District of Colorado • 1:26-cv-01144

#1

Mar 19, 2026

First APPLICATION for Writ of Habeas Corpus Pursuant to 28 USC 2241 (Filing fee $ 5, Receipt Number ACODC-10893943)Attorney Thomas Phillip Ward added to party Cruz Ramon Villalba Cordova (pty:pet), filed by Cruz Ramon Villalba Cordova. (Attachments: # 1 Civil Cover Sheet Civil Cover Sheet, # 2 Exhibit Exhibit 1 - Notice to Appear)(Ward, Thomas) (Entered: 03/19/2026)

#2

Mar 19, 2026

Case assigned to Magistrate Judge Susan Prose. Text Only Entry. (agarc, ) (Entered: 03/20/2026)

#3

Mar 20, 2026

Magistrate Judge consent form issued pursuant to D.C.COLO.LCivR 40.1, direct assignment of civil actions to full time magistrate judges. (agarc, ) (Entered: 03/20/2026)

#4

Mar 20, 2026

CONSENT to Jurisdiction of Magistrate Judge by Petitioner Cruz Ramon Villalba Cordova All parties consent.. (Ward, Thomas) (Entered: 03/20/2026)

#5

Mar 22, 2026

ORDER by Magistrate Judge Susan Prose on March 22, 2026. Upon review of Petitioner's 1 Application for Writ of Habeas Corpus (the "Petition"), which requests, inter alia, that the court grant the Petition and "[i]ssue a writ of habeas corpus requiring that within one day, Respondents release Petitioner" or "[a]lternatively, issue a writ of habeas corpus requiring Respondents to release Petitioner unless they provide a bond hearing..." it is ORDERED that Petitioner shall serve Respondents with a copy of the 1 Petition, and accompanying papers, along with a copy of this Order, by e-mail and overnight mail, on or before March 24, 2026. Petitioner shall promptly file proof of such service on the docket, and counsel for Respondents shall promptly enter their notices of appearance. Within seven days of service, Respondents shall RESPOND to the 1 Petition and SHOW CAUSE why the Petition shall not be granted. It is further ORDERED that the parties shall file a completed Magistrate Judge consent form (ECF No. 3 ) on or before March 30, 2026. The court notes that the consent form filed at ECF No. 4 is invalid, Respondents not yet having appeared in this matter, and directs Petitioner to comply with the procedure established at Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 73(b) in filing such forms. Respondents are hereby enjoined from transferring Petitioner outside of the jurisdiction of the District of Colorado pending resolution of the 1 Petition. Text Only Entry (sbplc6, ) (Entered: 03/22/2026)

Mar 22, 2026

Order

#6

Mar 30, 2026

Renewed APPLICATION for Writ of Habeas Corpus Pursuant to 28 USC 2241 (Filing fee $ 5, Receipt Number ACODC-10912216), filed by Cruz Ramon Villalba Cordova. (Attachments: # 1 Civil Cover Sheet, # 2 Exhibit 1 - Notice to Appear, # 3 Proof of Service by Email, # 4 USPS Receipt of Mailing Proof of Service)(Ward, Thomas) (Entered: 03/30/2026)

#7

Mar 30, 2026

Administrative Notice: Duplicate filing fee received with 6 Amended Application. Financial notified and a refund is pending. (Text Only Entry) (agarc, ) (Entered: 03/30/2026)

#8

Apr 08, 2026

NOTICE of Entry of Appearance by Julia M. Prochazka on behalf of Juan Baltazar, Pamela Bondi, Robert Hagan, Todd M. Lyons, Kristi NoemAttorney Julia M. Prochazka added to party Juan Baltazar(pty:res), Attorney Julia M. Prochazka added to party Pamela Bondi(pty:res), Attorney Julia M. Prochazka added to party Robert Hagan(pty:res), Attorney Julia M. Prochazka added to party Todd M. Lyons(pty:res), Attorney Julia M. Prochazka added to party Kristi Noem(pty:res) (Prochazka, Julia) (Entered: 04/08/2026)

#9

Apr 08, 2026

CONSENT to Jurisdiction of Magistrate Judge by Respondents Juan Baltazar, Pamela Bondi, Robert Hagan, Todd M. Lyons, Kristi Noem All parties consent.. (Prochazka, Julia) (Entered: 04/08/2026)

