Johnson v. Immigration & Customs Enforcement
Johnson v. Immigration & Customs Enforcement
Opinion of the Court
OPINION AND ORDER
On August 14, 2012, Vaughn Juan Johnson (“Johnson”) filed a motion for habeas corpus under 28 U.S.C. § 2241, challenging his current conditions of confinement and his future confinement following the issuance of an immigration detainer against him by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (“ICE”). ECF No. I.
ICE and the Warden of the Metropolitan Detention Center (“MDC”) in Guaynabo, Puerto Rico (collectively, “respondents”) filed a motion to dismiss (ECF No. 20), which they amended and supplemented (ECF No. 32) following an evidentiary hearing before the Magistrate-Judge (ECF No. 30). Respondents argue that Johnson’s request for habeas corpus should be denied for lack of jurisdiction because Johnson neither is in ICE custody currently nor has he exhausted his claims to United States citizenship. ECF No. 32. Johnson opposed the motion to dismiss, arguing that he is indeed “in custody” for purposes of habeas jurisdiction and that exhaustion requirements should not be applied to him. ECF No. 38.
In his Report and Recommendation (“R & R”), the Magistrate-Judge found that the Court lacked jurisdiction over Johnson’s claim for a declaration of citizenship under section 1503 because he failed to exhaust his administrative options and that the Court lacked jurisdiction over Johnson’s request for habeas as to his future custody by ICE because he is not in ICE custody at this time. ECF No. 39. Moreover, the Magistrate-Judge recommended rejecting Johnson’s claims relating to the conditions of his current custody with the Bureau of Prisons (“BOP”) on the merits, finding that Johnson failed to enunciate actionable due process claims. Id. Ultimately, Magistrate-Judge McGiverin recommended that the Court grant respondents’ motion to dismiss. Id. Johnson objected, reiterating his belief that administrative exhaustion of his declaration of citizenship claim should not be required and arguing that he is indeed in ICE custody at this time because he has received a “Warrant for Arrest of Alien” and a “Notice to Appear” in addition to the immigration detainer. ECF No. 40.
On the same day when Johnson filed his objections, he also filed a motion informing the Court that he is no longer located in Puerto Rico, but, rather, has been moved to a correctional institution within the territorial jurisdiction of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Georgia. ECF No. 41. Accordingly, Johnson requested that the Court transfer the case to the Southern District of Georgia. Id. Respondents opposed the request for transfer and requested that the Court adopt the Magistrate-Judge’s R & R in order to dismiss the case. ECF No. 42.
When confronted with concurrent challenges to its subject matter jurisdiction and venue, the Court has discretion to decide which challenge to address first. Ruhrgas AG v. Marathon Oil Co., 526 U.S. 574, 584-85, 119 S.Ct. 1563, 143 L.Ed.2d 760 (1999). The decision of which challenge to address first should be informed by “considerations of convenience, fairness, and judicial economy.” Sinochem Intern. Co. Ltd. v. Malaysia Intern. Shipping Corp., 549 U.S. 422, 432, 127 S.Ct. 1184, 167 L.Ed.2d 15 (2007).
Here, the Court notes that the question of what materials are sufficient to consti
However, it is widely accepted that writs of habeas corpus challenging present physical confinement
Thus, as the Southern District of Georgia, where Johnson is currently incarcerated, has jurisdiction over his petition for habeas corpus under 28 U.S.C. § 2241, and as neither the First Circuit nor the Eleventh Circuit have addressed the underlying issue of what constitutes custody in the context of an immigration detainer, the Court understands that principles of judicial economy, along with respect for its sister court’s territorial jurisdiction, dictate that the Court GRANT Johnson’s request for transfer to the Southern District of Georgia (ECF No. 41). As the South
IT IS SO ORDERED.
. Johnson also filed a separate petition for habeas corpus in the Middle District of Flori
. Johnson raises such a challenge to the conditions of his current confinement based on his ''alien'' status in addition to challenges to his future confinement by ICE. See ECF Nos. 1, 6, 7, 9, 15, 18. Although the Magistrate-Judge recommended dismissing these claims on the merits under Rule 12(b)(6), the Court understands that the . jurisdictional issues should be addressed first. See e.g., Acosta-Ramirez v. Banco Popular de Puerto Rico, 712 F.3d 14, 18 (1st Cir. 2013) (collecting cases supporting the proposition that “[fjederal courts are obliged to resolve questions pertaining to subject-matter jurisdiction before addressing the merits of a case”). Moreover, transfer of Johnson’s challenges to his future detention to his district of detention upon his request is also permissible. See Braden v. 30th Judicial Circuit Court of Kentucky, 410 U.S. 484 499 n. 15, 93 S.Ct. 1123, 35 L.Ed.2d 443 (1973); see also Rumsfeld v. Padilla, 542 U.S. 426, 443-45, 124 S.Ct. 2711, 159 L.Ed.2d 513 (2004).
Reference
- Full Case Name
- Vaughn Juan JOHNSON v. IMMIGRATION AND CUSTOMS ENFORCEMENT, Respondents Vaughn Juan Johnson v. Immigration and Customs Enforcement
- Cited By
- 4 cases
- Status
- Published