FILED U.S. COURT OF AP P EALS E LEVEN T HC IRC UIT JULY 26, 2007 THOMAS K. KAH

N CLERK [ DO NO T P UB L I S H] I N THE UN I TE D STATE S C OU RT OF APPE ALS F O R T H E E L E V E N T H C IR C U IT

________________________ N o. 06- 16586 N on -A rgum entC al endar

________________________ B I A N o. A 95- 895- 002 L U Z M A R Y V E L A S C O , P e titio n e r , v ersu s U .S . A T T O RN E Y G E N E R A L , R e s p o n d e n t.

________________________ P e t i t i on f orR e vi e w of

aD e c i s i on of

the B o a r d o f I m m ig r a tio n A p p e a ls

_________________________ ( Ju l y 26, 2007) B efo re A N D E R S O N , B IR C H an d H U L L , C i rcu i tJu d g es. P E R C U R I A M:2

L uz M a ry V e l a s c o, pr oc e e di ng thr ough c ouns e l , pe t i t i ons f orr e vi e w of

the B oard of Im m i grat i on A pp ea l ’ s ( “ B IA ’ s” ) N ov em ber 28, 20 06 , order denyi ng her m o tio n r e q u e s tin g aru lin g o n ap r e v io u s lyf ile d m o tio n to r e o p e n . O n ap p e a l, V el as co chal l enges the deni al of her m ot i on t o reopen, ar gu i ng thatthe B IA abused i t s di s c r e t i on due t o the e xi s t e nc e of e xc e pt i ona l c i r c um s t a nc e s j us t i f y i ng a r e ope ni ng. S he a r gue s tha tthe B I A de ni e d he rm ot i on t o r e ope n w i thout consi deri ng her m arri age t o a perm anentre si dent , w hi ch gi ves herthe ri gh tt o an a d ju s tm e n t o f

s ta tu s . S h e a r g u e s th a t s h e h a s c o m p lie d w ith a ll o f th e r e q u ir e m e n ts to q u alify f

o r a n ad ju stm en t o f s tatu s. A cc o rd in g ly, sh e c laim s th at th e B IA ’s d e n ia l o f h e rm o tio n to r e o p e n w a s e rr o n e o u s a n d n o t w ith in th e s p ir it o f 8 C .F .R . § 10 03 . 2(a) . S he as se rt s thatshe has es t abl i shed pri m a f ac i e e l i gi bi l i ty f

or re l i ef f r o m d e p o rta tio n a n d h a s p r e s e n te d g o o d c au s e to h a v e h e rc a s e r e o p e n e d s o a s to a llo w th e c o u rt to e n te rta in h e rap p lic a tio n f o ra n a d ju s tm e n t o f

s ta tu s . W e r e vi e w the de ni a l of am ot i on t o r e ope n f

orabus e of

di s c r e t i on. A l i v. U .S . A tt’yG e n ., 4 4 3 F .3 d 8 0 4 , 8 0 8 ( 1 1 th C ir . 2 0 0 6 ) . “[ O u r ] r e v ie w is lim ite d to de t e rm i ni ng w he the rthe r e ha s be e n a n e xe r c i s e of a dm i ni s tr a t i ve di s c r e t i on a nd w hether the m att erof exer ci se has bee n arbi traryor capri ci ou s. ” I d. (i nt ernal q u o ta tio n a n d c ita tio n o m itte d ) . G ener al l y, “ an al i en m ayfi l e onl y one m ot i on t o reopen rem ov al p r o c e e d in g s . . . a n d th a t m o tio n m u s t b e f ile d n o la te rth a n 9 0 d a y s a f te rth e d a te3

on w hi c h the f

i na l a dm i ni s tr a t i ve de c i s i on w a s r e nde r e d i n the pr oc e e di ng s ought t o be r e ope ne d. ” 8 C . F . R . § 1003. 2( c ) ( 2) . A n e xc e pt i on t o the t i m e l yf i l i ng re qu i re m entexi st s i f the al i en i s r eapp l yi ng for a sy l um and w i thh ol di ng of re m ov al

