Showing posts with label Immigration. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Immigration. Show all posts

Seventh Circuit: Alvaro Cortina-Chavez v. Jefferson B. Sessions III

Denial of request for sua sponte administrative review is unreviewable.

No abuse of discretion in denying motion to reconsider on the grounds that the petitioner neither alerted the agency to the specific basis for the appeal nor filed a brief within the required schedule, as both grounds operate as independent bases for the decision, and petitioner only appealed the first.

No abuse of discretion in referral to a single judge rather than a panel, since regulations specifically empower a single judge to dismiss on the grounds stated by the agency.

http://media.ca7.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/rssExec.pl?Submit=Display&Path=Y2018/D07-05/C:17-2116:J:Rovner:aut:T:fnOp:N:2182163:S:0

Third Circuit: Ahmed Bakran v. Secretary

As the statute vests the determination of status in the agency and such action is statutorily unreviewable, supporting criteria developed by the agency are also unreviewable, as they are merely interpretive aspects of the determination.

As the felony conviction of the alien's spouse and sponsor does not impede the marriage, but merely the right of the spouse to live in the US, the right to marry is not affected; further, the question of residency is much broader, and the limitation of the rights of the sponsor following a felony conviction is a reasonable one.

As the statute that attached new limitations to the rights of those already convicted was clearly intended to apply to past convictions and referenced post-enactment dangers, there is no violation of Ex Post Facto; waived anyway.

http://www2.ca3.uscourts.gov/opinarch/163440p.pdf

Seventh Circuit: Ricardo Sanchez v. Jefferson B. Sessions III

Board's statement of a legal standard of probability suffices to establish a violation of the Fifth Amendment when considering the right to counsel in deportation proceedings where the correct standard is that of reasonable possibility of a different outcome.

http://media.ca7.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/rssExec.pl?Submit=Display&Path=Y2018/D07-05/C:17-1673:J:Rovner:aut:T:fnOp:N:2181672:S:0


Eighth Circuit: Garcia-Mata v. Sessions

Board holding that contradicted Immigration Judge's findings of fact without claiming clear error was contrary to it's interpretation of its own jurisdiction and the principle that holdings must be stated clearly; citing the regulation that allows for different standards of review in different situations does not sufficiently establish the claim of clear error.

http://media.ca8.uscourts.gov/opndir/18/06/171682P.pdf

Eighth Circuit: United States v. Gervais (Ken) Ngombwa

No ineffective assistance where attorney declines to investigate family relations, thinking there to be a substantial likelihood that unsavory details might be discovered.

Misstatements to agency properly grouped with later immigration offenses, as the purpose of the agency action was immigration enforcement, which serves society -- the victims were identical.

No Ex Post Facto violation in using a version of the sentencing guidelines in effect at the time of the later crimes that contains a new enhancement relevant to the earlier crimes, as sufficient notice before the later crimes is presumed.

No abuse of discretion in use of foreign convictions as proxies for the factual finding that the criminal history level underrated the deft's acts.

No abuse of discretion in use of genocide witness statements -- if hearsay, they had sufficient indicia of credibility.

Foreign expert testifying on video-link at sentencing is not unreliably unsworn.

http://media.ca8.uscourts.gov/opndir/18/06/187168P.pdf



Tenth Circuit: Lujan-Jimenez v. Sessions

In the state Trespass statute, the ulterior crime intended during the trespass is irrelevant to the theory of the offense -- a jury could convict under different theories of the ulterior crime.  The statute is therefore not susceptible to modified categorical review, which, in an immigration context, would have shifted the burden to the petitioner to establish that they had not trespassed in the vehicle to commit an ulterior offense that evinced moral turpitude.  Categorically, then, the statute isn't a valid predicate conviction for immigration purposes.

https://www.ca10.uscourts.gov/opinions/16/16-9555.pdf

Tenth Circuit: Bedolla-Zarate v. Sessions

Statement in judgment that deft had "pled" guilty to the offense sufficed to establish the plea for purposes of immigration removal.

Strict liability elements of the offense are in both the state statute and the federal generic term; relations with someone under the age of consent suffice for actual abuse.

https://www.ca10.uscourts.gov/opinions/17/17-9519.pdf

Third Circuit: Wendy Osorio Martinez v. US

Jurisdiction-stripping provision of the INA violates the Suspension Clause when immigrant children who have attained a Congressionally designated status of special indigence that cannot be lifted without some due process are prohibited from seeking the writ.  The INA preserves both the Congressional power to deport and the Congresional power not to deport.

TRO is justified to bar expedited removal of such children -- on merits, without remand.

http://www2.ca3.uscourts.gov/opinarch/172159p.pdf


Fourth Circuit: Maricela Martinez v. Jefferson B. Sessions III

As no jury unanimity as to the theory of the offense is required, statute is not susceptible to modified categorical review.

