# U ni te d S ta te s Co ur t of A pp ea ls For the Eig hth Circu it

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No. 1 4- 25 81

__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ _ Uni te d S ta te s o f Am eri ca

ll ll ll ll ll ll ll ll ll ll l Pla in ti

ff - App el le e

v.

Arn ol do Agu irr e-Vas qu ez

ll ll ll ll ll ll ll ll ll ll l Defe nd

an t - Ap pe ll an t

__ __ __ __ __ __ App eal fro m

Uni te d S ta te s Di st ric t Co ur t fo r th e Dis tri ct of M in ne so ta - St. Pa ul

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Su bm it te d: Decem

be r 8, 2 01 4 Fil ed : J an ua ry

28 , 20 15 [Un pu bl is he d]

__ __ __ __ __ __ Befo re LOKEN, BYE, an d S MITH, Ci rcu it Ju dg es

.

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PER CURI AM.

A r n o l d o Agu irr e-Vas qu ez pl ead ed gu il ty to il le ga ll y reen te rin g th e Uni te d St at es aft er be in g rem ov ed fo ll owi ng an ag gr av at ed fel on y co nv ic ti on , a vi ol at io n of8 U.S.C. § 13 26 (a) an d (b )(2 ). At se nt en ci ng , th e di st ric t co ur t de te rm in ed
, wit ho ut 1
ob jecti on , th at Agu irr e-Vas qu ez’s ad vi so r y g u id el in es se nt en ci ng ran ge was 57 -7 1

m on th s in pr is on

. Agu irr e-Vas qu ez ur ge d th e co ur t to va ry or de pa rt do wnwar d an d im po se a 30 -m on th se nt en ce ba se d on th e su bs ta nt ia l ov ers ta te m en t of hi s cri m in al hi st or y an d hi s m an y y ears of “ cu lt ur al as si m il at io n” in th e Uni te d St at es

. See U.S.S.G. § 2 L1.2 co m

m en t. (n .7, 9). The g ov ern m en t ag reed a do wnwar d v ari an ce

was ap pr op ria te b u t ur ge d th e co ur t to im po se a 41 -m on th se nt en ce be cau se of th e

“ hi st or y of pr io r rem ov al s fro m th e co un try.” The di st ric t co ur t im po se d a 41 -m on th

se nt en ce, ex pl ai ni ng :

I’ve co ns id ered th e arg um en ts of cu lt ur al as si m il at io n as well as th e ov erre pr es en ta ti on of th e un de rlyin g felo ni es , whi ch do ha ve so m e ag e on th em

. . . . [O]rd i n ari ly m y se nt en ce wou ld be so m et hi ng in th e
ne ig hb or ho od of 48 m on th s, do ub li ng t h e 2 4 [m on th se nt en ce fo r th e pr io r il le ga l reen try co nv ic ti on ], bu t in li gh t of th e pr os e c u t io n’s

reco m m en da ti on an d t he bo tt om en d of the ne xt lo wer gui de li ne be in g 41 m on th s, I d o fi nd th at 41 m on th s i s s uf fic ie nt

.

On ap pe al
, Agu irr e-Vas qu ez arg ue s th e di st ric t co ur t im po se d a su bs ta nt iv el y

un reas on ab le se nt en ce be cau se it ga ve to o m uc h weig ht to th e 16 -le ve l en ha nc em en t in U.S.S.G. § 2L1 .2(b )( 1 ) ( A )
, whi ch was no t ba se d on an as se ss m en t of em pi ric al da ta or th e Sen te nc in g Co m m is si on ’s in st it ut io na l ex pe rti se ; an d to o li tt le weig ht to th e ov erre pr es en ta ti on of hi s cri m in al hi st or y , hi s th irt y y ears of cu lt ur al as si m il at io n in th is co un try, an d hi s co m m it m en t to rem ai n in Mex ic o whe n n e x t d e p or te d. W e

rev ie w th e su bs ta nt iv e reas on ab le ne ss of a se nt en ce fo r ab us e o f th e d is tri ct co ur t’s

su bs ta nt ia l se nt en ci ng di sc ret io n. Thi s is well -tr av el ed gr ou nd

. The di st ric t co ur t

m ay va ry ba se d on it s po li cy di sa gr eem en t wit h a pa rti cu la r gu id el in e pr ov is io n, bu t it ne ed no t do so , wh et he r th e pr ov is io n “ refl ect s a po li cy jud gm en t of Co ng res s o r

The Hon or ab le Ann D. Mo nt go m ery, Uni te d St at es Dis tri ct Ju dg e fo r th e 1 Dis tri ct of M in ne so ta

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-th e Co m

m is si on ’s ‘chara ct eri st ic ’ em pi ric al ap pr oa ch .” Uni te d St at es v. Tala m an te s, 62 0 F.3 d 90 1, 90 2 (8 th Ci r. 20 10 ) (q uo ta ti on om it te d)

. Lik ewis e, th e co ur t’s de ci si on

“ to as si gn rel at iv el y gr eat er weig ht to th e na tu re an d ci rcu m st an ces of th e of fen se th an to th e m it ig at in g pe rs on al ch arac te ris ti cs of th e de fen da nt ” is well wit hi n it s wid e di sc ret io n. Uni te d St at es v. W is ecar ve r, 64 4 F.3 d 76 4, 77 4 (8 th Ci r. 20 11 ). Here, th e di st ric t co ur t ca refu ll y

ba la nc ed m it ig at in g ci rcu m st an ces ag ai ns t t he di sr es pe ct for th e la w de m on st rat ed by Agu irr e-Vas qu ez’s repea te d il le ga l reen tri es an d gr an te d a le ss er d own ward va ria nc e th an he urg ed . There was n o a bu se of d is cret io n.

The jud gm en t o f th e d is tri ct co ur t i s af fir m ed

.

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