Ramos et al v. Nielsen et al

Filing 222

ORDER by Judge Edward M. Chen granting 206 Defendants' Motion to Dismiss. (emclc2, COURT STAFF) (Filed on 12/28/2023)

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UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

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NORTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA

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CRISTA RAMOS, et al.,

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United States District Court
Northern District of California

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Case No. 18-cv-01554-EMC

Plaintiffs,
ORDER GRANTING DEFENDANTS’
MOTION TO DISMISS

v.
KIRSTJEN NIELSEN, et al.,
Defendants.

Docket No. 206

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Plaintiffs are individuals, some noncitizen adults and some citizen children with noncitizen

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parents, who live in the United States legally. The noncitizen individuals have permission to be in

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the country pursuant to the Temporary Protected Status (“TPS”) designations for six countries,

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specifically: (1) Sudan; (2) Haiti; (3) Nicaragua; (4) El Salvador; (5) Honduras; and (6) Nepal.

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Plaintiffs filed suit in 2018 and 2019, challenging the Trump administration’s termination of the

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TPS designations for those six countries. In October 2018, this Court granted Plaintiffs a

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preliminary injunction. The government appealed and prevailed, but, subsequently, in February

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2023, the Ninth Circuit granted Plaintiffs’ petition for an en banc hearing. Shortly before the en

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banc hearing, the government announced that it would be rescinding the 2017 and 2018

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terminations of the TPS designations for El Salvador, Honduras, Nepal, and Nicaragua. By that

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time the government had already newly designated Haiti and Sudan for TPS. The government

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thereafter voluntarily moved to dismiss its appeal with the Ninth Circuit , and the Ninth Circuit

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granted that relief.

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Following the appellate proceedings, Plaintiffs took the position before this Court that the
case was still not moot. The Court allowed Plaintiffs to file a consolidated amended complaint.

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The government then filed the pending motion to dismiss for lack of subject matter jurisdiction.

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The government primarily argues that the case should be dismissed based on mootness, whether

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Plaintiffs are arguing (1) that the Trump administration’s TPS terminations were improper or (2)

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that the government has improperly charged TPS holders from Haiti or Sudan a $50 registration

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fee.

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United States District Court
Northern District of California

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Having considered the parties’ briefs and accompanying submissions, as well as the oral
argument of counsel, the Court hereby GRANTS the motion to dismiss.
I.

FACTUAL & PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND

In the operative class action amended complaint (“CAC”), Plaintiffs allege as follows.
Congress established the TPS program through the Immigration Act of 1990. See CAC ¶

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46. The TPS statute is codified at 8 U.S.C. § 1254a. See id. Under the program, foreign nationals

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of designated countries are given lawful immigrant status because they cannot safely return home.

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Specifically, the Attorney General has the authority to issue a TPS designation based on certain

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criteria – e.g., an ongoing armed conflict or an environmental disaster such as an earthquake or

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flood. See id. ¶ 47; see also 8 U.S.C. § 1254a(b)(1). An initial designation lasts between 6 to 18

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months. See CAC ¶ 48; see also 8 U.S.C. § 1254a(b)(2). “Before the designation can become

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effective, the Secretary [of Homeland Security] must publish a notice in the Federal Register that

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includes, among other things, a statement of findings, the effective date of the designation, and a

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tally of eligible foreign nationals.” CAC ¶ 48; see also 8 U.S.C. § 1254a(b) (“A designation of a

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foreign state . . . under this paragraph shall not become effective unless notice of the designation

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(including a statement of the findings under this paragraph and the effective date of the

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designation) is published in the Federal Register. In such notice, the Attorney General shall also

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state an estimate of the number of nationals of the foreign state designated who are (or within the

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effective period of the designation are likely to become) eligible for temporary protected status

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under this section and their immigration status in the United States.”).

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Thereafter, the Secretary engages in a periodic review of TPS designations. See id. ¶ 51;
see also 8 U.S.C. § 1254a(b)(3). The statute provides in relevant part as follows:
(A)

Periodic review. At least 60 days before end of the initial
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period of designation, and any extended period of
designation, of a foreign state (or part thereof) under this
section the Attorney General, after consultation with
appropriate agencies of the Government, shall review the
conditions in the foreign state (or part of such foreign state)
for which a designation is in effect under this subsection and
shall determine whether the conditions for such designation
under this subsection continue to be met. The Attorney
General shall provide on a timely basis for the publication of
notice of each such determination (including the basis for the
determination, and, in the case of an affirmative
determination, the period of extension of designation under
subparagraph (C)) in the Federal Register.

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(B)

Termination of designation. If the Attorney General
determines under subparagraph (A) that a foreign state (or
part of such foreign state) no longer continues to meet the
conditions for designation under paragraph (1), the Attorney
General shall terminate the designation by publishing notice
in the Federal Register of the determination under this
subparagraph (including the basis for the determination).
Such termination is effective in accordance with subsection
(d)(3), but shall not be effective earlier than 60 days after the
date the notice is published or, if later, the expiration of the
most recent previous extension under subparagraph (C).

(C)

Extension of designation. If the Attorney General does not
determine under subparagraph (A) that a foreign state (or
part of such foreign state) no longer meets the conditions for
designation under paragraph (1), the period of designation of
the foreign state is extended for an additional period of 6
months (or, in the discretion of the Attorney General, a
period of 12 or 18 months).

