Lopez-Herrera v. Barr

CourtDistrict Court, D. Nevada
DecidedAugust 12, 2019
Docket2:19-cv-01153
StatusUnknown

This text of Lopez-Herrera v. Barr (Lopez-Herrera v. Barr) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. Nevada primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Lopez-Herrera v. Barr, (D. Nev. 2019).

Opinion

1 UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT 2 DISTRICT OF NEVADA 3 MARIA LOPEZ-HERRERA, Case No. 2:19-cv-01153-APG-NJK

4 Petitioner, v. ORDER

5 WILLIAM BARR, et al., (ECF Nos. 3, 8) 6 Respondents.

8 Petitioner Maria Lopez-Herrera has filed a Petition for Writ of Habeas Corpus (ECF 9 No. 1) under 28 U.S.C. § 2241 seeking review the of constitutional and legal issues arising from 10 multiple bond determinations by an immigration judge. She alleges violations of due process 11 and her fundamental rights as a parent because her detention and lack of transportation to family 12 court proceedings will lead to termination of her parental rights. Presently before me is Lopez- 13 Herrera’s Emergency Motion for Stay of Removal Proceedings (ECF No. 3) (“emergency 14 motion”). 15 On July 5, 2019, although I questioned whether have jurisdiction to grant any of the relief 16 requested in the petition, I temporarily enjoined Lopez-Herrera’s removal proceedings pending 17 briefing on the emergency motion. ECF No. 5. The respondents have now opposed and moved 18 to dismiss. ECF No. 8.1 Lopez-Herrera replied in support of the emergency motion and opposed 19 the motion to dismiss. ECF No. 11. Because Lopez-Herrera has not exhausted her administrative 20 remedies, I vacate the order granting temporary relief, deny Lopez-Herrera’s emergency motion, 21

22 1 The respondents failed to separately file the motion to dismiss in accordance with the Local Rules of Practice. See LR IC 2-2(b) (“For each type of relief requested or purpose of the 23 document, a separate document must be filed and a separate event must be selected for that document….”). As a result, there is no distinct ECF number for their motion to dismiss. 1 grant the respondents’ motion to dismiss, and dismiss the petition without prejudice as 2 unexhausted. 3 I. BACKGROUND 4 Lopez-Herrera is a citizen of Mexico who is currently detained by the Immigration and 5 Customs Enforcement (“ICE”) division of the Department of Homeland Security (“DHS”) in

6 Henderson, Nevada. ECF No. 1 at ¶ 1. She entered the United States without inspection in 1997. 7 ECF No. 1-1 at 15. Lopez-Herrera has four children who are United States citizens, three of 8 whom are minors. ECF No. 3-2. 9 A. State Court Proceedings 10 In November 2017, Lopez-Herrera was arrested by the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police 11 Department (“LVMPD”) and charged with two felony counts of child abuse and neglect in the 12 Eighth Judicial District Court for Clark County, Nevada (“state court”). ECF No. 1-1 at 15. The 13 arrest and charges stemmed from Lopez-Herrera’s minor daughter’s allegations of sexual abuse 14 by her step-father. ECF No. 1-1 at 19. Lopez-Herrera was detained at the Clark County

15 Detention Center (“CCDC”) while the criminal charges were pending. ECF No. 1-1 at 15. 16 As a result of Lopez-Herrera’s arrest and criminal charges, the Clark County Department 17 of Family Services (“DFS”) took Lopez-Herrera’s children into protective custody pursuant to a 18 Confidential Protective Custody Report (“confidential report”). ECF No. 1-1 at 18–22. Based on 19 the allegations of the confidential report, the state court’s family division (“family court”) 20 initiated a juvenile dependency proceeding and Lopez-Herrera’s children became wards of the 21 court. Id. DFS placed the children in the foster care of relatives, where they remain today. Id. 22 In accordance with Nevada law, DFS developed an individualized permanency plan with 23 the goal of reuniting Lopez-Herrera with her children (“permanency plan”). ECF No. 3-2. While 1 she was in state custody, Lopez-Herrera purportedly met with the DFS case worker and was 2 transported to hearings in family court on the juvenile dependency matter, and her participation 3 was sufficient to sustain the permanency plan. ECF No. 3 at 3, ¶¶ 9–10. Attorney Christopher R. 4 Tillman represents Lopez-Herrera before the family court. ECF Nos. 11-2, 11-3. 5 On November 1, 2018, Lopez-Herrera pleaded guilty to one gross misdemeanor count of

