Western District of Pennsylvania • 3:26-cv-00116

#1

Jan 29, 2026

ATTORNEY Petition for Writ of Habeas Corpus (Credit Card Required)

#2

Jan 29, 2026

CONSENT to Trial/Jurisdiction by US Magistrate Judge OR District Judge Option, by MUSA KAMARA. (Griffin, Thomas) (Entered: 01/29/2026)

Jan 29, 2026

Judge J. Nicholas Ranjan added. (dmh)

#3

Jan 30, 2026

Preliminary Injunction

#4

Jan 30, 2026

AFFIDAVIT of Service for Petition of Habeas Corpus served on Michael T. Rose, et. al. on 01/30/2026, filed by MUSA KAMARA. (Griffin, Thomas) (Entered: 01/30/2026)

Feb 02, 2026

CLERK'S REQUEST FOR CORRECTIVE ACTION re 1 Petition for Writ of Habeas Corpus, 3 MOTION for Preliminary Injunction . ERROR: Party name(s) entered incorrectly. Incorrect document attached. CORRECTION: Attorney is directed to enter party names correctly in all future filings. See the party naming conventions manual on the Court's website at https://www.pawd.uscourts.gov/attorneys. Document filed is proposed Order, missing Motion. Attorney advised to refile Motion for Preliminary Injunction, using the Errata event, attach Motion and link to original filing. (dmh)

Feb 02, 2026

Judge J. Nicholas Ranjan added. (dmh)

#5

Feb 03, 2026

CASE MANAGEMENT ORDER. Petitioner's counsel shall serve Respondents with a copy of this Order and the Petition via e-mail, as specified, and file a notice of compliance. Respondents' counsel shall file a notice of appearance within 3 days of the filing of Petitioner's Certificate of Compliance of Service. Respondents shall file any responses or answers to the petition within 30 days of the date of service. Signed by Judge J. Nicholas Ranjan on 2/3/2026. (pak) (Entered: 02/03/2026)

#6

Feb 03, 2026

ORDER re 3 Motion for Preliminary Injunction filed by MUSA KAMARA. Respondents' brief in response to the 3 motion shall be due at the same time as their response to the petition under the 5 Case Management Order - within 30 days of service of the petition. Signed by Judge J. Nicholas Ranjan on 2/3/2026. Text-only entry; no PDF document will issue. This text-only entry constitutes the Order of the Court or Notice on the matter. (pak) (Entered: 02/03/2026)

Feb 03, 2026

Order

#7

Feb 05, 2026

NOTICE of Appearance by David Lew on behalf of PAMELA BONDI, TODD M. LYONS, KRISTI NOEM, LEONARD ODDO, MICHAEL T. ROSE. (Lew, David) (Entered: 02/05/2026)

#8

Feb 12, 2026

CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE COMPLIANCE by MUSA KAMARA re 5 Case Management Order, (Griffin, Thomas) (Entered: 02/12/2026)

#9

Feb 27, 2026

Errata re 3 Motion for Preliminary Injunction by MUSA KAMARA. Reason for Correction: missing motion. (Griffin, Thomas). Modified text on 3/2/2026 to correct document linkage. (dmh) (Entered: 02/27/2026)

#10

Mar 06, 2026

RESPONSE IN OPPOSITION to 1 Petition for Writ of Habeas Corpus, 3 Motion for Preliminary Injunction, filed by PAMELA BONDI, TODD M. LYONS, KRISTI NOEM, LEONARD ODDO, MICHAEL ROSE. (Attachments: # 1 Exhibit 1, # 2 Exhibit 2, # 3 Exhibit 3, # 4 Exhibit 4) (Lew, David) (Entered: 03/06/2026)