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United States District Court
Northern District of California

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Id.
In 2017 and 2018, the Trump administration terminated the TPS designations of four

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countries: (1) Sudan; (2) Haiti; (3) Nicaragua; and (4) El Salvador. See id. ¶¶ 2, 8. The

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termination was based on a new interpretation of the TPS statute. According to Plaintiffs,

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DHS abandoned a long-established practice under which it
considered all current conditions – including intervening events – in
deciding whether to extend or terminate a country’s TPS
designation. In its place, DHS adopted a new, narrow practice in
which DHS considers only whether the original conditions that
initially gave rise to the TPS designation persist, and only those
ongoing harms directly tied to those original conditions.

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Id. ¶ 62 (emphasis added). The new interpretation was “motivated by intentional race- and

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national-origin-based animus against individuals from what former President Trump referred to as

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‘shithole countries.’ i.e., non-white, non-European immigrants.” Id. ¶ 10.
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In October 2018, this Court granted Plaintiffs’ motion for a preliminary injunction, barring

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enforcement of the decisions to terminate TPS for Sudan, Haiti, El Salvador, and Nicaragua. See

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id. ¶ 153; see also Docket No. 128 (order). The government appealed to the Ninth Circuit.

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However, pending appeal, it agreed “to issue periodic Federal Register notices automatically

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extending TPS status and employment authorization for TPS holders from El Salvador, Haiti,

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Nicaragua, and Sudan . . . for at least nine months at a time.” CAC ¶ 156. The government later

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agreed to the same procedure for Nepal and Honduras, after it was announced their TPS

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designations would also be terminated.1 See id. ¶ 158-59; see also id. ¶ 161 (alleging that

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“Defendants have issued five Federal Register notices automatically extending TPS status and

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employment authorization for TPS holders protected by this Court’s orders”).

United States District Court
Northern District of California

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In September 2020, a Ninth Circuit panel reversed this Court’s decision granting a
preliminary injunction. Plaintiffs sought rehearing en banc. See id. ¶ 160.

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In January 2021, President Biden took office. Shortly thereafter, Plaintiffs asked the Ninth

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Circuit to stay proceedings on their petition, “citing President Biden’s stated intention to take swift

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action on TPS.” Id. ¶ 164.

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In June 2021, the parties jointly moved the case to be referred to the Ninth Circuit’s
mediation program. See id. ¶ 166.

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In August 2021,

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DHS published a Federal Register notice designating Haiti for TPS
for 18 months . . . . The Federal Register notice cites human rights
violations and abuses by law enforcement officials and non-state
actors; serious security concerns, including violent criminal gangs; a
dire economic situation, including a poverty rate of nearly 60%; a
weak healthcare system suffering from ‘the lingering impact of the
2010 earthquake and Hurricane Matthew in 2016’; and the impact of
the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Id. ¶ 170 (citing 86 Fed. Reg. 41,863 (Aug. 3, 2021)). Compare id. ¶ 88 (alleging that Haiti was

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first designated for TPS in January 2010 after a major earthquake). Haiti was subsequently

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The challenge to the TPS terminations for Nepal and Honduras were initially brought in a
different case, Bhattarai v. Nielsen, No. C-19-0731 EMC (N.D. Cal.). Bhattarai was subsequently
consolidated with this case.
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redesignated for TPS. See id. ¶ 180 (citing 88 Fed. Reg. 5022 (Jan. 26, 2023)).

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In April 2022,

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DHS published a Federal Register notice designating Sudan for TPS
for 18 months . . . . The Secretary explained that he had “determined
that an eighteen-month designation is warranted because of the
extraordinary and temporary conditions,” including ongoing armed
conflict and civil unrest, political instability, flooding, droughts,
widespread poverty, and “deteriorating economic conditions.”

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Id. ¶ 171 (citing 87 Fed. Reg. 23,202 (Apr. 19, 2022)). Compare id. ¶ 79 (alleging that Sudan was

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first designated for TPS in November 1997 during a civil war). Sudan was later redesignated for

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TPS. See id. ¶ 180 (citing 88 Fed. Reg. 56,857 (Aug. 21, 2023)).

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United States District Court
Northern District of California

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In October 2022, after settlement negotiations between the parties were not successful, the
Ninth Circuit released the appeal from the mediation program. See id. ¶ 167.

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In February 2023, the Ninth Circuit granted a rehearing en banc. See id. ¶ 168.

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On June 13, 2023, “one week before [the] en banc oral argument in the Ramos appeal,”

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DHS announced in a press release that it was rescinding the Trump administration’s terminations

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of TPS for the remaining four countries at issue – i.e., El Salvador, Honduras, Nepal, and

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Nicaragua. Id. ¶ 174. DHS also stated that it would be extending the TPS designations for those

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countries. See id.

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The next day, Defendants moved to voluntarily dismiss the Ramos appeal. See id. ¶ 175.

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On June 21, 2023, “one day before the en banc oral argument,” DHS published Federal

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Register notices announcing the rescission of the TPS terminations and the extension of the TPS

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designations.” Id. ¶ 176 (citing 88 Fed. Reg. 40,282 (June 21, 2023) (El Salvador); 88 Fed. Reg.

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40,304 (June 21, 2023) (Honduras); 88 Fed. Reg. 40,317 (June 21, 2023) (Nepal); and 88 Fed.