6 conspiracy to commit a crime. ECF No. 1-1 at 91; see also ECF No. 1-3 at 45–52 (agreement to 7 testify and guilty plea agreement). However, on March 28, 2019, the state court granted the 8 prosecution’s motion to withdraw Lopez-Herrera’s guilty plea and dismissed the matter with 9 prejudice. ECF No. 1-3 at 58. 10 B. Immigration Proceedings 11 Shortly after Lopez-Herrera’s November 2017 arrest, she was interviewed at CCDC by 12 an LVMPD officer who was acting as a designated immigration officer pursuant to Section 13 287(g) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (“INA”), 8 U.S.C. § 1101 et seq. ECF No. 8-1 at 14 3, ¶¶ 4. An immigration detainer was also lodged against her. Id. The LVMPD officer created a

15 Form I-213, Record of Deportable/Inadmissible Alien, which was later incorporated into another 16 Form I-213 completed by an ICE officer. Id. 17 Following Lopez-Herrera’s November 2018 guilty plea in state court, she was released 18 from state custody and taken into custody by ICE. Id. ¶ 5. An ICE officer conducted a second 19 interview with Lopez-Herrera regarding her immigration status. Id. The ICE officer created 20 another Form I-213, incorporating notes from both the first and second interviews, as well as 21 Lopez-Herrera’s arrest report, records of conviction in state court, and the confidential report 22 filed in family court. Id. ¶ 6. Once that investigation was completed, on November 22, 2018 23 1 DHS served Lopez-Herrera with a Notice to Appear, which charges her as removable under INA 2 § 212(a)(6)(A)(i). Id.; see also ECF No. 1-1 at 2–3. 3 C. The Bond Hearings 4 1. First Bond Hearing 5 Lopez-Herrera appeared with counsel at an initial bond hearing in January 2019. ECF

6 No. 8-1 at 4, ¶ 7. She asked the immigration judge (“IJ”) to be released from custody on bond, 7 “citing her cooperation with state prosecutors on a criminal case and her need to comply with a 8 ‘case plan’ issued by the state family court, or risk having her parental rights terminated.” ECF 9 No. 8 at 3:17–19.2 DHS argued she presented a danger to the community, citing the Form I-213 10 and the confidential report, and urged the IJ to detain her for the duration of the removal 11 proceedings. ECF No. 8-1 at 4, ¶ 7. After hearing argument from both parties, the IJ found that 12 Lopez-Herrera was a danger to the community and denied bond. ECF No. 1-1 at 174. Lopez- 13 Herrera did not appeal that decision. ECF No. 8-1 at 4, ¶ 7. 14 2. Second Bond Hearing

15 Lopez-Herrera sought reconsideration of the first bond decision. ECF Nos. 1 at 6, ¶¶ 46– 16 48; 1-2 at 22–42, 58–70. She argued that DHS improperly obtained many of the documents 17 submitted as evidence, including the confidential report, and the IJ should not have considered 18 those documents in making the decision to deny bond. ECF No. 1-1 at 31–106. 19 Lopez-Herrera’s motion for reconsideration was denied in March 2019. ECF No. 1-1 at 20 174–75. The IJ found that Lopez-Herrera “is a danger to the community because she was 21

22 2 The respondents represent that certain information presented in their response and motion was obtained by listening to audio recordings of the immigration proceedings, but they do not have a 23 copy of those recordings or transcripts at this time. ECF No. 8 at 2 n.1. I will cite directly to the response where the respondents provided no additional citation. 1 charged with serious offenses of child abuse and neglect and because she permitted her child to 2 be sexually abused by another person.” Id.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Demore v. Kim
538 U.S. 510 (Supreme Court, 2003)
Nken v. Holder
556 U.S. 418 (Supreme Court, 2009)
Fant v. New England Power Service Co.
239 F.3d 8 (First Circuit, 2001)
Vijendra K. Singh v Holder
638 F.3d 1196 (Ninth Circuit, 2011)
Trevor A. Laing v. John Ashcroft, Attorney General
370 F.3d 994 (Ninth Circuit, 2004)
Casas-Castrillon v. Department of Homeland Security
535 F.3d 942 (Ninth Circuit, 2008)
Maurer v. Pitchess
530 F. Supp. 77 (C.D. California, 1981)
Alvarez-Barajas v. Gonzales
418 F.3d 1050 (Ninth Circuit, 2005)
Xochitl Hernandez v. Jefferson Sessions
872 F.3d 976 (Ninth Circuit, 2017)
GUERRA
24 I. & N. Dec. 37 (Board of Immigration Appeals, 2006)
Beharry v. Ashcroft
329 F.3d 51 (Second Circuit, 2003)
Leonardo v. Crawford
646 F.3d 1157 (Ninth Circuit, 2011)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
Lopez-Herrera v. Barr, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/lopez-herrera-v-barr-nvd-2019.