“ ba s e d on c ha nge d c i r c um s t a nc e s a r i s i ng i n the c ountryof na t i ona l i tyori n the c ountry t o w hi c h de port a t i on ha s be e n or de r e d, i f s uc h e vi de nc e i s m a t e r i a l a nd w a s nota va i l abl e a nd c oul d notha ve be e n di s c ove r e d orpr e s e nt e d a tthe pr e vi ous h eari n g . ” 8 C . F . R . § 1 0 0 3 . 2 (c)(3 )(i i ). H o w ev er, th e B IA h as d i scret i o n t o d en y a m ot i on t o r e ope n e ve n i f the m ovi ng pa rtyha s m a de outapr i m af a c i e c a s e f

or r e l i e f . 8 C . F . R . § 1003. 2( a ) . A pa rtym ayonl yf i l e one m ot i on t o r e ope n a re m ov al proceedi ng , and thatm ot i on “ shal l st at e the new fa ct s thatw i l l be prov en a t ah e a r in g to b e h e ld if th e m o tio n is g r a n te d , a n d s h a ll b e s u p p o rte d b ya f f id a v its o ro th e re v id e n tia ry m a te r ia l.” 8 U .S .C . § 1 2 2 9 a ( c ) ( 7 ) ( A ) , ( B ) . T he B I A ha s he l d tha tam ot i on t o r e ope n r e m ova l pr oc e e di ngs m a ybe gr a nt e d t o a l l ow a n a l i e n the opportuni tyt o pur s ue a n appl i c a t i on f ora dj us tm e nt w he n c e rt a i n f

a c t or s a r e pr e s e nt , i nc l udi ng: ( 1) at i m e l y - f i l e d m ot i on, a nd ( 2) the m ot i on i s notnum e r i c a l l y ba rr e d. I n r e V e l a r de - P a c he c o, 23 I & N D e c . 253, 256 (B IA 20 02 )( en banc). If a party f ai l s t o o ff

erar gu m enton an i ss ue, thati ss ue i s dee m ed abando ned. S epul veda v. U . S . A tt ’ y G en. , 40 1 F . 3d 12 26 , 12 28 n. 2 (11 th C i r. 20 05 ).4

A s an i ni t i al m att er , the B IA ’ s N ov em ber 28, 20 06 , order, w hi ch st at ed that i thad p re vi ou sl y rul ed on her m ot i on t o reopen, hel d thather m ot i on w as t i m eba rr e d a nd num be r - ba rr e d. A c c or di ngl y , V e l a s c o’ s f a i l ur e t o r a i s e a nyc ha l l e nge w ith r e s p e c t to th e s e is s u e s c o n s titu te s ab a n d o n m e n t o f th o s e is s u e s . N otw i thst andi ng V el as co’ s aband on m entof the re l evanti ss ues f or pu rposes o f ap p eal , th e B IA d i d n o tab u se i t s d i scret i o n i n d en yi n g h er m o t i o n . V el asco fi rst r a i s e d the i s s ue of

he rm a rr i a ge a s aba s i s f orr e ope ni ng i n he rA pr i l 24, 2006, m o tio n to r e o p e n an d r e m a n d . H o w e v e r , s h e h a d p r e v io u s lyf ile d am o tio n to r e ope n on F e brua ry 15, 2006. T hus , he rm ot i on t o r e ope n ba s e d upon he rm a rr i a ge w a s pr e s e nt e d i n he rs e c ond m ot i on t o r e ope n, appr oxi m a t e l y14 m onths a f t e rthe B IA had aff

i rm ed the IJ ’ s orderof re m ov al on F ebruary1, 20 05 . A cc ordi ng l y, her m ot i on w as nu m ber- barr ed and t i m e- barr ed, and i tdi d n otfi tthe “ changed cou ntry c ir c u m s ta n c e s ” e x c e p tio n to th e tim e - b a r . T h e B I A h a s h e ld th a t am o tio n to re op en t o see k an adj ustm entof st atus m aybe grant ed w hen the m ot i on i s nei ther tim e - b a rr e d n o rn u m b e r - b a rr e d . I n a ddi t i on, the B I A ’ s M a y18, 2006, or de rhe l d tha tV e l a s c o’ s A pr i l 24 m ot i on t o reopen w as t i m e- barr ed and n um ber- barr ed. A cc ordi ng l y, the B IA pr ope r l y de ni e d tha tm ot i on ba s e d upon t i m e a nd num be rl i m i t a t i ons , a nd di d not abus e i t s di s c r e t i on. P E T I T I ON DE NI E D.