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Reg. 40,294 (June 21, 2023) (Nicaragua)).2

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The Federal Register notice for El Salvador is representative:
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“After conducting an independent assessment of the country conditions in El Salvador as
they existed in 2018 and exist today, the Secretary has determined that El Salvador’s 2001
TPS designation should not have been terminated.” 88 Fed. Reg. 40,282, at 40,285.
“El Salvador was initially designated for TPS in 2001 on environmental disaster grounds
following two separate earthquakes that occurred that year.” Id. “While some progress on
reconstruction projects had been made by 2018, many of the problems caused by the 2001
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On June 29, 2023, the Ninth Circuit granted Defendants’ motion to voluntarily dismiss the

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appeal. The court did not address whether Defendants’ actions related to the countries at issue had

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mooted the case. See id. ¶ 177.

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In addition to the above, Plaintiffs allege that, for Haiti and Sudan, there is another

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problem related to TPS designations. Specifically, “[i]n redesignating Haiti and Sudan for TPS,

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DHS required Haitian and Sudanese TPS holders to file a request for TPS as new applicants,

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which requires the payment of a $50 fee which does not apply to TPS holders renewing their

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registrations.” Id. ¶ 172 (emphasis added).

United States District Court
Northern District of California

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Based on, inter alia, the above allegations, Plaintiffs assert the following claims for relief:

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(1) Violation of equal protection. “Defendants’ decisions to terminate the TPS

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designations for [the six countries] are unconstitutional because they were

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motivated, at least in part, by intentional discrimination based on race, ethnicity, or

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national origin.” Id. ¶ 226.
(2) Violation of due process. “The government has not articulated, and cannot

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establish, any rational basis for reversing course on decades of established TPS

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policy and ignoring the current capability of TPS counties to safely receive

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longtime TPS holders, their families, and their U.S. citizen children.” Id. ¶ 232.

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(3) Violation of the Administrative Procedure Act (“APA”). Defendants violated

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earthquakes persisted. Since the disastrous effects of the earthquakes in 2001, El Salvador
has been encumbered by several natural disasters, environmental challenges, high levels of
violence, and economic instability, all of which significantly slowed its recovery and
continued to render El Salvador unable to handle the return of its nationals at the time of
the decision to terminate the designation.” Id. at 40,285-86.
“At the time of the determination to terminate the designation of TPS, DHS found that the
social and economic conditions affected by the earthquakes had stabilized. That
conclusion was in error and reflects an inadequate assessment of conditions in El Salvador
leading up to the announcement of the decision to terminate. Although some social and
economic progress had been made by 2018, frequent and significant environmental
disasters occurred after the 2001 earthquakes causing additional challenges. Recovery
from the earthquakes continued to be slow and encumbered by hurricanes and tropical
storms, heavy rains and flooding, volcanic and seismic activity, a coffee rust epidemic, a
prolonged and severe drought, and an increase in various mosquito-borne diseases, among
other things.” Id. at 40,286. “Numerous natural disasters have negatively affected El
Salvador since the 2001 earthquakes and have adversely impacted its ability to adequately
handle the return of its nationals granted TPS.” Id.
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the APA by making a “sudden and unexplained departure from decades of

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decision-making practices and ordinary procedures. By shifting the decision-

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governing standard for country designations without explanation, Defendants have

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ignored a clear statutory command and engaged in procedurally flawed decision-

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making. Further, Defendants changed their policy without taking into account the

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serious reliance interests that their prior policy had engendered.” Id. ¶ 239.

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with the law because the statute “does not prohibit the Secretary from considering

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intervening events when determining whether to extend TPS.” Id. ¶ 242.

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United States District Court
Northern District of California

(4) Violation of the APA. Defendants did not interpret the TPS statute in accordance

(5) Violation of the APA. The parties agree that this claim is now moot. See Mot. at

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15; Opp’n at 18 n.6. Plaintiffs had alleged that Defendants violated the APA by

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“impos[ing] re-registration deadlines that expire long before the current TPS

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extensions expire.” Id. ¶ 245.

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(6) Violation of due process. The parties agree that this claim is now moot. See Mot.

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15; Opp’n at 18 n.6. Plaintiffs had alleged that “Defendants’ adoption of re-

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registration deadlines that expire long before the current TPS extensions expire is

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so lacking in justification and contrary to past practice that it fails to satisfy the

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rationality constraints imposed by the Fifth Amendment on governmental

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decisionmaking in this context.” Id. ¶ 248.

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(7) Violation of due process. The due process rights of U.S. citizen children have

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been violated. They have an absolute right to live in the United States and they

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have a fundamental right to live with and be raised by their parents. See id. ¶¶ 252-

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53. “[T]he government’s decision to end the lawful immigration status of their

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parents” forces the children “to choose between two alternatives when each

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alternative will deprive them of a substantial, constitutionally-protected aspect of

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liberty.” Id. ¶ 254.

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II.
A.

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Legal Standard
In the pending motion, the government argues that Plaintiffs’ case is now moot. Because

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mootness “pertain[s] to a federal court’s subject-matter jurisdiction under Article III, [it is]

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properly raised in a motion to dismiss under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 12(b)(1), not Rule

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12(b)(6).” White v. Lee, 227 F.3d 1214, 1242 (9th Cir. 2000).

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A Rule 12(b)(1) jurisdictional attack may be facial or factual. In a
facial attack, the challenger asserts that the allegations contained in a
complaint are insufficient on their face to invoke federal
jurisdiction. By contrast, in a factual attack, the challenger disputes
the truth of the allegations that, by themselves, would otherwise
invoke federal jurisdiction. . . .

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In resolving a factual attack on jurisdiction, the district court may
review evidence beyond the complaint without converting the
motion to dismiss into a motion for summary judgment. The court
need not presume the truthfulness of the plaintiff’s allegations.
“Once the moving party has converted the motion to dismiss into a
factual motion by presenting affidavits or other evidence properly
brought before the court, the party opposing the motion must furnish
affidavits or other evidence necessary to satisfy its burden of
establishing subject matter jurisdiction.”

