Luis Alberto Chirinos Gonzalez v. Jeremy Casey, Warden of Imperial Regional Detention Facility of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, et al.

District Court, S.D. California·Decided May 13, 2026·No. 3:26-cv-01265·Unknown

Opinion

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT 9 SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA 10 11 LUIS ALBERTO CHIRINOS Case No.: 3:26-cv-01265-RBM-MMP GONZALEZ, 12 ORDER GRANTING IN PART Petitioner, 13 PETITION FOR WRIT OF HABEAS v. CORPUS 14

JEREMY CASEY, Warden of Imperial 15 [Doc. 1] Regional Detention Facility of U.S.

16 Immigration and Customs Enforcement, et al., 17 Respondents. 18 19 20 Pending before the Court are Petitioner Luis Alberto Chirinos Gonzalez’s 21 (“Petitioner”) Petition for Writ of Habeas Corpus (“Petition”) pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 2241 22 (Doc. 1) and Ex Parte Motion for Temporary Restraining Order (“TRO Motion”) (Doc. 2). 23 For the reasons set forth below, the Petition is GRANTED IN PART. 24 I. BACKGROUND 25 A. Factual Background 26 Petitioner, a national and citizen of Venezuela, entered the United States on or 27 around November 14, 2021. (Doc. 1 ¶¶ 15–16.) Petitioner was then detained, issued a 28 Notice to Appear (“NTA”), and released on his own recognizance shortly thereafter. (Id. 1 ¶ 16; see Doc. 2-1 ¶ 5.) Petitioner filed an asylum application in February 2023 and is also 2 “a derivative beneficiary of his wife’s asylum application, which has been pending since 3 Spring 2022.” (Doc. 1 ¶ 18.) 4 On February 3, 2023, Petitioner was arrested for driving under the influence and 5 subsequently convicted on January 10, 2024. (Id. ¶ 21; see Doc. 10-2 at 3.) On September 6 23, 2023, Petitioner applied for Temporary Protected Status (“TPS”) under 8 U.S.C. § 7 1254a and “pursuant to the [2023] designation of TPS for Venezuela.” (Doc. 1 ¶ 19.) “His 8 application was granted on February 15, 2024.” (Id.; see Doc. 2-2, Ex. A at 5–6.) 9 On June 27, 2025, Petitioner “was arrested by ICE when he attended a probation 10 appointment related to his driving under the influence conviction.” (Doc. 1 ¶ 22; see Doc. 11 10-2 at 2.) He was then transferred and detained at the Rio Grande Processing Center in 12 Texas. (Doc. 1 ¶ 22.) On September 1, 2025, Petitioner sought to renew his TPS pursuant 13 to the most recent January 17, 2025 extension by submitting an Application for TPS on an 14 I-821 Form. (See Doc. 1 ¶ 19; Doc. 2-2, Ex. B at 8.) Petitioner received a notice 15 confirming receipt of his application. (See Doc. 2-2, Ex. B at 8.) On October 3, 2025, 16 Petitioner was released from ICE detention under the Alternatives to Detention (“ATD”) 17 program “with an electronic ankle monitor and instructions to report to ICE.” (Doc. 1 ¶ 23; 18 see Doc. 10-2 at 3.) 19 On or around January 4, 2026, Petitioner “was arrested and charged with 20 misdemeanor violations of New York Vehicle and Traffic Law § 1198(9)(d) (‘No person 21 subject to a court ordered ignition interlock device shall operate a motor vehicle without 22 such device.’) and New York Vehicle and Traffic Law § 511 (aggravated unlicensed 23 operation of a motor vehicle).” (Doc. 1 ¶ 24.) “After being detained for [about three 24 hours]at the Nassau County Police station, [Petitioner] was transferred to federal 25 immigration custody.” (Id.; see Doc. 2-1 ¶ 18.) His new criminal charges remain pending 26 and he is currently detained at the Imperial Regional Detention Facility. (Doc. 1 ¶¶ 6, 24.) 27 B. Procedural Background 28 On February 27, 2026, Petitioner commenced this action by filing the Petition. (Doc. 1 1.) Petitioner also filed the TRO Motion that same day. (Doc. 2.) Pursuant to this Court’s 2 Order (see Doc. 3), Respondents filed a Return to the Petition on March 11, 2026. (Doc. 3 5.) Petitioner filed a Reply in Support of the Petition on March 12, 2026. (Doc. 7.) 4 The Court subsequently issued an Order for Supplemental Briefing. (Doc. 9.) 