Michael Zimran v. Kristi Noem, Secretary of Homeland Security, et al.

District Court, C.D. California·Decided January 14, 2026·No. 5:25-cv-03143·Unknown

Opinion

MICHAEL ZIMRAN, Case No. 5:25-cv-03143-JFW-KES

Petitioner,

v. FINAL REPORT AND RECOMMENDATION OF U.S. KRISTI NOEM, Secretary of MAGISTRATE JUDGE

Homeland Security, et al.,

Respondents.

This Final Report and Recommendation (“R&R”) is submitted to the

Honorable John F. Walter, United States District Judge, pursuant to the provisions of 28 U.S.C. § 636 and General Order 05-07 of the United States District Court for the Central District of California. Michael Zimran (“Zimran”) filed this habeas action under 28 U.S.C. § 2241 in November 2025. Zimran was ordered removed from the United States to Pakistan in 2007 and was released on an order of supervision (“OSUP”). In June 2025, his OSUP was revoked, and he was re-detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (“ICE”). He has been in ICE custody ever since. As explained in more detail below, this R&R recommends granting his Petition in part and denying it in part. The Petition should be granted as to Ground Two because Respondents failed to give Zimran meaningful notice and opportunity to object to the revocation of his OSUP, which violated 8 C.F.R. §§ 241.4, 241.13 and due process. The Petition should also be granted as to Ground One because Respondents have failed to show changed circumstances demonstrating a significant likelihood that Zimran will be removed to Pakistan in the reasonably foreseeable future, which makes his detention illegal under 8 C.F.R. § 241.13(i)(2). Grounds Three and Four should be denied without prejudice as unripe, because Zimran has not come forward with evidence that Respondents currently intend to remove him to a third country, particularly in light of their request for travel documents from the Pakistani government. This Final R&R is issued to address the declaration filed by Zimran after the initial R&R was issued (Dkt. 24) and the objections Respondents filed to the initial R&R (Dkt. 25). The undersigned notes that none of the declarations attached to these filings are new evidence. An additional copy of Zimran’s declaration was filed to address the Court’s concern that the prior declaration was not signed by Zimran personally (but rather by his counsel), and Respondents’ objections appear to have re-attached previously submitted declarations from Officers Chavez and Preciado merely for convenience. These filings do not change the undersigned’s recommendation, as explained further below. On November 21, 2025, Zimran filed a petition for writ of habeas corpus under § 2241 (“Petition” at Dkt. 1) and a motion for preliminary injunction and restraining order (Dkt. 3). The Petition raises four claims: (1) Zimran is being detained indefinitely and his removal is not reasonably foreseeable; (2) Respondents improperly revoked his OSUP without giving him adequate notice and an opportunity to be heard; (3) his removal to a third country would violate due process because he has not been given sufficient notice and opportunity to object; and (4) removal to a third country where he might face imprisonment would violate the constitutional prohibition on punitive removal practices. The Court granted his requests to proceed in forma pauperis (Dkt. 15) and appoint the Federal Public Defender as his counsel (Dkt. 8). After receiving briefing from the parties, the Court denied the request for preliminary injunctive relief on December 8, 2025. (Dkt. 17.)1 The Court found that Zimran had “not met his burden to establish that he [was] likely to succeed on the merits” because he “relie[d] solely on argument and factual allegations that lack[ed] evidentiary support,” including declarations from Zimran’s attorneys, who did “not have any personal knowledge of the facts,” and unauthenticated exhibits. (Id. at 5.) The Court found that Respondents’ evidence—including “documentary evidence demonstrating that the Pakistani Consulate issued travel documents for [Zimran] as recently as September 23, 2024”—supported Respondents’ contention that he was “likely to be removed in the reasonably foreseeable future, and that [his] release was revoked following the proper procedures.” (Id. at 6.) However, the Court noted that “Respondents’ evidence may be contradicted in a later stage of this litigation….” (Id.) On December 11, 2025, the Magistrate Judge set a briefing schedule for the underlying Petition. (Dkt. 18.) Respondents filed an answer (Dkt. 19), which attaches the same declarations from two Department of Homeland Security

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Michael Zimran v. Kristi Noem, Secretary of Homeland Security, et al., (C.D. Cal. 2026).

Michael Zimran v. Kristi Noem, Secretary of Homeland Security, et al. (Michael Zimran v. Kristi Noem, Secretary of Homeland Security, et al.) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

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