Robert A. Rivas Campos v. Christopher Chestnut, et al.

CourtDistrict Court, E.D. California
DecidedJune 24, 2026
Docket1:26-cv-01330
StatusUnknown

This text of Robert A. Rivas Campos v. Christopher Chestnut, et al. (Robert A. Rivas Campos v. Christopher Chestnut, et al.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, E.D. California primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Robert A. Rivas Campos v. Christopher Chestnut, et al., (E.D. Cal. 2026).

Opinion

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT 9 FOR THE EASTERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA 10 11 ROBERT A. RIVAS CAMPOS (A# 244- No. 1:26-cv-01330 DJC SCR 851-525), 12 Petitioner, 13 FINDINGS & RECOMMENDATIONS v. 14 CHRISTOPHER CHESTNUT, et al., 15 Respondents. 16 17 18 Petitioner is a federal immigration detainee who is proceeding through counsel with this 19 habeas corpus action pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 2241. The matter was referred to a United States 20 Magistrate Judge pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 636(b)(1)(B) and Local Rule 302. For the reasons 21 provided below, the undersigned finds that Petitioner’s detention of nearly thirteen months is 22 excessive in relation to the purposes of such detention and therefore violates substantive due 23 process. Petitioner should be released from Respondents’ custody, subject to reasonable 24 conditions of release. 25 I. Factual and Procedural History 26 A. Section 2241 Petition 27 Petitioner is a native and citizen of Venezuela who fled the country with his partner and 28 two children to seek asylum in the United States. ECF No. 1 at 2, ¶ 2. On or around December 1 18, 2024, the family appeared for an appointment at the El Paso (Texas) Port of Entry he 2 scheduled through the CBP One app. Id. ¶ 3; ECF No. 2 at 6. Customs and Border Protection 3 (“CBP”) officials charged Petitioner as removable under 8 U.S.C. § 1182(a)(7)(A)(i)(I), for 4 lacking a valid entry document, and placed him in standard removal proceedings under 8 U.S.C. § 5 1229a. ECF No. 2 at 8-11. Petitioner received a notice to appear (“NTA”) before an immigration 6 judge (“IJ”) on April 7, 2027. CBP granted him humanitarian parole pursuant to 8 U.S.C. § 7 1182(d)(5), allowing him to enter the United States lawfully. ECF No. 2 at 8. 8 On or around June 1, 2025, the Euless (Texas) Police Department arrested Petitioner for 9 public intoxication, Tex. Pen. Code § 49.02.1 ECF No. 1 at 15, ¶¶ 64-65; ECF No. 2 at 12. On 10 June 3, 2025, Petitioner was transferred to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (“ICE”) 11 custody and detained at the Prairieland Immigration Detention Center. ECF No. 2 at 3-4. 12 Petitioner has remained in immigration detention since then and is currently held at the California 13 City Detention Center, within this judicial district. ECF No. 1 at 5, ¶ 16. Petitioner’s public 14 intoxication charge remains pending, as he has been unable to appear in Texas Court to contest it. 15 Id. at 16, ¶ 66. 16 On December 29, 2025, at about the six-month mark of his detention, Petitioner received a 17 bond hearing before an IJ pursuant to Rodriguez v. Robbins, 715 F.3d 1127 (9th Cir. 2013).2 18 ECF No. 1 at 16-17, ¶¶ 77-79; ECF No. 10-3. The government bore the burden of establishing 19 Petitioner’s flight or danger risk by clear and convincing evidence and submitted several exhibits, 20 including Petitioner’s NTA, Form I-213 (“Record of Deportable or Inadmissible Alien”), and 21 Form I-589 (application for asylum and withholding of removal). ECF No. 17-1 at 1-2. 22 Petitioner was represented by counsel and offered character declarations from his cousin/sponsor, 23 1 “The offense of public intoxication is a Class C misdemeanor . . . punishable ‘by a fine not to 24 exceed $500.’” Graham v. Dallas Area Rapid Transit, 288 F. Supp. 3d 711, 743 (N.D. Tex. 2017). 2 In Rodriguez v. Robbins, 715 F.3d 1127 (9th Cir. 2013), rev’d and remanded sub. nom. 25 Jennings v. Rodriguez, 583 U.S. 281 (2018), the Ninth Circuit granted a preliminary injunction to putative subclasses of noncitizens subject to mandatory detention statutes, including 8 U.S.C. § 26 1225(b), seeking individualized bond hearings after their detention had become prolonged. The 27 Court held the § 1225(b) subclass was “likely to succeed on the merits of their claim that § 1225(b) must be construed to authorize only six months of mandatory detention, after which 28 detention is authorized by § 1226(a) and a bond hearing is required.” Id. at 1144. 1 partner, and other supporters, as well as records pertaining to his misdemeanor proceedings in 2 Texas. Id. at 2. 3 The IJ found that the Petitioner was a flight risk and declined Petitioner’s request to 4 testify. ECF No. 17-1 at 10. After Petitioner’s counsel requested the IJ’s reasoning to aid in 5 appeal, the IJ explained: 6 [T]he court does not find that the . . . ties to the United States are sufficiently strong. He’s only been in the United States 7 for a very short period of time . . . does not have any property. The … family is limited to a female cousin, and the [] DHS 8 filed a copy of the I-589. Whether or not that gets granted, I don’t know. But . . . there’s sparse detail in that. [O]n this 9 record, there’s insufficient evidence to show that the respondent has a clear pathway to relief. [S]o those are . . . 10 some of the court’s concerns. Also . . . it’s not helpful that he got himself arrested. I’m not making a danger finding, but 11 that’s not helpful to . . . flight risk either. [S]o those are . . . some of the court’s reasons. 12 Id. (cleaned up). After argument, the IJ issued a short, written decision that read in full: “DHS 13 met its burden to establish by clear and convincing evidence that the applicant’s release would 14 pose such a significant flight risk that no amount of bond and/or alternatives to detention would 15 be appropriate.” ECF No. 10-3 at 1. Citing futility, Petitioner acknowledges he did not appeal 16 the ruling to the BIA. See ECF No. 1 at ¶¶ 99-101. According to the EOIR automated system, 17 Petitioner was ordered removed on May 28, 2026, and reserved appeal. The deadline to appeal 18 the order of removal to the BIA is June 29, 2026.3 19 Petitioner filed this habeas action on February 16, 2026, raising four claims. First, he 20 contends his detention violates substantive due process because it is punitive and unrelated to a 21 legitimate risk of flight or danger. ECF No. 1 at 19-20. Petitioner next alleges his detention 22 without valid parole revocation violates procedural due process. Id. at 20-21. Petitioner’s third 23 claim alleges that his detention under 8 U.S.C. § 1225(b) without valid revocation of parole 24 violates the INA. Id. at 21-22. Finally, his fourth claim challenges the legal adequacy of his 25 bond hearing. Id. at 22. By way of relief, Petitioner requests immediate release and an order 26 27 3 The undersigned takes judicial notice of Petitioner’s EOIR case information page, 28 https://acis.eoir.justice.gov/en/caseInformation. See Fed. R. Evid. 201(b)-(c). 1 enjoining his re-detention absent a pre-deprivation hearing. Id. at 22-23. 2 Respondents oppose the petition and assert that Petitioner is subject to mandatory 3 detention under 8 U.S.C. § 1225(b)(2) and received proper notice of his parole revocation per 8 4 C.F.R. § 212.5(e)(2)(i). ECF No. 10 at 3-4.

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Bluebook (online)
Robert A. Rivas Campos v. Christopher Chestnut, et al., Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/robert-a-rivas-campos-v-christopher-chestnut-et-al-caed-2026.