Devitri v. Cronen
Devitri v. Cronen
Opinion of the Court
INTRODUCTION
Petitioners are fifty-one Indonesian Christians who fear religious persecution in Indonesia and are subject to final Orders of Removal. All Petitioners reside in New Hampshire. In 2010, Immigration and Customs Enforcement ("ICE") instituted a *88humanitarian program called Operation Indonesian Surrender, through which Petitioners were granted Orders of Supervision, allowing them to seek employment and subjecting them to certain mandatory conditions. Petitioners also received temporary stays of removal that were renewed over multiple years. In the summer of 2017, these individuals were informed that they would be removed from the United States. They filed this habeas petition pursuant to
The Court temporarily stayed removal to determine if the Court has jurisdiction. An evidentiary hearing was held on October 20, 2017, at which Respondent Timothy Stevens, an ICE Supervisory Detention and Deportation Officer with knowledge of Operation Indonesian Surrender, testified. In advance of the evidentiary hearing on jurisdiction, the Court also received affidavits from Russell F. Hilliard, Esq. (Docket No. 49-1), Reverend Sandra Pontoh (Docket No. 49-2), William Hahn, Esq. (Docket No. 49-3), Susan Church, Esq. (Docket No. 49-4), Trina A. Realmuto (Docket No. 49-5), and Jeffrey A. Winters, Ph.D. (Docket No. 49-6). The Court received declarations from The Honorable Jill H. Dufresne (Docket No. 36-1) and Christopher Gearin (Docket No. 36-2). The only issue before the Court is whether the Court has subject-matter jurisdiction. The Court holds that it does.
FACTUAL BACKGROUND
Petitioners are fifty-one Christian Indonesian nationals who have lived in the United States for many years. They are all subject to final Orders of Removal. Some individuals have children or spouses who are United States citizens; some have children who are recipients of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals ("DACA"); some have children who have enlisted in the United States military; and some have serious medical conditions.
Petitioners claim that, if they are removed to Indonesia, they will face an "alarmingly high and increasing" risk of persecution, including "intimidation, physical harm, and threats to their personal safety and well-being," based on their Christian religion. Winters Aff. (Docket No. 49-6) ¶ 2. Indonesia is a majority Muslim country. According to Petitioners' expert, since 2008, the conditions in Indonesia for religious minorities have deteriorated substantially, as the country experiences a "rising tide of extremist Islam" targeting non-Muslim populations. Winters Aff. (Docket No. 49-6) ¶¶ 8-9. The Winters affidavit details numerous examples of violence carried out by Islamic militants directed at Christians, including the burning of churches, riots, and assaults. The affidavit also presents evidence from reports showing that law enforcement in Indonesia *89is unlikely to provide meaningful protection to religious minorities in the face of violence and intolerance.
In 2010, in communication with members of the Christian community, ICE began a program called Operation Indonesian Surrender in New Hampshire. For a few weeks in 2010, ICE set up a mobile command center in the parking lot of the Strafford County district courthouse in Dover, New Hampshire. Indonesian nationals with final removal orders were encouraged to identify themselves to ICE either at the mobile command center or soon afterward.
Approximately 100 Christian Indonesians are believed to have participated in the program and received OSUPs. They lived and worked under these OSUPs without incident until this year and generally complied with their conditions, including the condition that they not commit crimes. In addition, Petitioners were granted temporary stays of removal by ICE on a roughly annual basis.
In late 2011, a group of program participants who did not have U.S. citizen children, U.S. citizen spouses, or health issues were told that they would be removed. They were informed that their stay requests were being denied, but they were given the opportunity to have an in-person interview with ICE at its Manchester, New Hampshire office before removal. After the interviews, ICE mailed the participants a notice revoking their OSUPs and confirming their departure from the United States approximately 90 days later.
Six years later, in February 2017, ICE began to notify Petitioners that it would no longer grant stays of removal. ICE advised pastoral leaders in June 2017 that it would be terminating Operation Indonesian Surrender. At this meeting, the leaders were informed that all remaining program participants would be deported, but ICE did not set a timeline for these removals. Based on the community's experience in 2011, the pastoral leaders believed that interviews would be scheduled with Petitioners before they were deported.
