United States v. Tzul

345 F. Supp. 3d 785
CourtDistrict Court, S.D. Texas
DecidedDecember 4, 2018
DocketCRIMINAL ACTION NO. 4:18-CR-0521
StatusPublished
Cited by9 cases

This text of 345 F. Supp. 3d 785 (United States v. Tzul) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, S.D. Texas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
United States v. Tzul, 345 F. Supp. 3d 785 (S.D. Tex. 2018).

Opinion

HON. KEITH P. ELLISON, UNITED STATES DISTRICT JUDGE

Mr. Santiago Tzul, a citizen of Guatemala,1 was first placed in removal proceedings on May 26, 2009, following his arrest on a DWI charge. (Doc. No. 21-2 at 12.) On June 6, 2009, he was released from the Harris County Jail into ICE custody. (Doc. No. 21-2 at 12.) On the same day, he was served with a notice to appear, ordering him to appear before an immigration judge at "5520 Greens Road Houston, TEXAS 77032," on "a date to be set" at "a time to be set." (Doc. No. 21-2 at 14.) Mr. Santiago Tzul appeared at his hearing2 *787and was ordered deported on June 16, 2009. (Doc. No. 21-2 at 16.) The record indicates that he was removed to Guatemala on August 12, 2009. (Doc. No. 21-2 at 19.) This removal order was reinstated twice, first on April 4, 2012, and again on April 1, 2013. (Doc. No. 21-2 at 19, 22.)

When Mr. Santiago Tzul was arrested in Houston on August 19, 2016, the Government again attempted to reinstate the removal order against him. (Doc. No. 21-2 at 25.) Mr. Santiago Tzul was convicted on a DWI charge and sentenced to three-years' incarceration. (Doc. No. 21-2 at 33.) At the end of his sentence, the Government filed an indictment against him for illegal reentry, which is the subject of this case. (Doc. No. 1.)

Pending before the Court is Defendant Santiago Tzul's motion to dismiss the indictment against him. (Doc. No. 13.) The Court understands Mr. Santiago Tzul's argument as follows: As a threshold matter, the statutory bar on collateral challenges to removal orders does not apply to jurisdictional arguments. Under Pereira v. Sessions , --- U.S. ----, 138 S.Ct. 2105, 201 L.Ed.2d 433 (2018), a putative "notice to appear" that does not include the date and time of the hearing is not considered a "notice to appear" at all. As a valid notice to appear is required to vest jurisdiction in the immigration court, the 2009 removal order is void. In the absence of a removal order, the Government cannot prove an element of the offense of illegal reentry, and the indictment must be dismissed. (Doc. No. 13.) The Government opposes this motion. (Doc. No. 21.)

Similar motions to dismiss have been filed around the country following the Supreme Court's decision in Pereira v. Sessions earlier this year. A number of federal courts have considered similar arguments, and have reached different conclusions. The Court has reviewed these decisions in the process of considering the pending motion.

I. ANALYSIS

As defined by 8 U.S.C. § 1326(a), the crime of illegal reentry requires the Government to prove that the defendant "(1) was an alien at the time of the alleged offense; (2) had been previously deported; (3) attempted to enter the United States; and (4) had not received the express consent of the Attorney General or the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security." United States v. Jara-Favela , 686 F.3d 289, 302 (5th Cir. 2012). Mr. Santiago Tzul contests the Government's ability to prove the second of these elements.

A. JURISDICTIONAL CHALLENGES ARE NOT BARRED BY § 1326(D)

Section 1326(d) limits the ability of defendants charged with illegal reentry to collaterally attack an underlying deportation order.

In a criminal proceeding under this section, an alien may not challenge the validity of the deportation order described in subsection (a)(1) or subsection (b) unless the alien demonstrates that--
(1) the alien exhausted any administrative remedies that may have been available to seek relief against the order;
(2) the deportation proceedings at which the order was issued improperly deprived the alien of the opportunity for judicial review; and
(3) the entry of the order was fundamentally unfair.
*7888 U.S.C. § 1326(d) (2018).

However, these bases for challenging an underlying removal order are not the only means available to criminal defendants. Jurisdiction must be established as a threshold matter before a court considers the merits of a case. See Steel Co. v. Citizens for a Better Environment , 523 U.S. 83, 94-96, 118 S.Ct. 1003, 140 L.Ed.2d 210 (1998) (citing Great Southern Fire Proof Hotel Co. v. Jones , 177 U.S. 449, 450-451, 20 S.Ct. 690, 44 L.Ed. 842 (1900) ). Courts have this duty sua sponte to assure themselves of their own jurisdiction because an order entered without jurisdiction is a nullity without legal effect. See Burnham v. Superior Court of California , 495 U.S. 604, 608-09, 110 S.Ct. 2105, 109 L.Ed.2d 631 (1990). Therefore, "any judgment may be collaterally attacked if it is void for lack of jurisdiction." Jacuzzi v. Pimienta , 762 F.3d 419, 420 (5th Cir. 2014) ; see also Matter of Reitnauer ,

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Bluebook (online)
345 F. Supp. 3d 785, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-tzul-txsd-2018.