Naveen Kumar v. The United States of America, et al.

District Court, E.D. California·Decided March 11, 2026·No. 2:26-cv-00106·Unknown

Opinion

NAVEEN KUMAR, Case No. 2:26-cv-00106-JLT-HBK (HC) Petitioner, FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS TO GRANT PETITION FOR WRIT OF HABEAS v. CORPUS1 THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, et (Doc. 1) al., Respondents. FIVE-DAY OBJECTION PERIOD Petitioner Naveen Kumar, an immigrant detainee in U.S. Immigration Customs and Enforcement (“ICE”) custody at the Golden State Annex Detention Facility in McFarland, California, initiated this action by filing a pro se petition for writ of habeas corpus under 28 U.S.C. § 2241 on January 14, 2026. (Doc. 1, “Petition”). The Petition raises the following claims for relief: Petitioner’s re-detention and continued detention in ICE custody violates his Fifth Amendment substantive and procedural due process rights; and his continued detention is unlawful and “contravenes” 8 U.S.C. § 1231(a)(6), as interpreted by the Supreme Court in Zadvydas. (Id. at 24-27). As relief, inter alia, Petitioner asks the Court to issue a writ of habeas 1 This matter was referred to the undersigned pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 636(b)(1)(B) and Local Rule 302 (E.D. Cal. 2025).

corpus requiring Respondents to immediately release him from custody. (Id. at 34-35). “[I]n the alternative,” the Petition also requests emergency injunctive relief. (Id. at 27-34). On February 5, 2026, Petitioner filed a motion for temporary restraining order, which was denied by the assigned district judge as untimely on February 6, 2026. (Docs. 10, 11). In response to the Petition and the incorporated request for preliminary injunction, Respondent submits a 2-page cursory argument that the Court should deny the Petition because, (1) Petitioner is subject to mandatory detention under 8 U.S.C. § 1225(b)(2) as an “applicant for admission,” and is therefore ineligible for a bond hearing; and (2) Petitioner “does not possess a right to freedom from immigration detention in any form other than the form provided by Congress.” (Doc. 14 at 1-2).2 In reply, Petitioner argues Respondent’s position that § 1225(b)(2) applies here has been consistently rejected by the majority of courts across this district and the country, and his continued detention without a bond hearing is a violation of his procedural due process rights after application of the factors outlined in Mathews v. Eldridge.3 (Doc. 16 at 8-13). Significant to the consideration of the Petition is Petitioner’s status as an Indian citizen who was detained at the border but later released pursuant to the Intensive Supervision Appearance Program. The undersigned recommends the district court grant the Petition as to Petitioner’s procedural due process claims for the reasons set forth below.4 //// //// ////

2 The response also includes a footnote outlining district court cases within the Ninth Circuit that have recently vacated or stayed the Department of Homeland Security’s July 8, 2025 Interim Guidance Regarding Detention Authority for Applications for Admission, and appeals regarding the application of § 1225(b)(2) and “the question of due process in the context of re-detention” that are currently pending before the Ninth Circuit. (Doc. 14 at 1, n1 (citing, e.g., Maldonado Bautista v. Noem, 2025 WL 3713987 (C.D. Cal. Dec. 18, 2025); Garro Pinchi v. Noem, 2025 WL 3691938 (N.D. Cal. Dec. 19, 2025); Rodriguez v. Bostock, No. 25-6842 (9th Cir.)). However, Respondents do not identify the relevance of these cases for the Court’s consideration of the instant matter, nor does the instant Petition assert any claims relying on these cases. 3 Mathews v. Eldridge, 424 U.S. 319, 335 (1976). 4 In light of the Court’s conclusion that Petitioner’s re-detention was in violation of his procedural due process rights under the Fifth Amendment, and recommendation that Petitioner be released immediately, the Court declines to address Petitioner’s additional substantive due process and statutory claims for relief. I. BACKGROUND5 Petitioner is a native and citizen of India who entered the United States and “turned himself in to immigration authorities at the Mexican border” on or about March 29, 2022. (Doc 1 at 2). Petitioner was immediately detained by authorities, but was later released that same year from custody under the Intensive Supervision Appearance Program (“ISAP”). (Id.). After his release, he was granted work authorization, obtained a commercial driver’s license, and was employed as a commercial truck driver. (Id. at 7-8). On October 24, 2025, at Petitioner’s ICE check-in appointment, he was arrested and re- detained by ICE. (Id. at 3). At the time the Petition was filed, Petitioner remains detained in ICE custody at the Golden State Annex Detention Facility. (Id. at 2). Petitioner alleges he has never been afforded a bond hearing. (Id. at 3). He is currently seeking relief from removal in the form of asylum, withholding of removal, and Convention Against Torture (“CAT”) protection. (Id. at 2, 8). Before he was re-detained, Petitioner claims he never violated the terms or conditions of his release from custody, appeared for all required court hearings and meetings with ICE, and has no criminal history. (Id. at 8-9). The parties were notified in the Court’s January 21, 2026 Order directing response, that the undersigned intended to issue findings and recommendations on the merits of the Petition with the understanding that the Court would also consider arguments made in support of the motion for preliminary injunction. (Doc. 6). Accordingly, the Court undersigned recommends advancing the merits determination and consolidating it with the resolution of the preliminary injunction pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 65(a)(2), which provides that “[b]efore or after beginning the hearing on a motion for a preliminary injunction, the court may advance the 5 The facts articulated in this section come from Petitioners verified petition. A court “may treat the allegations of a verified ... petition [for writ of habeas corpus] as an affidavit.” L. v. Lamarque, 351 F.3d 919, 924 (9th Cir. 2003) (citing McElyea v. Babbitt, 833 F.2d 196, 197–98 (9th Cir. 1987). Despite the Court’s Order directing the response to the petition to include all referenced/relevant portions of Petitioner’s A-file and specific documents if provided to the Petitioner (See Doc. 6 at 2), Respondents failed to file any relevant documents to assist in resolving the issues presented in the Petition. trial on the merits and consolidate it with the hearing.” Fed. R. Civ. P. 65(a)(2); see also Dzhabrailov v. Decker, 2020 WL 2731966, at *4 (S.D.N.Y. May 26, 2020) (considering preliminary injunction and merits of petition simultaneously). A. Jurisdiction A district court may grant a writ of habeas corpus when the petitioner “is in custody in violation of the Constitution or laws or treaties of the United States.” 28 U.S.C. § 2241(c)(3). As pertinent here, “district courts retain jurisdiction under 28 U.S.C. § 2241 to consider habeas challenges t

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Naveen Kumar v. The United States of America, et al., (E.D. Cal. 2026).

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