MADELINE COX ARLEO, District Judge.
This matter has been opened to the Court by Petitioner Alejandro Misael Melendez Saravia's submission of a Petition for Writ of Habeas Corpus challenging his prolonged detention pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 2241 (ECF No. 1). Having reviewed the submissions of the parties, the Court will dismiss the petition because Petitioner has already received an individualized bond hearing before an immigration judge ("IJ"), who denied bond, and that decision has been upheld by the Board of Immigration Appeals ("BIA").
The Court recounts only the facts necessary to the instant Memorandum Opinion. Petitioner submitted the instant Petition and filing fee on July 17, 2016, and the Petition was docketed on July 25, 2016. (ECF No. 1, Pet. at 11.) In that Petition, Petitioner alleges that he had been detained without bond since January 14, 2016. (Id. Pet. at 4.) On August 23, 2016, this Court directed Respondent to respond to the allegations in the Petition. (ECF No. 2.) On October 11, 2016, Respondent filed its Answer. (ECF No. 4.)
The Answer filed by Respondent establishes the following relevant facts. On January 14, 2016, the Department of Homeland Security ("DHS") took Petitioner into custody and determined that Petitioner was subject to discretionary detention pursuant to 8 U.S.C. § 1226(a).
Petitioner filed an appeal of the May 11, 2016 bond determination with the BIA. (See Exhibit G — Decision of the Board of Immigration Appeals, dated August 25, 2016.) On August 25, 2016, the BIA dismissed Petitioner's appeal, agreeing with the IJ that Petitioner's arguments and evidence did not establish a material change in circumstances between his initial bond redetermination and his subsequent bond redetermination three months later. (Id. at 2.) Additionally, the BIA affirmed that even if Petitioner proved a change in circumstance, he did not establish that he was not a danger to the community. (Id.)
As explained below, Petitioner is not entitled to habeas relief from this Court because he has already received a bond hearing, which is the only relief this Court could provide to him. When Petitioner was taken into custody on January 14, 2016, he was subject to pre-final order of removal detention pursuant to 8 U.S.C. § 1226(a). Section 1226(a) authorizes the arrest, detention, and release of aliens on bond pending a decision on whether the alien is to be removed from the United States, except as provided in § 1226(c). See 8 U.S.C. § 1226(a). Section 1226(c), an exception to § 1226(a), mandates detention of specified criminal aliens during removal proceedings, provided detention does not continue for a prolonged period of time. See 8 U.S.C. § 1226(c); Diop v. ICE/Homeland Sec., 656 F.3d at 232 ("At a certain point, continued detention becomes unreasonable and the Executive Branch's implementation of § 1226(c) becomes unconstitutional unless the Government has justified its actions at a hearing inquiring into whether continued detention is consistent with the law's purposes of preventing flight and dangers to the community"); see also Nepomuceno v. Holder, No. CIV. 11-6825 WJM, 2012 WL 715266, at *4 (D.N.J. Mar. 5, 2012) (explaining same). A Petitioner held pursuant to § 1226(a) may also seek bond redetermination based upon changed circumstances. See 8 C.F.R. § 1003.19(e).
Here, Petitioner is being held under the discretionary detention provision of 8 U.S.C. § 1226(a), in which he is entitled to a bond hearing, and not 8 U.S.C. § 1226(c), which requires a bond hearing only in cases of unreasonably prolonged detention. See 8 C.F.R. § 1003.19(c); Garcia v. Green, No. 16-0565(KM), 2016 WL 1718102 (D.N.J. April 29, 2016). Petitioner, however, has already received
For the reasons explained in this Memorandum Opinion, the Petition is dismissed. An appropriate Order follows.