BRENTON C. JOSEPH, Petitioner, v. U.S. ATTORNEY GENERAL, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY, and DIRECTOR OF HUDSON COUNTY CORRECTIONAL CENTER, Respondents.
United States District Court, E.D. New York.
December 4, 2017.
Editors Note
Applicable Law: 28 U.S.C. § 2241
Cause: 28 U.S.C. § 2241 Petition for Writ of Habeas Corpus (federal)
Nature of Suit: 530 Habeas Corpus (General)
Source: PACER
Attorney(s) appearing for the Case
Brenton C. Joseph, Petitioner, Pro Se.
NOT FOR PUBLICATION
MEMORANDUM & ORDER
PAMELA K. CHEN, Magistrate Judge.
Petitioner Brenton C. Joseph brings this pro se petition pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 2241 seeking an emergency stay of removal. Petitioner’s request to proceed in forma pauperis is granted, but the petition is dismissed because the Court lacks jurisdiction to consider it.
I. Background
Petitioner states that he is being “held in indefinite detention” at the Hudson County Correction Facility in New Jersey pursuant to a detainer by United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (“I.C.E.”). (Pet. at 1-2.)1 He states that he has a removal order from August 22, 2007 and that he was taken into immigration custody on July 19, 2017. (Id. at 5.) He does not say where the removal order was entered. Prior to his detention in immigration custody, he was “on I.C.E. Supervision Relief for the past 5 years from which I was detained when I last reported.” (Id. at 8.) Petitoner did not previously appeal the removal order, file a grievance, or seek an administrative remedy. (Id. at 2.)
Petitioner states that he fears for his life should he be returned to Trinidad and Tobago. (Id. at 7-8.) He notes, “Some people and even government officials say I disgrace the reputation of the country because of who I am. Recently I was maliciously outed and disgraced on the internet by an unprofessional I.C.E. officer from the New York Federal Plaza office.” (Id.) Petitioner attaches a page from the U.S. Department of State’s Country Reports on Human Rights for Trinidad and Tobago that describes laws criminalizing consensual same-sex sexual activity in that country. (Pet. at 11.) It states: “Immigration laws also bar the entry of `homosexuals’ into the country, but the legislation was not enforced during the year.” (Id.)
Petitioner seeks an “emergency stay of removal” while he files for asylum, withholding of removal, and the Convention Against Torture. (Id. at 8.) He also describes the act or decision he is challenging as “being held in indefinite detention.” (Id. at 2.)
II. Discussion
This Court does not have jurisdiction to consider Petitioner’s claims, which may only be raised in the Court of Appeals for the judicial circuit in which his final removal order was entered. The REAL ID Act of 2005, Pub. L. No. 109-13, Div. B, Title I, 119 Stat. 231, 310-11, codified at 8 U.S.C. § 1252(a)(5), provides that “a petition for review filed with an appropriate court of appeals . . . shall be the sole and exclusive means for judicial review of an order of removal. . . .” 8 U.S.C. § 1252(a)(5); see also Ruiz-Martinez v. Mukasey, 516 F.3d 102, 113 (2d Cir. 2008) (“The REAL ID Act amended the Immigration and Nationality Act (`INA’) to provide that petitions for review filed in the appropriate Courts of Appeals were to be the `sole and exclusive means for judicial review’ of final orders of removal.” (quoting Section 1252(a)(5))). Petitioner may pursue a petition for review only in the Court of Appeals for the judicial circuit in which the order of removal was entered. See 8 U.S.C. § 1252(b)(2). Such a petition for review must be filed within 30 days from the date of the order of removal. 8 U.S.C. § 1252(b)(1). Since District Courts cannot review removal orders, they also cannot consider requests for stays of removal. See Scott v. Napolitano, 618 F.Supp.2d 186, 191 (E.D.N.Y. 2009) (collecting cases); Al-Garidi v. Holder, No. 09-CV-6160L, 2009 WL 1439216, at *1 (W.D.N.Y. May 15, 2009) (“This Court and other district courts throughout the country have routinely held that because district courts have no jurisdiction to review final orders of removal, they have no jurisdiction to review requests for stays of removal.”).
Because this Court cannot consider Petitioner’s request for a stay, his petition must be dismissed. Furthermore, because Petitioner states that the order of removal was issued a decade ago, the Court will not transfer this case to the Court of Appeals “in the interests of justice,” pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1631. See De Ping Wang v. Department of Homeland Sec., 484 F.3d 615, 618 (2d Cir. 2007) (finding that when a petition for a writ of habeas corpus challenging a removal order under 28 U.S.C. § 2241 is improperly filed in the District Court, transfer to the Court of Appeals was impermissible under 28 U.S.C. § 1631 where the petition is untimely and thus could not have been brought in the Court of Appeals at the time it was filed in the District Court); 8 U.S.C. § 1252(b)(1) (petition to review removal decision must be filed within 30 days of date of removal order).