5 Respondents filed Supplemental Briefing on April 21, 2026. (Doc. 10.) Petitioner filed a 6 Response to Respondents’ Supplemental Briefing on April 24, 2026. (Doc. 11.) 7 II. LEGAL STANDARD 8 A writ of habeas corpus is “available to every individual detained within the United 9 States.” Hamdi v. Rumsfeld, 542 U.S. 507, 525 (2004) (citing U.S. Const., Art. I, § 9, cl. 2). 10 “The essence of habeas corpus is an attack by a person in custody upon the legality of that 11 custody, and . . . the traditional function of the writ is to secure release from illegal 12 custody.” Preiser v. Rodriguez, 411 U.S. 475, 484 (1973). “Writs of habeas corpus may 13 be granted by the Supreme Court, any justice thereof, the district courts and any circuit 14 judge within their respective jurisdictions.” 28 U.S.C. § 2241(a). The petitioner bears the 15 burden of demonstrating that “[h]e is in custody in violation of the Constitution or laws or 16 treaties of the United States.” Id. § 2241(c)(3). 17 III. DISCUSSION 18 Petitioner claims his detention violates the Immigration and Nationality Act (“INA”) 19 and the Fifth Amendment’s Due Process Clause. (Doc. 1 ¶¶ 4, 45–51.) Specifically, 20 Petitioner claims he has TPS and therefore cannot be removed or detained under 8 U.S.C. 21 § 1254a (the “TPS statute”). (Id. ¶¶ 1–2, 31–44.) Respondents acknowledge that Petitioner 22 had valid TPS from February 15, 2024, to April 2, 2025, but contend Petitioner is properly 23 detained because his TPS was terminated on November 20, 2025. (Doc. 10 at 2.) This 24 action therefore hinges on whether Petitioner currently retains TPS. 25 A. INA 26 1. TPS Statutory Framework and Venezuela’s Designation 27 The TPS program provides humanitarian relief to eligible nationals from countries 28 experiencing conditions that make it unsafe or impossible for their citizens to return home. 1 8 U.S.C. § 1254a. The Secretary of the United States Department of Homeland Security 2 (“DHS”) “may designate a foreign state for TPS when nationals of that state cannot return 3 there safely due to armed conflict, natural disaster, or other ‘extraordinary and temporary 4 conditions.’” Nat’l TPS All. v. Noem, 150 F.4th 1000, 1010 (9th Cir. 2025) (citing 8 U.S.C. 5 § 1254a(b)(1)(c)). To receive TPS, individuals must have continuously resided in the 6 United States since the effective date of the designation and must meet certain additional 7 requirements. See 8 U.S.C. § 1254a(c)(1)–(3). TPS recipients cannot be removed from 8 the United States while the designation is in effect. § 1254a(a)(1)(A). Additionally, the 9 TPS statute provides that a noncitizen “provided temporary protected status under this 10 section shall not be detained by the Attorney General on the basis of the [noncitizen]’s 11 immigration status in the United States.” § 1254a(d)(4). 12 DHS first designated Venezuela for TPS in March 2021 and then re-designated 13 Venezuela for TPS on October 3, 2023. See 86 Fed. Reg. 13574 (Mar. 9, 2021); Extension 14 and Redesignation of Venezuela for Temporary Protected Status, 88 Fed. Reg. 68130 (Oct. 15 3, 2023) (the “2023 Designation”). TPS recipients under the 2023 Designation were given 16 legal status and work authorization through April 2, 2025. 88 Fed. Reg. 68130 (Oct. 3, 17 2023). On January 17, 2025, DHS extended the 2023 Designation through October 2, 18 2026. See Extension of the 2023 Designation of Venezuela for Temporary Protected 19 Status, 90 Fed. Reg. 5961 (Jan.

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Luis Alberto Chirinos Gonzalez v. Jeremy Casey, Warden of Imperial Regional Detention Facility of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, et al., (S.D. Cal. 2026).

Luis Alberto Chirinos Gonzalez v. Jeremy Casey, Warden of Imperial Regional Detention Facility of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, et al. (Luis Alberto Chirinos Gonzalez v. Jeremy Casey, Warden of Imperial Regional Detention Facility of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, et al.) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

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