United States v. Felix-Felix

386 F. Supp. 3d 784
District Court, W.D. Texas·Decided May 21, 2019·No. EP-19-CR-1200-DB·Published

Opinion

THE HONORABLE DAVID BRIONES, SENIOR UNITED STATES DISTRICT JUDGE

On this day, the Court considered Defendant Jose Manuel Felix-Felix's ("Mr. Felix-Felix") "Motion to Dismiss the Indictment" ("Motion"), filed in the above-captioned case on April 25, 2019. On May 6, 2019, the United States of America ("the Government") filed its "Response in Opposition to Defendant's Motion to Dismiss the Indictment" ("Response"). After due consideration, the Court is of the opinion that Mr. Felix-Felix's Motion should be granted.

BACKGROUND

On April 17, 2019, a Grand Jury sitting in the Western District of Texas returned a single count Indictment ("Indictment"), which charges Mr. Felix-Felix with an alleged illegal reentry into the United States in violation of 8 U.S.C. § 1326(a). Indictment, United States of America v. Jose Manuel Felix-Felix , (W.D. Tex. April 17, *7862019), ECF No. 10. Specifically, the Indictment alleges that on or about March 25, 2019, Mr. Felix-Felix, an undocumented immigrant who had previously been deported from the United States on or about May 11, 2009, was found in the United States again. Id.

On March 30, 2009, the Department of Homeland Security ("DHS") issued Mr. Felix-Felix a Notice to Appear at an immigration hearing. Resp., ECF No. 19, at Ex. B. The Notice to Appear alleged he was subject to removal from the United States for being a noncitizen present in the United States without being admitted or paroled. Id. It also stated that Mr. Felix-Felix was to appear before a United States Department of Justice immigration judge at a specified address. Id. But it did not indicate the date and time of that hearing. Id. Instead, the Notice to Appear indicated that the hearing would be on a date "to be set" and a time "to be set." Id. DHS filed the Notice to Appear with the immigration court. Id. at 2.

The immigration court allegedly issued a Notice of Hearing containing the date, time, and place of the initial hearing and served it on Mr. Felix-Felix. Id. According to the Government, the immigration officials have represented to the U.S. Attorney's Office that this Notice of Hearing was served. Id. at 2 n.2. Because he was detained, however, a copy of the Notice of Hearing was maintained in the Executive Office of Immigration Review record of proceedings, as opposed to his A-File. Id. The Government is in the process of obtaining a copy of this notice and will provide it to defense counsel and the Court upon receipt. Id. The Government argues that the Court may presume that immigration officials discharged their official duty to provide notice of the hearing. Id. (citing United States v. Armstrong , 517 U.S. 456, 464, 116 S.Ct. 1480, 134 L.Ed.2d 687 (1996) ). However, this Court will not make this presumption as the Government has made an identical argument in the past only to later admit that no record of the Notice of Hearing was ever found in a defendant's record of proceedings. See this Court's opinion in United States v. Miguel Yanez-Gutierrez , EP-18-CR-3385-DB-1, *2.

On May 11, 2009, the initial immigration hearing took place, at which Mr. Felix-Felix was present, and the immigration judge ordered him removed from the United States. Id. at Ex. C. Mr. Felix-Felix waived his right to appeal this order. Id. On that same day he was removed from the United States to Mexico. Id. at Ex. D. This removal order is the underlying removal order of the instant Indictment. See id. at 3. Mr. Felix-Felix's Motion seeks to dismiss this Indictment.

ANALYSIS

Mr. Felix-Felix petitions the Court to dismiss the Indictment because the immigration court lacked subject matter jurisdiction to issue the original removal order after the Notice to Appear he received failed to include a date and time. Mot., ECF No. 17, at 1-3. Therefore, the removal was void and cannot form the basis for the current indictment for illegal reentry as he was never "removed" as a matter of law. Id. at 1.

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United States v. Felix-Felix, 386 F. Supp. 3d 784 (W.D. Tex. 2019).

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CAMARILLO
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