Manjot Kaur v. Todd M. Lyons, et al.

CourtDistrict Court, D. Arizona
DecidedMarch 24, 2026
Docket2:26-cv-00217
StatusUnknown

This text of Manjot Kaur v. Todd M. Lyons, et al. (Manjot Kaur v. Todd M. Lyons, et al.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. Arizona primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Manjot Kaur v. Todd M. Lyons, et al., (D. Ariz. 2026).

Opinion

1 2 3 4 5 6 IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT 7 FOR THE DISTRICT OF ARIZONA

9 Manjot Kaur, No. CV-26-00217-PHX-KML (ASB)

10 Petitioner, REPORT AND RECOMMENDATION

11 v.

12 Todd M. Lyons, et al.,

13 Respondents. 14 15 TO THE HONORABLE KRISSA M. LANHAM, UNITED STATES DISTRICT 16 JUDGE: 17 Pending before the Court is pro se Petitioner Manjot Kaur’s Petition for Writ of 18 Habeas Corpus Pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 2241 (Doc. 1)1, filed on January 7, 2026. Petitioner 19 is detained at San Luis Regional Detention Center and seeks release from immigration 20 custody or a bond hearing. (Id.) For the reasons that follow, undersigned recommends the 21 Petition be denied in part and granted in part. 22 I. PROCEDURAL HISTORY AND BACKGROUND 23 Petitioner is a citizen of India who sought asylum at the U.S. border on or about 24 November 30, 2024. (Doc. 1 at 2; Doc. 9 at 1.) Petitioner pleads in her Petition that she 25 was a member of the Shiromani Akali Dal Amristar (“SADA”) political party and 26 “repeatedly attacked, beaten and threatened with death by members of India’s ruling 27 Bhartiya Janta Party ([“BJP”]).” (Id.) Petitioner further alleges that she fled to the United

