Source: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-casd-3_11-cv-02655/USCOURTS-casd-3_11-cv-02655-0/pdf.json

Nature of Suit Code: 530
Nature of Suit: Prisoner Petitions - Habeas Corpus
Cause of Action: 28:1331 Fed. Question

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UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA

RAMON RAMIREZ-CARILLO,

Plaintiff,

CASE NO. 10cr4724/11cv2655-LAB

ORDER DENYING 28 U.S.C. § 2255

vs. HABEAS MOTION

UNITED STATES,

Defendant.

After pleading guilty to one count of attempted reentry following deportation in

violation of 8 U.S.C. § 1326, Ramon Ramirez-Carillo filed a motion pursuant to 28 U.S.C.

§ 2255 to vacate his sentence. He argues that, as an illegal alien, he is being treated

differently than citizens would be, and that this violates his equal protection rights.

Specifically, he argues that as a deportable alien, he is ineligible to be housed in a halfway

house. 

Ramirez-Carillo waived appeal and collateral attack when he pleaded guilty. (See

Docket no. 17 (Plea Agreement) at 11:10–12:2.) The only exceptions were an appeal or

collateral attack based on ineffective assistance of counsel, or an appeal of a sentence

higher than the guideline range recommended pursuant to the plea agreement. In fact,

Ramirez-Carillo was sentenced to 30 months, plus three years’ supervised release—eleven

months below the custodial sentence recommended pursuant to the plea agreement. (See

id. at 8:20–9:26 (Plea Agreement’s provisions regarding sentencing); Docket no. 21

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(government’s sentencing summary chart, including the agreed-on guidelines and

recommending a sentence of 41 months); Docket no. 25 (Judgment, sentencing RamirezCarillo to 30 months plus 3 years’ supervised release).) 

Even if Ramirez-Carillo had not waived collateral attack, his motion would be denied

as meritless. First, are no similarly-situated U.S. citizens who are being punished less

severely for the crime to which Ramirez-Carillo pleaded guilty; by definition, this crime can

only be committed by noncitizens. Second, the argument that he is entitled to a lower

sentence because he is a deportable alien has been repeatedly rejected by this and other

courts as meritless. See, e.g., Patterson-Romo v. United States, 2012 WL 2060872

(S.D.Cal., June 7, 2012) (Gonzalez, J.); United States v. Beltran-Palafox, 2012 WL 899262

at *2 and n.14 (D.Kan., Mar. 16, 2012); Aguilar-Marroquin v. United States, 2011 WL

1344251 (S.D.Cal., Apr. 8, 2011) (Huff, J.); Rendon-Inzunza v. United States, 2010 WL

3076271 (S.D.Cal., Aug. 6, 2010) (Burns, J.).

The motion is DENIED.

IT IS SO ORDERED.

DATED: October 4, 2012

HONORABLE LARRY ALAN BURNS

United States District Judge

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