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United States District Court
Northern District of California

DISCUSSION

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Safe Air For Everyone v. Meyer, 373 F.3d 1035, 1039 (9th Cir. 2004); see also NewGen, LLC v.

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Safe Cig, LLC, 840 F.3d 606, 614 (9th Cir. 2016).

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In the instant case, the government makes both a facial attack and a factual one. The

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government makes a facial attack to the extent Plaintiffs are challenging the Trump

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administration’s TPS terminations.3 The government makes a facial and a factual attack to the

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extent Plaintiffs are asserting that the government has failed to refund the $50 registration fee to

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TPS holders from Haiti and Sudan.

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B.

Mootness

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“A case becomes moot – and therefore no longer a ‘Case’ or ‘Controversy’ for purposes of

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Article III – ‘when the issues presented are no longer “live” or the parties lack a legally cognizable

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Although the government made a facial attack, Plaintiffs have somewhat tried to convert the
attack into a factual one by submitting a notice about recent statements made by Candidate
Trump’s team – i.e., regarding an intend to rescind TPS if Trump is elected President in 2024. See
Docket No. 219 (notice).
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United States District Court
Northern District of California

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interest in the outcome.’” Already, LLC v. Nike, Inc., 133 S. Ct. 721, 726 (2013). According to the

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government, to the extent Plaintiffs challenge the Trump administration’s TPS terminations, that

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challenge is now moot because there are no live issues to resolve: (1) the government has given

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new TPS designations to Haiti and Sudan and (2) the government has rescinded the TPS

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terminations and granted TPS extensions for the remaining four countries at issue.

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In response, Plaintiffs argue that their claims are not moot because of the voluntary

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cessation exception to mootness. See Ctr. for Biological Diversity v. Lohn, 511 F.3d 960, 964 (9th

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Cir. 2007) (taking note of “several major exceptions to mootness, including for (1) ‘collateral legal

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consequences,’ (2) ‘wrongs capable of repetition yet evading review,’ and (3) ‘voluntary

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cessation’”). Under the voluntary cessation exception, “‘a defendant cannot automatically moot a

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case simply by ending its unlawful conduct once sued.’” Brach v. Newsom, 38 F.4th 6, 12 (9th

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Cir. 2022). The exception is based on “‘the principle that a party should not be able to evade

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judicial review, or to defeat a judgment, by temporarily altering questionable behavior.’” Id.; see

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also Rosebrock v. Mathis, 745 F.3d 963, 971 (9th Cir. 2014) (stating that the “‘[t]he voluntary

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cessation of challenged conduct does not ordinarily render a case moot because a dismissal for

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mootness would permit a resumption of the challenged conduct as soon as the case is dismissed’”)

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(emphasis added).

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“[V]oluntary cessation can yield mootness if a ‘stringent’ standard is met: ‘A case might

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become moot if subsequent events made it absolutely clear that the allegedly wrongful behavior

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could not reasonably be expected to recur.’” Id. “Reasonable expectation means something more

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than ‘a mere physical or theoretical possibility.’” Brach, 38 F.4th at 14 (where plaintiffs alleged

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state officials violated federal law by suspending in-person instruction in schools during COVID-

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19 pandemic but restrictions had since been lifted and schools reopened, stating that the

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“speculative contingency [that pandemic conditions might change] and the fact ‘the Governor has

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the power to issue executive orders cannot itself be enough to skirt mootness, because then no suit

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against the government would ever be moot’”).

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“The party asserting mootness bears a ‘heavy burden’ in meeting [the] standard [of no
reasonable expectation of recurrence].” Rosebrock, 745 F.3d at 971. This is true even where it is
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the government that claims mootness. But a court
nonetheless “treat[s] the voluntary cessation of challenged conduct
by government officials with more solicitude . . . than similar action
by private parties.” This is no bare deference: we probe the record
to determine whether the government has met its burden, even as we
grant it a presumption of good faith.

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United States District Court
Northern District of California

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Brach, 38 F.4th at 12-13; see also Rosebrock, 745 F.3d at 971 (“We presume that a government

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entity is acting in good faith when it changes its policy, but when the Government asserts

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mootness based on such change it still must bear the heavy burden of showing that the challenged

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conduct cannot reasonably be expected to start up again.”).

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According to the government, a government entity generally meets the heavy burden of

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establishing no reasonable expectation of recurrence when a plaintiff is challenging a regulation

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and the government then “changes or repeals the regulation at issue.” M.W., 2017 WL 10456732,

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at *5; cf. Rosebrock, 745 F.3d at 971 (“‘A statutory change . . . is usually enough to render a case

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moot, even if the legislature possesses the power to reenact the statute after the lawsuit is

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dismissed.’”). The government adds that, with this kind of voluntary cessation, the burden shifts

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to the plaintiff to show that the government entity will likely reenact the regulation. The

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government’s position is supported by Ninth Circuit precedent. In Board of Trustees of the

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Glazing Health & Welfare Trust v. Chambers, 941 F.3d 1195 (9th Cir. 2019), the Ninth Circuit

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stated:

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[W]e join the majority of our sister circuits in concluding that
legislative actions should not be treated the same as voluntary
cessation of challenged acts by a private party, and that we should
assume that a legislative body is acting in good faith in repealing or
amending a challenged legislative provision, or in allowing it to
expire. Therefore, in determining whether a case is moot, we should
presume that the repeal, amendment, or expiration of legislation will
render an action challenging the legislation moot, unless there is a
reasonable expectation that the legislative body will reenact the
challenged provision or one similar to it.