#11

Mar 09, 2026

ORDER denying 3 Motion for Preliminary Injunction. for lack of jurisdiction. Petitioner, a native of Liberia, is currently detained at Moshannon Valley Correctional Center, and seeks to enjoin Respondents from transferring him to another detention facility. Congress has vested the Secretary of Homeland Security and his/her delegates, such as U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) with the authority to detain aliens pending a decision on their removal proceedings. 8 U.S.C. §§ 1231(a)(2), 1226(a), (c)(1). And Congress has vested the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) with the discretion to set the place of detention. 8 U.S.C. § 1231(g)(1); Sinclair v. Att'y Gen., 198 F. App'x 218, 222 n.3 (3d Cir. 2006) (collecting cases). Within DHS' discretion is the authority to transfer aliens from one detention center to another. Calla-Collado v. Att'y Gen., 663 F.3d 680, 685 (3d Cir. 2011). Reading § 1231(g)(1) together with Congress' limitations in 8 U.S.C. § 1252(a)(2)(B)(ii) on federal district courts' jurisdiction to review discretionary actions by DHS, federal district courts have concluded that they lack jurisdiction to review DHS' decisions under § 1231. See, e.g., Jane v. Rodriguez, No. 20-5922, 2020 WL 10140953, *1-2 (D.N.J. May 22, 2020) (citing cases). Consistent with this authority, this Court concludes that it lacks jurisdiction to enjoin Petitioner's transfer. Similarly, the Court lacks jurisdiction to enjoin Petitioner's removal. 8 U.S.C. §§ 1252(a)(5), 1252(e)(2) (limiting judicial review of removal orders to Courts of Appeals, except for habeas petitions under 8 U.S.C. § 1225(b)(1)); see Xu v. DHS/ICE Off. of Chief Couns., No. 23-CV-839, 2023 WL 4685817, at *2 (W.D. Pa. July 21, 2023) (Horan, J.); Mateo L. A. v. Nielson, No. 19-CV-6609, 2019 WL 1003408, at *2 (D.N.J. Feb. 28, 2019). Accordingly, IT IS HEREBY ORDERED that Petitioner's 3 Motion is DENIED.. Signed by Judge J. Nicholas Ranjan on 3/9/2026. Text-only entry; no PDF document will issue. This text-only entry constitutes the Order of the Court or Notice on the matter. (pak) (Entered: 03/09/2026)

#12

Mar 09, 2026

ORDER. For the reasons stated in Villagrez v. Bondi, et al., No. 26-72, 2026 WL 545380 (W.D. Pa. Feb. 26, 2026) (Ranjan, J.), the Court GRANTS the 1 habeas petition and ISSUES the writ, on these terms. (1) Respondents shall cause Petitioner to be taken to a neutral immigration judge of the Executive Office of Immigration Review for an individualized bond hearing to occur within 30 days of this order, or else release Petitioner by such date. (2) Respondents shall ensure that such a hearing include the required due process, i.e., at a minimum, factfinding based on a record produced before the decisionmaker and disclosed to Petitioner; an opportunity to make arguments on the Petitioner's behalf; and the right to an individualized determination of Petitioner's interests. See Ghanem v. Warden Essex Cnty. Corr. Facility, No. 21-1908, 2022 WL 574624, at *2 (3d Cir. Feb. 25, 2022). (3) Petitioner shall be responsible for securing the necessary transcripts and record of the bond hearing. The Court further finds that Respondents' position was substantially justified in this case, so no fees shall be awarded. The Clerk of Court shall administratively CLOSE this case. Signed by Judge J. Nicholas Ranjan on 3/9/2026. Text-only entry; no PDF document will issue. This text-only entry constitutes the Order of the Court or Notice on the matter. (pak) (Entered: 03/09/2026)

Mar 09, 2026

Order on Motion for Preliminary Injunction

Mar 09, 2026

Order for Administrative Case Closing

#13

Mar 26, 2026

STATUS REPORT by MUSA KAMARA. (Griffin, Thomas) (Entered: 03/26/2026)

#14

Mar 27, 2026

ORDER re 13 Status Report. Respondents shall file a response to Petitioner's recent 13 status report on or before 4/27/2026, indicating their positions on the issues Petitioner raises as to the alleged unfairness of his bond hearing. Signed by Judge J. Nicholas Ranjan on 3/27/2026. Text-only entry; no PDF document will issue. This text-only entry constitutes the Order of the Court or Notice on the matter. (pak) (Entered: 03/27/2026)

Mar 27, 2026

Order AND ~Util - Set Deadlines