioner’s habeas petition). A court may order a bond hearing or release if the Court determines that a noncitizen habeas petitioner is entitled to such relief under relevant constitutional or statutory protections. See A.L. v. Oddo, 761 F. Supp. 3d 822, 827 (W.D. Pa. 2025) (finding that a noncitizen habeas petitioner was entitled to a bond hearing under the due process clause of the Fifth Amendment); see Cantu-Cortes v. O’Neill, No. 25-cv-6338, 2025 WL 3171639, at *2 (E.D. Pa. Nov. 13, 2025) (finding a habeas petitioner was entitled to a bond hearing under relevant statutory protections); see also Alexey Kashranov v. J.L. Jamison, et

al., No. 2:25-CV-05555, 2025 WL 3188399 at *8 (E.D. Pa. Nov. 14, 2025) (finding that the appropriate remedy when the government detains a petitioner under an inapplicable statute, violating due process, is release from custody). III. JURISDICTION “[F]ederal courts ‘have an independent obligation to determine whether subject-matter

jurisdiction exists, even in the absence of a challenge from any party.’” Hartig Drug Co. Inc. v. Senju Pharm. Co., 836 F.3d 261, 267 (3d Cir. 2016) (quoting Arbaugh v. Y&H Corp., 546 U.S. 500, 514 (2006)). 28 U.S.C. § 2241 empowers federal courts to grant writs of habeas corpus where a petitioner is “in custody under or by color of the authority of the United States . . . in violation of the Constitution or laws or treaties of the United States.” 28 U.S.C. § 2241

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Kevyn J. Daga Hurtado v. Angela Hoover, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/kevyn-j-daga-hurtado-v-angela-hoover-pamd-2026.