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The party challenging the presumption of mootness need not show
that the enactment of the same or similar legislation is a “virtual
certainty,” only that there is a reasonable expectation of
reenactment. But a determination that such a reasonable expectation
exists must be founded in the record, as it was in City of Mesquite,[4 ]

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See City of Mesquite v. Aladdin’s Castle, Inc., 455 U.S. 283, 289 & n.11 (1982) (stating that “the
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rather than on speculation alone.

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Id. at 1199 (emphasis added); see also Rentberry, Inc. v. City of Seattle, 814 Fed. Appx. 309, 309

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(9th Cir. 2020) (stating that “[a]ppellants have not met their burden of showing a ‘reasonable

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expectation’ that Seattle will enact a same or similar ordinance in the future”); Cocina Cultura

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LLC v. Oregon Dep’t of Admin. Servs., No. 3:20-cv-01866-IM, 2021 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 162629, at

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*16 (D. Or. Aug. 27, 2021) (stating that, “[n]otably, Glazing Health placed the burden on the

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plaintiff to show the case is not moot”); Cal. Rental Hous. Ass’n v. Newsom, No. 2:21-cv-01394-

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JAM-JDP, 2022 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 186483, at *9 (E.D. Cal. Oct. 11, 2022) (stating that, “[a]s the

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party seeking to rebut the presumption of mootness, Plaintiffs must show there is a reasonable

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expectation that the State will reoffend”).5

United States District Court
Northern District of California

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However, in the case at bar, the government has not repealed or amended any statute or

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regulation. The government’s TPS determinations did not undergo the same rigorous process that

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statutes and regulations generally do (whether for repeal or amendment). On the other hand, there

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is also no dispute that the government’s TPS designations/extensions have the force of law, and its

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actions have been formalized through publication in the Federal Register. Thus, it may be argued

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that the government’s TPS designations/extensions are akin to regulations – in which case,

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arguably, mootness should be presumed and the burden shifted to Plaintiffs, i.e., to show that that

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there is a reasonable expectation that the government will terminate the TPS designations in the

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future.

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For purposes of this order, the Court need not decide whether it would be appropriate to
presume mootness based on the government’s TPS determinations and shift the burden to

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city’s repeal of the objectionable language would not preclude it from reenacting precisely the
same provision if the District Court’s judgment were vacated”; “[i]ndeed, the city has announced
just such an intention”).
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In addition to the Ninth Circuit, the Eleventh Circuit has adopted the same approach. See Walker
v. City of Calhoun, 901 F.3d 1245, 1270 (11th Cir. 2018) (“When a government voluntarily ceases
the challenged action, however, there is a presumption that the government will not later resume
the action, so the plaintiff bears the burden of showing that there is ‘a reasonable expectation’ that
the government ‘will reverse course and reenact the allegedly offensive’ policy.”) (emphasis
omitted).
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Plaintiffs. This is because, even under the typical standard – which imposes a heavy burden on the

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government to prove mootness – the government has sufficiently established there is no

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reasonable expectation that the government will reverse course on the TPS designations. In this

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regard, the Ninth Circuit’s decision in Rosebrock is instructive. There, the Ninth Circuit noted

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that

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a policy change not reflected in statutory changes or even changes in
ordinances or regulations will not necessarily render a case moot,
but it may do so in certain circumstances.

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We have not set forth a definitive test for determining whether a
voluntary cessation of this last type – one not reflected in statutory
changes or even in changes in ordinances or regulations – has
rendered a case moot. But we have indicated that mootness is more
likely if (1) the policy change is evidenced by language that is
“broad in scope and unequivocal in tone”; (2) the policy change
fully “addresses all of the objectionable measures that [the
Government] officials took against the plaintiffs in th[e] case”; (3)
“th[e] case [in question] was the catalyst for the agency’s adoption
of the new policy”; (4) the policy has been in place for a long time
when we consider mootness; and (5) “since [the policy’s]
implementation the agency’s officials have not engaged in conduct
similar to that challenged by the plaintiff[ ].” On the other hand, we
are less inclined to find mootness where the “new policy . . . could
be easily abandoned or altered in the future.”

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United States District Court
Northern District of California

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Rosebrock, 745 F.3d at 971-72.

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At the hearing, Plaintiffs argued that the government’s actions in the case at bar did not

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amount to a change in policy. The Court rejects that position. The government clearly made a

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policy change: it considered intervening conditions for each of the six countries in making its TPS

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determinations (contrary to the Trump administration considering only originating conditions). 6

21

Furthermore, the government’s consideration of intervening conditions was memorialized in

22

written form – indeed, documented publicly in the Federal Register. It is also worth noting that

23

each designation granted TPS status for the statutory maximum of eighteen months. Cf. White,

24

227 F.3d at 1223 (stating that “it is clear that the Achtenberg memorandum [a document issued by

25

the Assistant Secretary for Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity] represents a permanent change in

26

the way HUD conducts HFA investigations, not a temporary policy that the agency will refute

27
28

6

And for Haiti and Sudan, there were two designations each; the first TPS designation took place
in 2022 and the second in 2023.
12

1

once this litigation has concluded”).