*90Instead, at an August 1, 2017 check-in appointment pursuant to the OSUP conditions, a group of program participants were told that they would be subject to a "30-30" schedule. They would need to report to ICE at their next 30-day check-in with tickets to depart for Indonesia 30 days later. This proposed class action habeas corpus petition was first filed on September 25, 2017, two days before the first Petitioners were scheduled to be removed. See Docket No. 1.
DISCUSSION
I. Habeas Jurisdiction
Petitioners assert that this Court has habeas jurisdiction under
Petitioners are subject to both final Orders of Removal and OSUPs granted to them as part of Operation Indonesian Surrender. Although Petitioners need not be physically detained to be in "custody," in order for the Court to exercise habeas jurisdiction, Petitioners must challenge the legality of that non-detention custody. See
Here, Petitioners "challenge a condition of [their] custody, specifically, ICE's abrupt change in policy regarding participants in 'Operation Indonesian Surrender' and the unfairly compressed timetable of the issuance of the Denials of Stays and/or Notices of Revocation of Release." SAC ¶ 13. Essentially, Petitioners argue that the sudden policy change, combined with the 30-30 order, is "preventing [them] from exercising their due process rights" and their statutory right to move to reopen. SAC ¶ 13. Since Petitioners' challenge is tied to a term of their OSUPs, habeas jurisdiction is proper.
Although Petitioners are in "custody" for habeas purposes, Congress has stripped all federal courts of jurisdiction over section 2241 petitions that challenge certain immigration actions:
*91Except as provided in this section and notwithstanding any other provision of law (statutory or nonstatutory), including section 2241 of Title 28, or any other habeas corpus provision, and sections 1361 and 1651 of such title, no court shall have jurisdiction to hear any cause or claim by or on behalf of any alien arising from the decision or action by the Attorney General to commence proceedings, adjudicate cases, or execute removal orders against any alien under this chapter.
II. Motion to Reopen
Petitioners concede, as they must, that this Court has no jurisdiction to review the decision to execute their removal orders, but they argue that they have a statutory right to move to reopen based on changed country conditions that arose after the Orders of Removal became final.
Congress mandated that ICE may not remove an alien to a country if the government decides that "the alien's life or freedom would be threatened in that country because of the alien's ... religion."
Under the CAT, the United States also has an obligation not to remove aliens to countries where they will be tortured. See
Claims for withholding of removal under
*92In 1996, Congress codified the right to file a motion to reopen, "transform[ing] the motion to reopen from a regulatory procedure to a statutory form of relief available to the alien." Dada v. Mukasey,
Whether a motion to reopen is actually adjudicated depends on the alien's continued presence in the country. If an alien is deported prior to filing, a motion to reopen cannot be made by the alien or on her behalf.
The difficult question is how to reconcile the jurisdiction-stripping provision in
The problem for Petitioners, though, is that section 1252(g) states unambiguously that "notwithstanding any other provision of law" the Court shall not have jurisdiction to hear any claim arising from a decision by the government to execute a removal order.
On the other hand, the problem for the government is that if section 1252(g) effectively ensures that this group of Indonesian Christians cannot effectively file their claims of possible persecution and torture before being removed to the country where they are at risk, it would be an unconstitutional deprivation of the statutory right to move to reopen without due process of law because there would be no meaningful opportunity to be heard on the motion to reopen. See Mathews v. Eldridge,
One court has held that applying section 1252(g) in a way that eliminates the right to habeas relief in circumstances similar to this case is a violation of the Suspension Clause. See Hamama v. Adducci, No. 17-cv-11910,
The Suspension Clause of the United States Constitution dictates that "[t]he Privilege of the Writ of Habeas Corpus shall not be suspended, unless when in Cases of Rebellion or Invasion the public Safety may require it." U.S. Const. art. I, § 9, cl. 2. Congress may decide to create adequate and effective alternatives to habeas corpus relief without offending the Suspension Clause. See I.N.S. v. St. Cyr,
Despite the jurisdiction-stripping language of
III. The Effectiveness and Adequacy of the Administrative Procedure
The government has introduced evidence to support its position that it has procedures in both the Immigration Court and Board of Immigration Appeals ("BIA") that ensure a full administrative process to handle any motion to reopen and accompanying emergency motion to stay removal.