28 1 Citation to the record indicates documents as they are displayed in the District of Arizona’s official Court electronic document filing system under Case No. CV-26-00217-PHX-KML (ASB). 1 States for safety and expressed her fear at the border. (Id.) According to Petitioner, “[a] 2 U.S. asylum officer found [she had] a ‘credible fear’ of persecution” and she was placed in 3 regular immigration proceedings. (Id.) Petitioner alleges that she has been in ICE detention 4 since 2024, and as of the filing of her Petition, has been “imprisoned for over one year.” 5 (Id.) Petitioner further asserts that on March 25, 2025, she “asked an Immigration Judge 6 for a bond hearing” which was denied because the court found it “lack[ed] jurisdiction over 7 bond redetermination.” (Id.) Petitioner alleges that she was “never given a chance to be 8 heard[,]” that the “judge did not consider [her] individual circumstances[,]” that “no 9 finding was made” that Petitioner was a flight risk or danger to the community, but rather 10 that the “denial was automatic and categorical.” (Id.) 11 In her Petition, Petitioner cites to her ties to the community in Baltimore, Maryland, 12 where she will live with her husband if released. (Id. at 3.) Petitioner also cites to a “U.S. 13 Citizen Financial Sponsor” who “guarantees [her] housing, food, and financial needs[.]” 14 (Id.) Petitioner supports her Petition by including medical records from hospitals in India 15 documenting her injuries from the attacks, a letter from SADA President Simranjit Singh 16 Mann confirming her membership to the group and the threats against her, her lack of 17 criminal history, and financial information from her “U.S. Citizen Financial Sponsor,” 18 among other personal documents. (See Doc. 1.) 19 Petitioner asserts three claims in her Petition, which the Court has previously 20 summarized as: Petitioner contends her prolonged detention without a bond hearing is 21 unlawful and unconstitutional and violates the Fifth Amendment. She also 22 claims her detention serves no legitimate purpose because she is not a flight risk or danger to the community. 23 (Doc. 3 at 2.) Petitioner requested the following relief: (1) issue of writ of habeas corpus; 24 (2) order an immediate release from detention under appropriate conditions or order the 25 government to provide a bond hearing, where the government must prove by clear and 26 convincing evidence Petitioner is a flight risk or a danger; and (3) award any other relief 27 the Court finds just. (Doc. 1 at 5.) 28 Todd M. Lyons, Acting Director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (“ICE”) 1 and “Unknown Party,” Warden of the San Luis Regional Detention Center (collectively, 2 “Respondents”) timely filed a “Response Petition for Writ of Habeas Corpus” (Doc. 9) on 3 February 17, 2026. In their Response, Respondents argue that the Petition should be denied 4 because Petitioner’s detention is statutorily authorized and constitutional. (Id. at 2.) 5 Respondents assert that Petitioner’s detention is lawful pursuant to Zadvydas v. Davis, 533 6 U.S. 678 (2001), because Petitioner’s immigration appeal remains pending before the 7 Board of Immigration Appeals (“BIA”) and Petitioner is not subject to an administratively 8 final order of removal. (Id.) (relying on Jennings v. Rodriguez, 583 U.S. 281 (2018)). 9 Respondents argue that Petitioner is subject to mandatory detention as an applicant for 10 admission. (Id.) According to Respondents, 11 When Petitioner presented herself to immigration officials, those officials properly determined that she was inadmissible and immediately began to 12 remove her. As an inadmissible alien, Petitioner has no right to be present in 13 the United States. Petitioner is statutorily ineligible for bond, and her detention is legal as there is no final order of removal. 14 (Id. at 4.) 15 16 On February 23, 2026, Petitioner filed a Notice with this Court titled “Evidentiary 17 Updates for Petition for Writ of Habeas Corpus” containing various attorney/client 18 correspondence and medical records from Petitioner’s detention at San Luis Regional 19 Detention Center. (Doc. 12.) Petitioner has not filed a Reply with the Court, and the time 20 for such Reply has now elapsed.2 (See Doc. 3.) 21 II. ANALYSIS 22 “The writ of habeas corpus remains available to every individual detained within 23 the United States.” Hamdi v. Rumsfeld, 542 U.S. 507, 525 (2004) (citing U.S. Const., Art. 24 I, § 9, cl. 2). Writ of habeas corpus relief extends to a person in federal custody if the 25 petitioner can demonstrate he “is in custody in violation of the Constitution or laws or 26 2 Based on the Referral Order issued by this Court, Petitioner had 30 days from the date of 27 service of Respondents’ Answer to file a Reply. (Doc. 3 at 3.) Respondents filed their Answer (“Response Petition for Writ of Habeas Corpus”) on February 17, 2026 and included a Certificate 28 of Service to Petitioner, dated February 17, 2026. (Doc. 9.) Accordingly, based on the record before this Court, this Petition became ripe for ruling 30 days later, on March 19, 2026. 1 treaties of the United States.” 28 U.S.C. § 2241(c)(3). Accordingly, federal courts have 2 jurisdiction to grant writs of habeas corpus to noncitizens who are being unlawfully 3 detained under 28 U.S.C. § 2241. See Trinidad y Garcia v. Thomas, 683 F.3d 952, 956 (9th 4 Cir. 2012) (“The writ of habeas corpus historically provides a remedy to non-citizens 5 challenging executive detention.”) (citing INS v. St. Cyr, 533 U.S. 289, 301-303 (2001)); 6 Lopez-Marroquin v. Barr, 955 F.3d 759, 759 (9th Cir. 2020) (“[D]istrict courts retain 7 jurisdiction under 28 U.S.C. § 2241 to consider habeas challenges to immigration detention 8 that are sufficiently independent of the merits of the removal order”) (citation omitted).

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

Related

Mathews v. Eldridge
424 U.S. 319 (Supreme Court, 1976)
United States v. Louisiana
507 U.S. 7 (Supreme Court, 1993)
Immigration & Naturalization Service v. St. Cyr
533 U.S. 289 (Supreme Court, 2001)
Hamdi v. Rumsfeld
542 U.S. 507 (Supreme Court, 2004)
Vijendra K. Singh v Holder
638 F.3d 1196 (Ninth Circuit, 2011)
Hedelito Garcia v. Linda Thomas
683 F.3d 952 (Ninth Circuit, 2012)
Maurice A. Garbell, Inc. v. Boeing Company
385 F. Supp. 1 (C.D. California, 1973)
Alejandro Rodriguez v. Timothy Robbins
804 F.3d 1060 (Ninth Circuit, 2015)
Jennings v. Rodriguez
583 U.S. 281 (Supreme Court, 2018)
Alejandro Rodriguez v. David Marin
909 F.3d 252 (Ninth Circuit, 2018)
Ricardo Lopez-Marroquin v. William Barr
955 F.3d 759 (Ninth Circuit, 2020)
Department of Homeland Security v. Thuraissigiam
591 U.S. 103 (Supreme Court, 2020)
SERVICE EMPLOYEES v. Jersey City Healthcare Providers, LLC
358 F. Supp. 3d 12 (D.C. Circuit, 2019)
Jamal A. v. Whitaker
358 F. Supp. 3d 853 (D. Maine, 2019)
Mitroff v. Xomox Corp.
631 F. Supp. 25 (S.D. Ohio, 1985)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
Manjot Kaur v. Todd M. Lyons, et al., Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/manjot-kaur-v-todd-m-lyons-et-al-azd-2026.