2

At the hearing, Plaintiffs suggested that the government’s TPS determinations did not

3

amount to a policy change because the government simply considered intervening factors as a

4

factual matter and never stated outright that it was legally required to do so. Plaintiffs’ position is

5

strained. Because the government considered intervening conditions in making its TPS

6

determinations, it implicitly endorsed consideration of intervening conditions as a legal matter,

7

even if it never expressly stated so.7 Even in the absence of a statement that it was legally required

8

to consider intervening circumstances, the government’s clearly articulated decision to do so

9

negates a reasonable expectation that it will revert to the previous administration’s contrary policy.

10

United States District Court
Northern District of California

11

Because the government’s TPS determinations did amount to a policy change, the Court
turns to the Rosebrock factors. Those factors point to mootness.

12

(1) The government’s policy change is unequivocal for the reasons stated above – e.g.,

13

it consistently considered intervening conditions in multiple TPS determinations as

14

publicly documented in the Federal Register.

15

(2) The policy change fully addressed Plaintiffs’ objections by granting TPS status

16

and/or rescinding TPS terminations at issue.

17

(3) Although it is not definitively evident whether the instant case was the catalyst for

18

the government to make the policy change, the case was referred to in the Federal

19

Register notices, thus indicating that the case was in fact a consideration for the

20

government.

21

(4) Of the six countries at issue, Haiti was the first to be given a TPS designation after

22

the Trump administration ended. Since Haiti’s TPS designation issued in 2021, the

23

policy change has been in effect for at least two years. This is not an insignificant

24

period of time, especially as eighteen months is the statutory maximum for a TPS

25

designation. Furthermore, it is notable that, by Plaintiffs’ own account, the

26

government’s policy change was a return to a “‘long-established practice’ . . . used

27
28

7

To the extent Plaintiffs are asserting that mootness cannot be established absent an express
renunciation of a prior policy or practice by the government, that issue is addressed infra.
13

1

‘by Republican and Democratic Administrations alike.’” Mot. at 11 (quoting

2

CAC); see also CAC ¶ 11 (alleging that the Trump administration “abandoned a

3

long-established practice under which [DHS] considered all current conditions –

4

including intervening events – in deciding whether to extend or terminate a

5

country’s TPS designation”). The current policy is a long standing one.

6

(5) Since the policy change, agency officials have not engaged in conduct similar to

7

that challenged by Plaintiffs. In fact, Haiti and Sudan have each been designated

8

twice, which reflects a commitment to the policy change.

9
10

In short, there is no indication that the government’s policy change here is a “temporary [one] that
[it] will refute once this litigation has concluded.”8 White, 227 F.3d at 1223.

United States District Court
Northern District of California

11

In their papers, Plaintiffs protest it is not absolutely clear that the challenged conduct could

12

not reasonably be expected to recur because the government has failed to acknowledge that the

13

Trump administration’s interpretation of the TPS statute “ever existed” and has refused to

14

explicitly acknowledge the unlawfulness of that interpretation. Opp’n at 1; see also Opp’n at 5

15

(“Defendants appears to have departed from a past practice . . . for the time being, but have never

16

acknowledged using it, let alone disavowed it.”). But Plaintiffs’ position cannot be squared with

17

the Ninth Circuit’s decision in Brach. There, the court stated: “‘[T]he mere power to reenact a

18

challenged [policy] is not a sufficient basis on which a court can conclude that a reasonable

19

expectation of recurrence exists.’” Brach, 38 F.4th at 14. Moreover, as noted above, even if the

20

current administration does not concede the prior policy was unlawful, it has squarely rejected that

21

policy.

22

Plaintiffs contend still that case authority supports their position that there is no mootness

23

where the government changes its conduct but fails to clearly renounce its prior conduct (i.e., it

24

does not clearly repudiate that prior conduct). See Opp’n at 6-7. The cases that Plaintiffs cite,

25
26
27
28

8

To be sure, the Court is recognizes Plaintiffs’ concern that there is the possibility of another
policy change in the future, in particular, if Candidate Trump is reelected. But at this point in the
proceedings, that possibility is too speculative. Furthermore, nothing precludes Plaintiffs from
reinitiating a challenge if Candidate Trump were to be reelected and reinstates the challenged
policy.
14

1

however, are distinguishable. For example, in West Virginia v. EPA, 142 S. Ct. 2587 (2022), the

2

EPA promulgated what was known as the Clean Power Plan rule (pursuant to the Clean Air Act).

3

The Clean Power Plan never went into effect because the same day that the EPA promulgated the

4

rule, a number of parties petitioned for review in federal court. The Supreme Court granted a stay

5

which prevented the rule from taking effect. Before the lower appellate court could issue a

6

decision on the merits, there was a change in Presidential administrations, and “[t]he new

7

administration requested that the litigation be held in abeyance so that EPA could reconsider the

8

Clean Power Plan.” Id. at 2604.

United States District Court
Northern District of California

9

Subsequently, the EPA repealed the rule, concluding that the Plan had been in excess of its

10

statutory authority. The agency also replaced the Clean Power Plan by promulgating a new

11

regulation known as the Affordable Clean Energy rule. This agency action precipitated a new

12

round of petitions for review. The D.C. Circuit thereafter held that the EPA’s repeal of the Clean

13

Power Plan rested on a mistaken reading of the Clean Air Act and thus vacated the agency’s repeal

14

of the Clean Power Plan and further vacated the replacement rule. This court decision was

15

followed by another change in Presidential administrations. The EPA then asked the D.C. Circuit

16

to partially stay issuance of its mandate so that the Clean Power Plan “would not immediately go

17

back into effect. EPA believed that such a result would not make sense while it was in the process

18

of considering whether to promulgate a new [replacement] rule.” Id. at 2606.