Emergency stay requests most often are filed by detained aliens, and the Boston Immigration Court has two Immigration Judges and staff assigned to the "detained docket."
A stay is not guaranteed during the pendency of a motion to reopen. It is discretionary and decided by the Immigration Judge on a case-by-case basis. Dufresne Decl. (Docket No. 36-1) ¶ 16; see also Gearin Decl. (Docket No. 36-2) ¶ 7 (noting that, at BIA level, stay during motion to reopen adjudication is also discretionary). In ruling on the stay request, an Immigration Judge will consider "the facts and circumstances of the alien's case and the basis for the alien's motion to reopen." Dufresne Decl. (Docket No. 36-1) ¶ 11. The Immigration Judge may also consider "the possibility that a stay request or motion may have been prepared and submitted without the alien (or his or her attorney) having sufficient time to obtain ... all appropriate evidence in support of the stay request or motion to reopen." Dufresne Decl. (Docket No. 36-1) ¶ 16.
Petitioners present evidence that, despite the procedures intended to streamline emergency stay requests, delays occur. See Realmuto Aff. (Docket No. 49-5) ¶¶ 13-23. Attorney Realmuto has experienced delays in docketing motions and stay requests at the BIA level. Realmuto Aff. (Docket No. 49-5) ¶ 16. Additionally, Petitioners claim that "whether the BIA will adjudicate a stay motion prior to deportation relies entirely on the deportation officer's discretionary act of communicating to the BIA the actual date and time of deportation." Realmuto Aff. (Docket No. 49-5) ¶ 18. Attorney Realmuto cites "at least two cases where ICE affirmatively informed the BIA of particular deportation dates but subsequently-unbeknownst to the BIA, and without providing the BIA any notice-moved up the dates of deportation and carried out the removal." Realmuto Aff. (Docket No. 49-5) ¶ 21. Petitioners state that "there is no formal mechanism by which ICE is required to notify the BIA of a change in deportation date and, therefore, no way to ensure that the BIA has a meaningful opportunity to adjudicate the stay motion before deportation." Realmuto Aff. (Docket No. 49-5) ¶ 21. In the Immigration Court, Attorney Realmuto cites delays in receipt of motions for stay, reluctance to rule until deportation is imminent, and dependence on immigration judges' schedules as obstacles to adjudication before removal. Realmuto Aff. (Docket No. 49-5) ¶ 23.
I find that the Immigration Court's procedures typically are an adequate and effective administrative alternative to habeas corpus relief consistent with the Suspension *95Clause. The procedures in the Immigration Court will also likely be adequate for Petitioners, who at this point are represented by attorneys in a high-profile case, so long as they receive from this Court a reasonable time period for filing the motions to reopen to which they are entitled.
The Court must determine how much time is necessary to file an adequate motion to reopen. Exercising jurisdiction to grant Petitioners time to effectively use the required administrative process is consistent with Congressional intent. Cf. Singh v. Gonzales,
The government argues that Petitioners had plenty of time to file the motions to reopen prior to the August 1, 2017 notification. Petitioners argue that the denials of their stay requests earlier in 2017 did not put them on notice that removal was imminent or that the conditions of their OSUPs had changed, because people may remain under OSUPs for years after stay requests are denied. They maintain that, until the 30-30 order, they did not know that deportations would occur so quickly. The Court finds that Petitioners were reasonable in relying on their protected status as long as they complied with the terms of their OSUPs. However, after August 1, 2017, any reliance was no longer reasonable. The Court finds that the August 1, 2017 notification that the protected status would terminate triggered the obligation to file motions to reopen.
Petitioners argue that they need six to twelve weeks after their attorneys receive their comprehensive files containing their full immigration history ("A-files") to prepare adequate motions to reopen.
