Politis v. Chertoff , 326 F. App'x 272 ( 2009 )


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  •           IN THE UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS
    FOR THE FIFTH CIRCUIT  United States Court of Appeals
    Fifth Circuit
    FILED
    May 4, 2009
    No. 08-20249
    Summary Calendar               Charles R. Fulbruge III
    Clerk
    CHRISTOFOROS G POLITIS
    Plaintiff-Appellant
    v.
    MICHAEL CHERTOFF, SECRETARY, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND
    SECURITY; SHARON HUDSON, District Director for the 38th District;
    CHARLES ARENDALE, Field Office Director; DAVID LEONG, Deportation
    Officer
    Defendants-Appellees
    Appeal from the United States District Court
    for the Southern District of Texas
    USDC No. 4:05-CV-3229
    Before JONES, Chief Judge, and STEWART and OWEN, Circuit Judges.
    PER CURIAM:*
    Former immigration detainee Christoforos Politis, a native of Greece,
    proceeding pro se and in forma pauperis, filed a Bivens v. Six Unknown Agents
    of Federal Bureau of Narcotics, 
    403 U.S. 388
     (1971), civil suit alleging that
    several defendants, including Michael Chertoff, the Secretary of Homeland
    *
    Pursuant to 5 TH C IR. R. 47.5, the court has determined that this opinion
    should not be published and is not precedent except under the limited
    circumstances set forth in 5 TH C IR. R. 47.5.4.
    No. 08-20249
    Security, had unconstitutionally detained him for an indefinite period of time
    and had refused to provide him with adequate medical care during this
    detention. The district court granted summary judgment to the defendants after
    concluding that it did not have personal jurisdiction over Chertoff, that the
    defendants were entitled to qualified immunity, and that Politis had failed to
    state a claim upon which relief could be granted.
    Politis argues that the grant of summary judgment was inappropriate
    because the district court erred in not liberally construing his pleadings and in
    finding that it did not have personal jurisdiction over Chertoff. Politis also
    claims that the defendants retaliated against him by filing criminal charges for
    failure to cooperate in his deportation proceedings and by expeditiously
    deporting him to Greece; however these particular issues are independent from
    and not related to the claims that form the basis of this Bivens suit and are not
    properly before this court. See Dollis v. Rubin, 
    77 F.3d 777
    , 779 & n.2 (5th Cir.
    1995); Quezada v. INS, 
    898 F.2d 474
    , 477 (5th Cir. 1990).
    Politis was deported while this case was pending. Accordingly, to the
    extent that he seeks injunctive relief or specific performance to remedy his
    alleged wrongful detention, his claims are moot.       See Herman v. Holiday,
    
    238 F.3d 660
    , 665 (5th Cir. 2001).
    Politis fails to adequately brief those issues that are properly before this
    court, thus, they are considered abandoned. Hughes v. Johnson, 
    191 F.3d 607
    ,
    613 (5th Cir. 1993). Politis’s appeal lacks any issue of arguable merit. See
    Howard v. King, 
    707 F.2d 215
    , 220 (5th Cir. 1983). Therefore, we dismiss it as
    frivolous. See 5 TH C IR. R. 42.2.
    APPEAL DISMISSED.
    2