19

One of the issues before the Supreme Court was whether any petitioners had standing to

20

seek relief from the federal court. The Supreme Court held that at least one group of petitioners

21

did, specifically because they had suffered injury as a result of the D.C. Circuit decision vacating

22

the repeal of the Clean Power Plan. That decision “purports to bring the Clean Power Plan back

23

into legal effect.” Id. at 2606. The government argued that the petitioners’ challenge should be

24

deemed moot because the EPA had made a representation that it had “no intention of enforcing the

25

Clean Power Plan prior to promulgating a new . . . rule.” Id. at 2607. The Supreme Court rejected

26

the government’s position, stating as follows: “[T]he Government ‘nowhere suggests that if this

27

litigation is resolved in its favor it will not’ reimpose emissions limits predicated on generation

28

shifting; indeed, it ‘vigorously defends’ the legality of such an approach. We do not dismiss a
15

1
2

As the government points out in its papers, West Virginia is of limited support to Plaintiffs.

3

The facts in West Virginia are markedly different from those in instant case as (1) West Virginia

4

involved a mere promise, not a policy change as in the case at bar, and (2) the promise in West

5

Virginia was that the government would not enforce an existing policy whereas, here, the

6

government has acted to enforce its policy and demonstrated a commitment to the same.

7

United States District Court
Northern District of California

case as moot in such circumstances.” Id.

This, of course, is not to say that it is entirely irrelevant whether the government expressly

8

repudiates its prior conduct. See, e.g., Brach, 38 F.4th at 13 (“California has presented a strong

9

case that the current order opening schools is not a temporary move to sidestep the litigation.

10

Most importantly, the State has ‘unequivocally renounce[d]’ the use of school closure orders in the

11

future. The State has consistently worked to reopen schools and Governor Newsom has publicly

12

‘reaffirm[ed]’ his ‘commitment to keeping California’s schools open for safe, in-person learning.’

13

That reaffirmance is no mere statement of aspiration.’”). But as one district court has noted,

14

Brach’s reference to the government’s unequivocal renouncing of prior conduct should not be

15

overstated:

16
17
18
19
20

Although the Ninth Circuit found it compelling that the State
“renounce[d] its use of school closure orders in the future,” the court
did not require an explicit renouncement for its analysis. The
renouncement was significant only because it demonstrated the
State’s “commitment” to keeping schools open. As such, where the
State shows through other means that it is committed to quitting the
challenged conduct, the State does need an explicit announcement
denouncing its previous conduct.

21

Cal. Rental Hous. Ass’n, 2022 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 186483, at *9-10 (emphasis added); see also Am.

22

Diabetes Ass’n v. United States Dep’t of the Army, 938 F.3d 1147, 1152 (9th Cir. 2019) (stating

23

that government “still must bear the heavy burden of showing that the challenged conduct cannot

24

reasonably be expected to start up again” and “[i]t may do so by persuading the court that the

25

change in its behavior is entrenched or permanent”) (emphasis added; internal quotation marks

26

omitted). While an express repudiation of prior policy may make for an exceptionally clear case

27

for mootness, unequivocal action which implicitly repudiates prior policy may also establish

28

mootness, particularly when all or nearly all the Rosebrock factors are satisfied.
16

1
2

the challenged conduct cannot reasonably be expected to recur. Plaintiffs’ challenge to the TPS

3

terminations is moot.

4

C.

5

United States District Court
Northern District of California

Accordingly, the Court concludes that the government has met its burden of showing that

Registration Fee of $50
Plaintiffs argue that, even if the Court finds their challenge to the TPS terminations moot,

6

the case still has another live component. Plaintiffs have alleged that, when DHS issued new TPS

7

designations for Haiti and Sudan (in August 2021 and April 2022), it required TPS holders from

8

those countries to pay a $50 registration fee – “which does not apply to TPS holders renewing

9

their registrations.” CAC ¶ 172 (emphasis added). “These individuals would not have had to pay

10

any fee if TPS for Haiti and Sudan had not been terminated during the Trump Administration,

11

because they would have been able to apply for TPS as re-registrants, rather than initial

12

applicants.” Id. ¶ 173.

13
14
15

In response to this claim of injury, the government has provided a declaration from a
USCIS employee, Sharon Orise. In her declaration, Ms. Orise testifies to the following:
•

“On August 3, 2021, an FRN was published newly designating Haiti for TPS.

16

Everyone who applied for Haiti TPS under this designation had to file as an initial

17

registrant and pay the $50 registration fee, regardless of whether an individual had

18

TPS prior to the January 18, 2018 termination [by the Trump administration].”

19

Orise Decl. ¶ 15.

20

•

“On April 19, 2022, an FRN was published designating Sudan for TPS. Everyone

21

who applied for Sudan TPS under this designation had to file as an initial registrant

22

and pay the $50 registration fee, regardless of whether an individual had TPS prior

23

to the October 2017 termination [by the Trump administration].” Orise Decl. ¶ 18.

24

•

But “[i]n August 2021, USCIS began refunding the $50 registration fee to

25

Sudanese and Haitian TPS beneficiaries who paid this fee a second time due to the

26

2021 and 2022 FRNs. This would include applicants who paid the $50 fee under

27

the Haiti 2021 designation, provided they had Haiti TPS prior to January 2018, and

28

applicants who paid the $50 fee under the Sudan 2022 designation, provided they
17

1

had Sudan TPS prior to October 2017. The first certified refund request was

2

received on August 3, 2022. Thereafter, USCIS has been refunding on a quarterly

3

basis. USCIS efforts to identify and refund applicable payments continue. There

4

are currently no refunds pending.” Orise Decl. ¶ 20.
•

5

United States District Court
Northern District of California

6

“As of August 29, 2023, USCIS has processed 24,227 refunds for TPS Haiti
applicants and 43 refunds for TPS Sudan applicants.” Orise Decl. ¶ 21.

