Case Name in Immigration Case - Unavailable

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
DISTRICT OF MINNESOTA
Jimmy C.T.P.,
Petitioner,
v.
Pamela Bondi, in her official capacity as
Attorney General of the United States;
Kristi Noem, in her official capacity as
Secretary of the U.S. Department of
Homeland Security; Todd Lyons, in his
official capacity as Acting Director of
Immigration and Customs Enforcement;
David Easterwood, in his official capacity
as Acting Director, St. Paul Field Office,
Immigration and Customs Enforcement;
and Joel Brott, in his official capacity as
Sheriff of Sherburne County, Minnesota,
Respondents.
Civil No. 26-1688 (DWF/JFD)
MEMORANDUM
OPINION AND ORDER
INTRODUCTION
This matter is before the Court on Petitioner Jimmy C.T.P.’s petition for a writ of
habeas corpus (the “Petition”). (Doc. No. 1.) Respondents filed a form response
asserting authority to detain Petitioner under 8 U.S.C. § 1225(b)(2)(A). (See Doc. No. 4.)
For the reasons set forth below, the Court grants the Petition and orders Respondents to
release Petitioner immediately.
BACKGROUND
Petitioner is a citizen of Ecuador who lives in the United States. (Doc. No. 1 ¶¶ 1,
15, 28-29.) He entered the United States in April 2022, was detained, and then was
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released from custody pursuant to an order for release on recognizance (“OREC”). (Id.
¶¶ 1, 3, 15, 30.) He has not violated the conditions of his release and has no criminal
record. (Id. ¶¶ 1, 5, 32.) The OREC has not been revoked. (Id. ¶¶ 3, 31.) Petitioner
applied for asylum but was denied by an immigration judge, and that application is
currently pending on appeal. (Id. ¶¶ 1, 15, 31.)
On December 23, 2025, agents from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement
(“ICE”) crashed into Petitioner’s car while he was driving to work. (Id. ¶ 3.) The ICE
agents then arrested him despite the fact that Petitioner showed the agents his
immigration documents. (Id. ¶¶ 1, 3, 31.) Petitioner is currently in ICE detention at the
Sherburne County Jail in Elk River, Minnesota. (Id. ¶¶ 11, 15, 33.)
Petitioner filed the Petition on March 2, 2026. (Id. at 23.) He claims that his
detention is unlawful under the Due Process Clause of the Fifth Amendment, the
Immigration and Nationality Act, and the Administrative Procedure Act. (Id. ¶¶ 52-64.)
Petitioner requests, among other things, release from detention or an order requiring
Respondents to provide him with a bond hearing under 8 U.S.C. § 1226(a). (Id. at 22.)
Respondents timely filed a form response. (Doc. No. 4.)
DISCUSSION
A district court may provide habeas relief to a person who is being detained in
violation of the Constitution or laws of the United States. 28 U.S.C. § 2241(c)(3). That
authority includes jurisdiction to hear habeas challenges to immigration-related detention.
Zadvydas v. Davis, 533 U.S. 678, 687 (2001); Deng Chol A. v. Barr, 455 F. Supp. 3d 896,
900-01 (D. Minn. 2020). The burden is on the petitioner to prove illegal detention by a
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preponderance of the evidence. See Mohammed H. v. Trump, 786 F. Supp. 3d 1149,
1154 (D. Minn. 2025).
Respondents submitted a form response, arguing that Petitioner is subject to
mandatory detention under 8 U.S.C. § 1225(b), and pointing the Court to their arguments
in a pending Eighth Circuit case: Avila v. Bondi, No. 25-3248. (See Doc. No. 4.) As this
Court has explained on multiple occasions, Respondents’ interpretation of § 1225
contradicts the plain language of the statute. See Jose L.M.S. v. Bondi, No. 26-cv-474,
2026 WL 185066, at *2 (D. Minn. Jan. 25, 2026); Omar E.F.G. v. Bondi, No. 26-cv-451,
2026 WL 184571, at *2 (D. Minn. Jan. 23, 2026); Victor S.M. v. Noem, No. 26-cv-400,
2026 WL 161445, at *2 (D. Minn. Jan. 21, 2026). Section 1225 applies to “applicants for
admission”—noncitizens who are either “present in the United States who ha[ve] not
been admitted or who arrive[] in the United States.” 8 U.S.C. § 1225(a)(1). Section 1226
applies where § 1225 is inapplicable and provides immigration judges with the discretion
to grant release on bond to noncitizens subject to removal proceedings. See id. § 1226(a).