#10

Apr 13, 2026

RESPONSE to 5 Order,,,,,, Order to Show Cause by Respondents Juan Baltazar, Pamela Bondi, Robert Hagan, Todd M. Lyons, Kristi Noem. (Attachments: # 1 Exhibit A - Mendoza Gutierrez US Response Brief, ECF No. 26)(Prochazka, Julia) (Entered: 04/13/2026)

#11

Apr 20, 2026

ORDER OF REFERENCE. Pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 636(c), Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 73, Local Civil Rules 40.1(c)(6) and 72.2, and 9 Election Concerning Consent/Non-Consent to United States Magistrate Judge Jurisdiction, this action is REFERRED for final disposition to Magistrate Judge Susan Prose, who will conduct any and all further proceedings and order the entry of judgment in the case. SO ORDERED by Chief Judge Daniel D. Domenico on 4/20/2026. Text Only Entry (dddlc1, ) (Entered: 04/20/2026)

Apr 20, 2026

Order on Consent to Jurisdiction of Magistrate Judge

#12

Apr 30, 2026

ORDER re: 6 Application for Writ of Habeas Corpus filed by Cruz Ramon Villalba Cordova by Magistrate Judge Susan Prose on 4/30/26. The Amended Petition for Writ of Habeas Corpus (ECF No. 6) is GRANTED in part as set forth below. The Court notes that Respondents concede that the issues presented here are not materially different from an issue this Court resolved in a prior ruling in Arenas v. Noem, No. 26-cv-00024-SBP, 2026 WL 317562, at *2 (D. Colo. Feb. 5, 2026). See also, e.g., Merchan-Pacheo v. Noem, No. 25-cv-3860-SBP, 2026 WL 88526 (D. Colo. Jan. 12, 2026). Respondents acknowledge that this Courts prior ruling would lead the Court to reach the same result here if the Court adheres to Arenas, as the facts of this case are not materially distinguishable from that decision for purposes of the legal issue of whether Petitioner is subject to mandatory detention under 8 U.S.C. § 1225(b)(2). Respondents incorporate by reference their legal arguments from Mendoza Gutierrez v. Baltazar, No. 25-cv-02720-RMR (D. Colo.), but cite no source of law binding upon this Court that would require reconsideration of the analysis in Arenas and Merchan-Pacheo. The Court finds no reason to revisit those rulings at this time. The Court therefore refers the parties to its analyses in both Arenas, 2026 WL 317562, and Merchan-Pacheo,, 2026 WL 88526, which apply with equal force here and establish that Petitioner is entitled to a bond hearing under 8 U.S.C. § 1226(a). The Court notes that Petitioner technically requests immediate release and requests a bond hearing only in the alternative. However, Petitioner raises no developed argument that immediate release (as opposed to a bond hearing) is the appropriate remedy. The Court therefore finds that directing a bond hearing under § 1226(a) is the proper relief. The Court ORDERS Respondents to provide Petitioner with an individualized bond hearing pursuant to 8 U.S.C. § 1226(a) no later than seven (7) days from the date of this Order (i.e., by May 7, 2026). Respondents shall file a status report confirming that the bond hearing has been conducted no later than ten (10) days from the date of this Order (i.e., by May 10, 2026). If Petitioner has not received the bond hearing by the time the status report is due, Petitioner shall be immediately released from custody under appropriate conditions of supervision. The Court declines to reach Petitioners additional arguments (including any reliance on the Maldonado Bautista class action, which the Ninth Circuit has stayed outside the Central District of California) because the statutory claim resolved above is dispositive. See, e.g., Leyva Ramirez v. Baltasar, No. 26-cv-00199-NYW, 2026 WL 318989, at *34 (D. Colo. Feb. 6, 2026); INS v. Bagamasbad, 429 U.S. 24, 25 (1976). No further prospective injunctive relief is warranted. See Montanez de la Cruz v. Baltazar, No. 26-cv-00360-PAB, 2026 WL 439217, at *35 (D. Colo. Feb. 17, 2026). Text Only Entry (sbplc9, ) (Entered: 04/30/2026)

Apr 30, 2026

Order