7

The Orise declaration’s statements regarding refunds are consistent with statements regarding

8

registration fees made in the TPS extension given to Haiti in January 2023. See 88 Fed. Reg.

9

5,022, at 5,028 (Jan. 26, 2023) (“Individuals with existing TPS granted under the 2021 designation

10

of Haiti must file Form-821 for re-registration as discussed above. Individuals who currently

11

retain their TPS under the Ramos injunction noted in footnote 1 above, may file Form I-821 for re-

12

registration if they wish to help ensure that their TPS continues should the Ramos court order end

13

and they remain eligible. Re-registrants do not pay the $50 filing fee for the Form I-821 but must

14

pay the biometric services fee if age 14 or older (or request a fee waiver).”).

15

The government argues that any injury claimed by Plaintiffs with respect to the $50

16

registration fee is at most a collateral consequence (the primary injury being the TPS terminations

17

by the Trump administration).9 Plaintiffs somewhat disagree, asserting that the injury here could

18

be construed as an ongoing injury, and not just a collateral consequence. How exactly the injury is

19

characterized is not material. The government’s position is that:
(1) Plaintiffs themselves have not suffered that injury – i.e., those Plaintiffs who are from

20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28

9

There is an exception to mootness for collateral legal consequences. This exception applies
where a party would suffer collateral legal consequences “although the primary injury may have
passed.” EEOC v. Fed. Express Corp., 558 F.3d 842, 847 (9th Cir. 2009) (stating that “[t]he
collateral legal consequences exception applies [where], although the primary injury may have
passed . . . , there remains ‘a substantial controversy, between parties having adverse legal
interests, of sufficient immediacy and reality to warrant the issuance of a declaratory judgment’”);
see also Ctr. for Biological Diversity, 511 F.3d at 964-65 (the exception “applies where an
appellant ‘would suffer collateral legal consequences if the actions being appealed were allowed to
stand’”). “It is commonly applied in habeas corpus proceedings where mootness would generally
bar relief if the petitioner completes his sentence before the court has addressed the merits of his
petition, but not if the plaintiff demonstrates he will suffer collateral legal consequences if the
challenged conviction is allowed to stand.” San Luis & Delta-Mendota Water Auth. v. United
States DOI, 870 F. Supp. 2d 943, 959 (E.D. Cal. 2012).
18

1

Haiti or Sudan did not themselves pay a $50 registration fee even if other Haitian or

2

Sudanese TPS holders did. See Mot. at 11 (“No Plaintiff alleges that they have actually

3

had to pay a $50 registration fee.”); Reply at 9 (“Whether cast as a continuing harm or

4

collateral legal consequence, Plaintiffs do not allege that they are affected by the now-

5

rescinded and already refunded $50 re-registration fee and thus have no standing to

6

challenge it.”).

United States District Court
Northern District of California

7

(2) Even if Plaintiffs could amend to correct this deficiency (either amending to allege that

8

they suffered this injury or amending to add a new plaintiff who did, see Opp’n at 14

9

n.3), “the latest amended complaint seeks only declaratory and injunctive relief,” and

10

“a moot case seeking [such] relief cannot be revived by a damages claim raised for the

11

first time in briefing challenging mootness.” Reply at 9; see also Seven Words LLC v.

12

Network Solns., 260 F.3d 1089, 1097 (9th Cir. 2001) (“The Supreme Court has

13

admonished us to be wary of late-in-the-day damages claims . . . , cautioning that ‘a

14

claim for . . . damages, extracted late in the day from [plaintiff’s] general prayer for

15

relief and asserted solely to avoid otherwise certain mootness, [bears] close

16

inspection.’”).

17

(3) Even if the Court were inclined to allow a damages claim, there is sovereign immunity.

18

See Reply at 9.

19

For purposes of this order, the Court need only address the first argument. Plaintiffs agree

20

that no named Plaintiff has paid a $50 registration fee following the new designations of Haiti and

21

Sudan. That being the case, there is no Plaintiff in this case who has standing to proceed with this

22

claim.

23
24

III.

CONCLUSION

For the foregoing reasons, the Court grants the government’s motion to dismiss. Plaintiffs’

25

claims challenging the TPS terminations are moot. Those claims are therefore dismissed. The

26

dismissal is with prejudice as Plaintiffs have not indicated that they could plead additional facts to

27

overcome this deficiency.

28

As for Plaintiffs’ claim challenging the $50 registration fee, it is also dismissed but based
19

1

on lack of standing. The Court shall give Plaintiffs sixty (60) days to file an amended complaint

2

to the extent they wish to pursue any claim based on the $50 registration fee.10

3

This order disposes of Docket No. 206.

4
5

IT IS SO ORDERED.

6
7

Dated: December 28, 2023

8
9

______________________________________
EDWARD M. CHEN
United States District Judge

10

United States District Court
Northern District of California

11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
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24
25
26
27
28

10

At the hearing, Plaintiffs indicated that, if the Court were to dismiss their primary claims
challenging the TPS terminations, they would need some time to decide whether they still wanted
to pursue their claim based on the $50 registration fee.
20