Here, Petitioner is not an arriving noncitizen because he has been in the United
States for almost four years and has a pending asylum application. See Jennings v.
Rodriguez, 583 U.S. 281, 289 (2018) (noting that § 1226(a) applies to “certain aliens
already in the country”). Petitioner is therefore subject to the discretionary bond
provisions of § 1226(a), not the mandatory bond provisions of § 1225(b)(2).
Further, it seems that Petitioner was previously released on his own recognizance
under § 1226. Respondents fail to address the impact of his prior release under § 1226.
Respondents do not show that Petitioner’s order for release on recognizance was revoked
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or that there was any change in circumstances that would warrant its revocation.
Sections 1225 and 1226 are meant to address different populations, they are not
interchangeable. See Adriana M.Y.M. v. Easterwood, No. 26-cv-213, 2026 WL 184721,
at *4 (D. Minn. Jan. 24, 2026) (citing Jennings, 583 U.S. at 285-90).
Having found that Petitioner is being detained unlawfully, the question becomes
the correct remedy. A detainee being held pursuant to § 1226(a), as Petitioner is here,
must have been served an arrest warrant prior to detention. 8 U.S.C. § 1226(a); see also
Ahmed M. v. Bondi, No. 25-cv-4711, 2026 WL 25627, at *3 (D. Minn. Jan. 5, 2026)
(collecting cases). There is no evidence that Respondents had a warrant to arrest
Petitioner. And after being given the opportunity to explain the true cause of Petitioner’s
detention and provide documents of such (see Doc. No. 3), Respondents did not do so,
(see Doc. No. 4). The Court therefore concludes that Petitioner was arrested without a
warrant. The remedy for a warrantless arrest is immediate release. Munaf v. Geren,
553 U.S. 674, 693 (2008) (“Habeas is at its core a remedy for unlawful executive
detention. The typical remedy for such detention is, of course, release.” (citation
omitted)).
ORDER
Based on the foregoing and the record in this case, IT IS HEREBY ORDERED
that:
1. 	Petitioner’s petition for writ of habeas corpus (Doc. No. [1]) is
GRANTED.
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2. 	The Court DECLARES that Petitioner’s current detention is unlawful
under the Constitution and laws of the United States.
3. 	Respondents are ORDERED to release Petitioner from custody
immediately, subject only to the conditions of his prior Order of Release on
Recognizance.
4. 	Within three (3) days of the date of this Order, Respondents shall provide
the Court with a status update confirming Petitioner’s release.
5. 	Respondents are directed to release Petitioner:
a. 	In Minnesota;
b. 	With all personal documents and belongings, such as his driver’s
license, passport, other immigration documents, and cell phone;
c. 	Without any new conditions on release, including but not limited to
requiring Petitioner to sign an “Order of Release on Recognizance” or requiring
Petitioner to enroll in and complete an “Alternatives to Detention” program;
d. 	Without any tracking devices or use of a tracking application; and
e. 	With all clothing and outerwear he was wearing at the time of
detention, or other proper winter attire.
6. 	Respondents shall provide reasonable advance notice to counsel to arrange
for a safe release of Petitioner. Petitioner’s counsel is Graham Ojala-Barbour who can be
reached at 651-214-6284.
7. 	Respondents are ENJOINED from re-detaining Petitioner under this same
statutory theory, absent materially changed circumstances.
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8. 	Within thirty (30) days of final judgment in this action, Petitioner may
move to recover attorneys’ fees and costs under the Equal Access to Justice Act.
LET JUDGMENT BE ENTERED ACCORDINGLY.
Dated: March 6, 2026 	s/Donovan W. Frank
DONOVAN W. FRANK
United States District Judge
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