JEFFREY J. HELMICK, District Judge.
On November 28, 2018, Petitioner Maynor Y. Hernandez filed a § 2241 petition for a writ of habeas corpus. (Doc. No. 1). The same day he filed a combined motion for a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction. (Doc. No. 2). After a telephonic status conference, I denied the motion for a temporary restraining order without prejudice and ordered the pending motion be treated as one requesting a preliminary injunction. (Doc. No. 6). Respondents filed a memorandum in opposition to preliminary injunctive relief and move for dismissal of the petition based on lack of subject matter jurisdiction. (Doc. No. 7). Petitioner replied in support of injunctive relief and opposed dismissal. (Doc. No. 8). Following the issuance of a controlling Sixth Circuit opinion, Respondents filed a motion for leave to file a surreply. (Doc. No. 9)
Petitioner is an eighteen-year-old citizen of Honduras. (Doc. No. 1 at 2). His mother, minor brother, and minor sister have been in the United States for some time and are applying for asylum. Id. at 2, 8. But Petitioner recently entered the United States following an alleged attempt on his life and subsequent threat of murder in Honduras. Id. at 2, 8. He was apprehended upon entry and has been detained since approximately September 11, 2018.
Because Petitioner claimed he was entitled to asylum, he participated in a "credible fear" interview on September 24, 2018. Id. at 9. The asylum officer found Petitioner did not possess the requisite credible fear for asylum, a decision which was approved by the supervisory asylum officer the same day. Id.
As a result of this adverse credible fear decision, Petitioner sought the assistance of counsel on October 2, 2018, to assist him in preparation for a hearing before the Immigration Judge, scheduled for 4:30 p.m. on October 16, 2018. Id. Petitioner's counsel began gathering evidence for that hearing.
The day of the hearing, counsel filed a notice of appearance and nearly sixty pages of evidence in support of Petitioner's credible fear allegation. Id. But when counsel arrived at the hearing room at 4:15 p.m., he found that the hearing had been held at 3:00 p.m., more than an hour before scheduled. Id. Further, the Immigration Judge had not reviewed the evidence supplied by counsel and incorrectly stated Petitioner was not represented by counsel. Id. at 10.
"`Federal courts are courts of limited jurisdiction,' possessing `only that power authorized by Constitution and statute.'" Gunn v. Minton, 568 U.S. 251, 256 (2013) (quoting Kokkonen v. Guardian Life Ins. Co. of Am., 511 U.S. 375, 377 (1994)). "It is to be presumed that a cause lies outside this limited jurisdiction, and the burden of establishing the contrary rests upon the party asserting jurisdiction." Kokkonen, 511 U.S. at 377 (citations omitted).
In this case, Petitioner proposes I may exercise jurisdiction over this § 2241 habeas petition in one of two ways. The first by statute under the REAL ID Act of 2005, 8 U.S.C. § 1252(e)(2); the second by declaration that the same statutory section is unconstitutional under the Suspension Clause as applied to Petitioner. Both arguments must fail.
The REAL ID Act of 2005 grants the district court limited jurisdiction over habeas corpus proceedings challenging expedited removal determinations made under 8 U.S.C. § 1225(b)(1). Specifically, the district court may review only determinations of:
8 U.S.C. § 1252(e)(2). Petitioner alleges his petition is reviewable under § 1252(e)(2)(B) because he was not "ordered removed" pursuant to the procedures proscribed to issue such an order. But the scope of judicial inquiry as to whether a petitioner was "ordered removed" is restricted "to whether such an order in fact was issued and whether it relates to the petitioner. There shall be no review of whether the alien is actually inadmissible or entitled to any relief from removal." § 1252(e)(5).
Petitioner urges a broad interpretation of § 1252(e)(5), stating that a literal interpretation of the first sentence would render the second superfluous. (Doc. No. 8 at 22). He is not the first to argue the same.
The Suspension Clause states, "The 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. This Clause requires "some `judicial intervention in deportation cases.'" I.N.S. v. St. Cyr, 533 U.S. 289, 300 (2001) (quoting Heikkila v. Barber, 345 U.S. 229, 235 (1953)). But, in accordance with the recent, published opinion of the Sixth Circuit, the Suspension Clause will only be "triggered" when "the common-law writ could not have granted Petitioners' requested relief." Hamama v. Adducci, ___ F.3d ___, Nos. 17-2171, 18-1233, 2018 WL 6722734, at *4 (6th Cir. Dec. 20, 2018).
In Hamama, petitioners "sought `a stay of removal until they . . . had a reasonable period of time to locate immigration counsel, file a motion to reopen in the appropriate administrative immigration forum, and have that motion adjudicated to completion in the administrative system, with time to file a petition for review and request a stay of removal in a federal court of appeals.'" Id. The Circuit held the Suspension Clause was not triggered because the stay of removal requested could not have been granted by the common-law writ. Id. In reasoning the Circuit quoted Munaf v. Geren, 553 U.S. 674, 693-94 (2008), for the position that "`[t]he nature of the relief sought by the habeas petitioners suggests that habeas is not appropriate in these cases' because `the last thing petitioners want is simple release' but instead a `court order requiring the United States to shelter them.'" Id. Confronting the perceived departure from St. Cyr., as recognized by the Hamama dissent, the majority distinguished the case, stating, "St. Cyr sought cancellation of removal, which would have entitled him to be released into and remain in the United States. Petitioners here seek withholding of removal, which would entitle them not to be released into Iraq." Id. (citations omitted).
The relief sought in this case is similar to that sought in Hamama. In the habeas petition, Petitioner seeks the following relief:
(Doc. No. 1 at 13-14). Further, in his motion for preliminary injunction, Petitioner seeks a temporary restraining order, prohibiting the defendants from:
(Doc. No. 2-1 at 7). None of these requests falls within the Sixth Circuit's defined common-law writ remedy of "release from custody." Petitioner does not seek cancellation of removal, but instead withholding of removal until he has second opportunity to present his case for asylum. Because this type of relief is not available on habeas, the Suspension Clause is not triggered here.
For the foregoing reasons, I must dismiss this case for lack of subject matter jurisdiction. Accordingly, Respondents' motion to dismiss is granted, (Doc. No. 7), and Petitioner's motion for preliminary injunction is denied. (Doc. No. 2). Further, as discussed above, Respondents' motion for surreply is denied as moot. (Doc. No. 9).
So Ordered.