Makarian v. Turnage

624 F. Supp. 181
CourtDistrict Court, S.D. California
DecidedNovember 7, 1985
DocketCiv. 85-2194-K(IEG)
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 624 F. Supp. 181 (Makarian v. Turnage) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, S.D. California primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Makarian v. Turnage, 624 F. Supp. 181 (S.D. Cal. 1985).

Opinion

ORDER

KEEP, District Judge.

Petitioner, Mohammad Markarian, is being held without bail by the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) pending completion of deportation proceedings presently before the Ninth Circuit. Petitioner filed a petition on September 13, 1985, seeking habeas corpus relief in the federal court. This order denies the petition.

PROCEDURAL HISTORY

Petitioner, a native and citizen of Iran, entered the United States on August 6, 1977 as a nonimmigrant student, attending Donnelly College in Kansas City, Kansas. Following his marriage to Maria Ann Franco, a United States citizen, petitioner’s status was adjusted to that of a permanent resident on August 24, 1978 and petitioner received his alien registration card (green card).

According to petitioner’s wife, within two weeks of receiving his green card, petitioner beat his wife and threw her out of their apartment. Administrative Record [hereinafter cited as AR] 213. Petitioner’s wife filed for annulment alleging that petitioner married her only to obtain his green card. AR 215. Petitioner, however, then sought a divorce, the decree of divorce becoming final on June 11, 1979.

Although the record is not entirely clear, petitioner states in his declaration in support of this petition that he moved from Kansas City to San Diego in August of 1979. Declaration at 2. The record indicates that petitioner notified the Postal Service but not the INS of the change of address.

In October of 1979, petitioner received notice through the mail from the INS that his permanent resident status was to be *183 rescinded for lack of a bona fide marriage to a United States citizen and that failure to respond would authorize the INS to make the status adjustment without further notice. Although petitioner states that the Legal Aid Office in Chula Vista, California was to handle the matter for him, the INS received no response and rescinded his permanent resident status in January of 1980. Petitioner claims never to have received the January, 1980 rescission notice. A December, 1980 order to show cause why petitioner should not be deported was mailed to petitioner but the letter was returned. The notice and order were mailed to petitioner’s Kansas City address, the last known address of which the INS had notice.

Petitioner states that he began employment in August of 1980 with National Steel and Shipbuilding Company in San Diego and that his green card was validated at that time.

While in the San Diego area, petitioner married his second wife, Margo Verhock, in October of 1982. The marriage was soon stormy. Petitioner left Margo because of her alleged infidelities, and states that he went to Montana to attend college. Petitioner returned approximately a month later, but attempts at reconciliation failed. According to his wife and police reports, petitioner threatened to kill his wife, child and in-laws; he also threatened to blow up his wife’s house and to throw acid in her face. Additionally, petitioner beat his father-in-law in an extortion attempt. AR 270-73, 299-300. Petitioner pled guilty to disturbing the peace in May of 1983 and was put on probation for one year. Petitioner and his second wife subsequently were divorced.

Based on various incidents allegedly in violation of his probation (e.g., further extortion attempts), petitioner was ordered to appear in court to show cause why his probation should not be revoked. Petitioner states that he did not receive notice of the order because it was sent to an old address. Declaration at 3. Petitioner failed to appear at the order to show cause hearing. The court revoked his probation and issued a bench warrant for his arrest on May 30, 1984.

After his arrest on August 8, 1984, a search of petitioner’s storage locker yielded various weapons, photographs of petitioner dressed in paramilitary garb and brandishing weapons, and printed material dealing with such activities as the manufacture of explosive devices and guerrilla warfare.

On August 23, 1984, after finding that petitioner had violated the terms of his probation by carrying weapons and committing violent acts on others, San Diego County Municipal Court Judge Cazares sentenced petitioner to 90 days’ custody and extended probation for three years.

While petitioner was in custody pursuant to his probation violation, the INS served him with the December 1980 order to show cause why he should not be deported. The INS then assumed custody of petitioner.

The District Director ordered petitioner held without bond. On October 19, 1984, the Immigration Judge denied petitioner’s request for a bond redetermination, finding ample evidence in the record (e.g., proclivity toward violence, possession of weapons, and alleged boasts to his wife about terrorist affiliations, AR 299-300) to suggest that petitioner was engaged in subversive or terrorist activities. On February 1, 1985, the Board of Immigration Appeals agreed that petitioner should be detained without bail pending resolution of the deportation issue on the grounds that petitioner constitutes a poor bail risk and a threat to national security.

Petitioner’s habeas corpus petition seeks his release pending the final decision as to his deportability from the United States.

NEED FOR EVIDENTIARY HEARING

A person detained by the INS pursuant to an order of deportation may obtain judicial review in the district courts by habeas corpus proceedings. 8 U.S.C. § 1105a(a)(9); Johns v. Department of Justice, 653 F.2d 884, 895 (5th Cir.1981). Although the district court may, if neces *184 sary, hold a hearing regarding evidence not reflected in the record, a habeas petition directed at the INS usually is reviewed only by reference to the administrative record. Johns, 653 F.2d at 896. See also O’Rourke v. Warden, 539 F.Supp. 1131, 1135 (S.D.N.Y.1982) (scope of habeas review limited to whether INS decision has reasonable foundation in the record), cited with approval by the Ninth Circuit in National Center for Immigrants Rights v. I.N.S., 743 F.2d 1365, 1371 (9th Cir.1984).

Townsend v. Sain, 372 U.S. 293, 83 S.Ct. 745, 9 L.Ed.2d 770 (1963) requires that the district court hold an evidentiary hearing regarding a state prisoner’s habeas petition if:

(1) the state hearing did not resolve the merits of the factual dispute;
(2) the record as a whole does not fairly support the state factual determination;
(3) the state fact-finding procedure did not provide a full and fair hearing;
(4) the petitioner makes a substantial allegation that new evidence has been discovered;

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Bluebook (online)
624 F. Supp. 181, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/makarian-v-turnage-casd-1985.