Assuming that the 'substantial erosion' of property rights required for the agency standard of theft convictions is valid and applies here, since the law sweeps beyond that to incorporate things like joyriding, the agency erred in holding the state conviction to be a crime of moral turpitude justifying refusal of withholding of removal.

http://www.ca4.uscourts.gov/opinions/171301.P.pdf

Carlos Quinteros-Cisneros v. Jefferson B. Sessions III

As state law distinguishes sentencing enhancements from aggravating circumstances and requires sentencing enhancements to be included in the charge, an element of a sentencing enhancement can make the conviction a predicate felony in an immigration removal proceeding.

As sexual abuse of a minor is per se abusive, the conviction is a valid predicate as a crime of abuse.

http://cdn.ca9.uscourts.gov/datastore/opinions/2018/06/11/13-72632.pdf

Eighth Circuit: Henry Miranda v. Jefferson Sessions, III

For purposes of immigration removal, the question of whether a particular group is a cognizable social group under the statute is a question of law.

Former taxi drivers who witnessed a murder and were subsequently threatened by a gang do not constitute such a group.

http://media.ca8.uscourts.gov/opndir/18/06/171430P.pdf

Sixth Circuit: Amir Shabo v. Jefferson B. Sessions, III

Since agency removal order factual finding that there was an insufficient likelihood of torture after deportation presents neither an issue of law nor one of constitutional rights, the court does not have jurisdiction over the appeal to the agency's parallel holding that the conditions in the other country hadn't changed.

http://www.opn.ca6.uscourts.gov/opinions.pdf/18a0111p-06.pdf

Eighth Circuit: Leslie Camick v. Jefferson B. Sessions III

As an alien has the power to challenge the knowingness of waiver and petition for an extension, overstaying a voluntary departure order exhausts the benefit of permitted departure and allows the government to finalize the alternative order of removal, with all waivers of the voluntary departure grant intact.

 (Again, all this is quick work.  Not legal advice.  Don't rely.)

http://media.ca8.uscourts.gov/opndir/18/06/163506P.pdf

Eleventh Circuit: Finest Meridor v. Attorney General

Immigration Judge's finding as to likely future danger was a finding of fact that could only be reviewed for clear error; the agency erred by reversing de novo.

Subsequent statute holding that a certain agency is the only authority to issue a certain visa under that article operates as a context-specific enhancement to an earlier statute authorizing the issuance of the visa by other authorities.

http://media.ca11.uscourts.gov/opinions/pub/files/201514569.pdf

Fourth Circuit: Jose Ramirez v. Jefferson Sessions III

Amended opinion.

Second Circuit: Seepersad v. Sessions


No equal protection violation in permitting aliens seeking readmission at the border to waive inadmissibility while requiring a showing of valid residency before granting a similar waiver to resident aliens, as Congress might have wished to encourage doubtful aliens to be elsewhere during the process.

http://www.ca2.uscourts.gov/decisions/isysquery/1a213a40-982b-4547-95ac-62b636db872e/1/doc/16-64_opn.pdf#xml=http://www.ca2.uscourts.gov/decisions/isysquery/1a213a40-982b-4547-95ac-62b636db872e/1/hilite/

Eighth Circuit: Jose Perez-Garcia v. Loretta E. Lynch


Immigration


Sufficient evidence and due process where process is issued for compulsory removal on the belief that the alien did not comply with an order of voluntary removal, despite petitioner's claim that he had in fact had departed and then later returned with foreign documents to that effect.

Jose Perez-Garcia  v.  Loretta E. Lynch

Fifth Circuit: Orlando Gutierrez v. Loretta Lynch


Immigration, Estoppel


For the purpose of determining status at the attainment of majority, an alien becomes a lawful permanent resident upon approval of application, not upon the date of an eventually approved application.

Given lack of affirmative misconduct, agency cannot be equitably estopped from arguing that the status was not timely obtained.

Orlando Gutierrez v. Loretta Lynch

Fifth Circuit: USA v. Benito Sanchez-Rodriguez


Sentencing, Immigration


 For the purposes of immigration determinations, under modified categorical review, state statute prohibiting trafficking in stolen goods is not necessarily a crime of theft
 

USA v. Benito Sanchez-Rodriguez



Eighth Circuit: United States v. Julia Nguyen


Immigration, Fraud, White Collar


Materiality requirement in immigration fraud statute does not require that the agency actually be misled, merely that false information be provided on a dispositive fact.

Third-party, cirumstantially proved misrepresentations provide sufficient evidence for immigration and SSI fraud.

Automatically generated letters from state sufficient for mail fraud conviction where foreseeable and not communicating messages adverse to the scheme to defraud.

Court properly considered named payees on checks without individualized showing of loss, as the theft of identity is sufficient to establish them as victim.

Sentence substantively reasonable.


United States  v.  Julia Nguyen