Ranvir Singh Cheema, an immigration detainee proceeding pro se, filed the habeas corpus petition challenging his detention at a facility overseen by Warden Christopher Chestnut. The case involved interpretation of 8 U.S.C. ยง 1225(b)(2) and whether it applies to noncitizens already residing in the United States.
Judge Calabretta rejected the government's interpretation of the immigration statute, finding more persuasive the Seventh Circuit's reasoning in Castanon-Nava v. U.S. Dep't of Homeland Sec. and a dissent in Buenrostro-Mendez v. Bondi. "This Court finds more persuasive the Seventh Circuit's reasoning...finding that 8 U.S.C. 1225(b)(2) does not apply to noncitizens who are residing in the United States," Calabretta wrote.
The case was initially referred to a magistrate judge who issued findings and recommendations on March 30, 2026. Respondents filed objections citing Eighth and Fifth Circuit decisions supporting the government's position, but Judge Calabretta adopted the magistrate's recommendations in full after conducting a de novo review.
The court ordered respondents to provide Cheema with a bond hearing within seven days before a neutral arbiter, where the government must prove by clear and convincing evidence that he poses a danger or flight risk. The ruling also dismissed several federal officials as respondents, leaving only Warden Chestnut as the remaining defendant.