The Court notes that, to the extent Petitioner also claims that he is subject to “indefinite detention” while awaiting removal, he may have a constitutional claim. That claim, however, may not yet be actionable. Although the Supreme Court has recognized that “a statute permitting indefinite detention of an alien would raise a serious constitutional problem,” it also has held that six months of detention, following a final order of removal, is presumptively constitutional. Zadvydas v. Davis, 533 U.S. 678, 701 (2001). Here, Petitioner has been detained since July 19, 2017, and is still within the period that is presumptively reasonable. However, should his detention extend beyond this period and should Petitioner believe that there is no significant likelihood of removal in the reasonably foreseeable future, he may challenge his detention in the appropriate District Court. This Court is not that court.
For habeas corpus petitions outside of the deportation context, the proper jurisdiction for challenging physical custody is the district of physical confinement, where the individual’s immediate custodian is located. Rumsfeld v. Padilla, 542 U.S. 426, 443 (2004) (describing “the general rule that for core habeas petitions challenging present physical confinement, jurisdiction lies in only one district: the district of confinement”). Although The Supreme Court’s decision in Rumsfeld v. Padilla “left open the question” whether these rules applied to “a habeas petition filed by an alien pending deportation,” 542 U.S. 426, 435, n.8 (2004), the District Courts in this Circuit have generally applied this rule. Adikov v. Mechkowski, No. 16-CV-3797 (JPO), 2016 WL 3926469, at *1 (S.D.N.Y. July 18, 2016) (collecting cases). Since Petitioner is detained in New Jersey, he may challenge his detention by filing a habeas petition in the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey and naming as the defendant his custodian at the Hudson County Correctional Facility.2
CONCLUSION
As this Court has no jurisdiction to review Petitioner’s claims under 28 U.S.C. § 2241, the petition is dismissed without prejudice. The Court certifies pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1915(a)(3) that any appeal from this order would not be taken in good faith and therefore in forma pauperis status is denied for the purpose of any appeal. Coppedge v. United States, 369 U.S. 438, 444-45 (1962). The Clerk of Court is directed to close this case.
SO ORDERED.
FootNotes
1. The Court cites to the pagination generated by the CM/ECF system and not the Petition’s internal pagination.
2. Given the nature of Petitioner’s claims, he may want to seek advice or possible representation from the non-governmental service organization Immigration Equality. See www.immigrationequality.org/(describing itself as “the nation’s leading LGBTQ immigrant rights organization. We represent and advocate for people from around the world fleeing violence, abuse, and persecution because of their sexual orientation, gender identity, or HIV status.”) (last visited 11/23/17).
hope this lesson to all scammers out there go look work!!
This isn’t no lesson to scammers. This is a damn lesson for those who aren’t willing to give up their International rights without a fight.
Even if Brent get deported, he’s not going down without a fight. He has multiple reasons to fight his deportation.
Btw, bald head woman who did send in video bout Brent a airport…how you looking these days? Lying sack a crap.
Oh my so him still here???
Benty get fat… him look good.. hope him get a chance to plea his case in court.. since November of last year. Its been more than 6 months now.ppl do worst than him and still get to stay.
All I can think of is the amazingly catchy phrase “Calling all Beauties!!”…Classic Classic pinkwall history it gone inna…i wonder if I will ever have reason to say ” Calling all beauties”…Who knows what the future holds??Fight yuh fight yah iyah!
He will be release under what they said he should file.lol
Brent, sis throw in the white flag now. You’re going home…nothing can save him! He was ordered removal a decade ago, he has to be removed. His case was dismissed without prejudice; therefore, he cannot appeal and the judge ordered the clerk to close the case! If he appeal his removal in the proper court, that too will be dismissed. The court gave 30 days to appeal, and it’s way outside of that time limit. Brent, have a “fan” base he just needs to go to T&T and apply some of the skillful trade he learned in the US ;))
Without prejudice means he can appeal , sis. Or refile the appropriate documents correctly.
Somethings are just private. Why ppl love go do deeeeeepppppp in ppl business. No sah! Senda you sick!
They’re not gonna give him any asylum. Bye Bye Brent! Donald trump does not care about you!! (your illegal remember) Lmaooo
He’s gonna come out in the name of Jesus don’t worry about him sender he’s covered in the blood of the almighty please be more concerned with yourself.