District of Massachusetts • 1:26-cv-10874

#1

Feb 14, 2026

PETITION for Writ of Habeas Corpus (2241) Filing fee: $ 5, receipt number AMADC-11551220 Fee status: Filing Fee paid., filed by MOSES N MAWETE. (Attachments: # 1 Civil Cover Sheet, # 2 Category Form)(Keefe, Joanna) (Entered: 02/14/2026)

#2

Feb 17, 2026

ELECTRONIC NOTICE of Case Assignment. District Judge Patti B. Saris assigned to case. If the trial Judge issues an Order of Reference of any matter in this case to a Magistrate Judge, the matter will be transmitted to Magistrate Judge Jessica D. Hedges. (CM) (Entered: 02/17/2026)

#3

Feb 17, 2026

District Judge Patti B. Saris: ELECTRONIC ORDER entered. Pursuant to Local Rule 40.1(j)(1), I hereby direct the Clerk forthwith to randomly reassign the case to another District Judge.(LP) (Entered: 02/17/2026)

#4

Feb 17, 2026

ELECTRONIC NOTICE of Reassignment. District Judge Julia E. Kobick added. District Judge Patti B. Saris no longer assigned to case. (CEH) (Entered: 02/17/2026)

#5

Feb 17, 2026

General Order 19-02

#6

Feb 17, 2026

District Judge Julia E. Kobick: ELECTRONIC ORDER entered. Petitioner Moses Nlevo Mawete, a citizen of Angola, filed a petition for a writ of habeas corpus under 28 U.S.C. § 2241 seeking his immediate release on February 14, 2026. ECF 1, ¶¶ 1, 6. In March 2024, he entered the United States without inspection or parole. Id. ¶¶ 2, 14, 18. Mawete is in removal proceedings and has applied for asylum. Id. ¶¶ 14, 18, 20. On December 18, 2025, he was detained by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (“ICE”) at its Strafford County Facility in New Hampshire, where he remains. Id. ¶¶ 2, 5, 10, 14, 18, 21.“[A]s a general rule, a petitioner must file a habeas petition in the district in which they are confined and must name as a respondent the petitioner’s immediate custodian.” Ozturk v. Trump, 777 F. Supp. 3d 26, 34 (D. Mass. 2025) (citing Rumsfeld v. Padilla, 542 U.S. 426, 442-47 (2004)). This Court lacks jurisdiction over the habeas petition because Mawete was not detained in Massachusetts when he filed his petition. See Padilla, 542 U.S. at 442; Godin v. Schencks, 629 F.3d 79, 83 (1st Cir. 2010) (“a court has an obligation to inquire sua sponte into its subject matter jurisdiction" (quotation marks omitted)). From December 18, 2025 onward, he has been under ICE custody in New Hampshire. ECF 1, ¶¶ 10, 14, 18, 21.In the circumstances of this case, transferring his petition to the District of New Hampshire is in the interests of justice. See 28 U.S.C. §§ 1404(a), 1406(a), 1631. Accordingly, Mawete’s petition for a writ of habeas corpus under 28 U.S.C. § 2241 is hereby TRANSFERRED to the United States District Court for the District of New Hampshire pursuant to 28 U.S.C. §§ 1404(a), 1406(a), and 1631.(Currie, Haley) (Entered: 02/17/2026)

#7

Feb 17, 2026

Case Transferred Out - District Transfer

Feb 17, 2026

Notice of Reassignment

Feb 17, 2026

Order

Feb 17, 2026

Notice of Case Assignment