The focus in the motions to reopen is on the changed country situation. Petitioners have already filed an expert affidavit on the changes in conditions in Indonesia since 2008, see Winters Aff. (Docket No. 49-6), so the need for the A-file is not necessarily persuasive unless an individual can show a specialized need (like litigation over asylum based on personal circumstances that make targeting more likely). The statute seems to suggest that 90 days from August 1, 2017 might be an appropriate minimum timeframe for assembling a *96motion to reopen, see 8 U.S.C. § 1229a(c)(7)(C)(i) (setting typical time limits for motion to reopen); therefore, the 30-30 order is inadequate. Furthermore, Congress recognized that a longer time period may be appropriate when there is proof of changed country circumstances. See
The government has fourteen days to file an opposition to the motion for preliminary injunction (Docket No. 3). The Court believes it has an adequate record for determining a reasonable time period to file a motion to reopen, but the government has not had a chance to respond to the motion for preliminary injunction. Also, the government shall clarify whether any Petitioners must file motions to reopen before the BIA and whether there will be an opportunity to have an emergency stay request addressed prior to removal.
ORDER
For the foregoing reasons, this Court finds that it has subject-matter jurisdiction over Counts I and II in the SAC. This Court dismisses without prejudice Count III addressed in the companion case. See Rombot v. Souza, 1:17-cv-11577-PBS, Docket No. 49; Docket No. 52. The government is hereby temporarily enjoined from removing all Petitioners named in the SAC until the Court rules on the motion for preliminary injunction or until further order of the Court.
SO ORDERED.
They also assert jurisdiction under
The facts are taken from the allegations in the Second Amended Class Petition for Writs of Habeas Corpus and Mandamus and Class Complaint for Declaratory and Injunctive Relief ("SAC") (Docket No. 44), the documents, affidavits, and declarations produced in this litigation, and the evidence presented at the evidentiary hearing. They are largely undisputed.
At least two circuits, including the First Circuit, have recently found that conditions for Christians in Indonesia may warrant relief from removal. See Salim v. Lynch,
Whether Indonesian citizens who surrendered later were treated the same is in dispute. Attorney Russell F. Hilliard states that, in May 2011, Officer Stevens offered to accept surrenders of additional Indonesians living in New Hampshire and told Hilliard that "the process [they] followed last fall is available to anyone at any time." Hilliard Aff. (Docket No. 49-1), Ex. B. At the evidentiary hearing, Officer Stevens testified that, unlike the first group of participants, people who surrendered later were not given an initial 90-day period to file their stay requests.
Petitioners also argue that they may be eligible for asylum, which can be raised in a motion to reopen, see
It is not clear from the existing record whether all Petitioners would first file their motions to reopen in the Immigration Court or whether some would file motions to reopen with the BIA in the first instance.
Judge Dufresne states in her declaration that the Boston Immigration Court is aware of this pending action and the possibility that Petitioners will file emergency stay requests. Dufresne Decl. (Docket No. 36-1) ¶ 19. "[T]he Court Administrator has instructed court staff to be watchful for stay motions accompanied by a motion to reopen and to bring any such motion and stay request to an Immigration Judge's attention immediately." Dufresne Decl. (Docket No. 36-1) ¶ 19. In contrast, the BIA will only consider a stay request on an expedited emergency basis if the alien is in physical custody. Gearin Decl. (Docket No. 36-2) ¶¶ 9-10; see also Realmuto Aff. (Docket No. 49-5) ¶ 14.
The Immigration Court's administrative procedures may be inadequate and ineffective in an individual Petitioner's case, however.
The Court has ordered the government to produce the A-files forthwith. See Docket No. 58. However, the Court has no record as to how many A-files have been produced thus far. The Court also indicated that Petitioners' attorneys should review the record of prior proceedings in the Immigration Court if necessary. See Docket No. 58.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- Lia DEVITRI, Petitioners/Plaintiffs v. Chris CRONEN, Respondents/Defendants.
- Cited By
- 14 cases
- Status
- Published