2010 D e c i sion s O p inion s of the U nit e d S t at e s C our t of Appe al s for the Thir d C ir c uit 3-4-2010 

# Ingrid T j an v . Atty Ge n U SA P r e c e de nt i al or N on-P r e c e de nt i al : N on-P r e c e de nt i al D ocke t N o . 09-4460

F o llow thi s and a dd it ion al work s at : http://d i git alc ommon s .l a w . vi ll a nova . e du/thir dc ir c uit_2010

Thi s de c i sion i s br ou ght t o you for f r e e and ope n a c c e s s b y the O p inion s of the U nit e d S t at e s C our t of Appe al s for the Thir d C ir c uit at V i l l a nova U nive r sity S choo l of L a

w Di git al Reposit ory

. It h as be e n a c c ept e d for inclusion in 2010 D e c i sion s b y a n author i z e d a dmini s tr at or of V i l l a nova U nive r sity S choo l of L a

w Di git al Reposit ory

. F or mor e inform at ion, p le as e c ont a ct Be n j amin . C arl s on@l a

w . vi l l a nova . e du . Re c omme nde d C it at ion " In gr id T j a n v . Atty Ge n U SA" (2010). 2010 D e cisio n s . P ape r 1790. http://d i git alc ommon s .l a

w . vi ll anova . e du/thir dc ir c uit_2010/1790CL D- 1 0 7 NOT P RE CE DE NT I AL UN I TED STATES CO UR T OF A PP EALS F O R T H E T H IR D C IR C U IT N o. 09- 4460

___________ IN G R ID R E G IN A T J A N , Pet i t i oner

v. A TTO RN EY G EN ER A L O F TH E U N I TED STA TES, R es pondent

O n Pet i t i on forR evi ew of an O r derof the B o a rd o f Im m ig ra tio n A p p e a ls ( A gencyN o. A 94- 044- 804) I m m i gr at i on J udge: H onor abl e A nni e S. G ar cy S u b m itte d P u rs u a n t to T h ir d C ir c u it L A R 2 7 .4 a n d I. O . P . 1 0 .6

J anuary28, 2010 B efor e: B A R R Y , FI SH E R A N D R O T H , C i r cui tJ udges

( O pi ni on fi l ed: M ar ch 4, 2010 )

___________ OP I NI ON

___________ P E R C UR I AM P et i t i on er, Ingri d Tj an, seeks r eview of the B oard of Im m i grat i on A pp eal s’ (“ B IA ” ) f

in a l o rd e r o f

re m o v a l. T h e g o v e rn m e n t h a s m o v e d f o r s u m m a ry a c tio n . Be c a u s e t h e a p p e a l p r e s e n t s n o s u b s t a n t i a l q u e s t i o n , s e e T h i r d Ci r c u i tL AR 2 7 . 4 a n d I . O. P. 10. 6, w e w i l l gr antt he mot i on and denyT j an’ s pet i t i on.2 I. Tj a n i s a n a t i v e a n d c i t i z e n o f I n d o n e s i a . On J u n e 1 , 2 0 0 6 , s h e a p p l i e d f o ra s y l u m, w i t hhol di ng of r emoval , and r el i ef unde rt he C onvent i on A gai ns tT or tur e cl ai m i ng t hat s he w oul d be per s ecut ed on ac countof herC hi nes e ethni ci t yand B uddhi s tr el i gi on i f s he w er e for ced t o r etur n t o I ndones i a. Fol l ow i ng a hea r i ng, an I m m i gr at i on J udge ( “I J ”) deni ed herappl i cat i ons , butperm i t t ed hert o vol unt ar i l ydepartthe U ni t ed St at es . T j an f ile d a n a d m in is tr a tiv e a p p e a l. O n A ugus t15, 2008, t he B I A di s m i s s ed the appe al and or der ed Tj an t o l eave t he c o u n tr yw ith in f

o rt y -t h re e d a y s o f

th e d a te o f

th a t o rd e r. Tja n d id n o t d e p a rt a s o rd e re d . I ns t ead, on O ct ober10, 2008, aft ert he fort y - t hr ee- daydepartur e per i od had expi r ed, s he fi l ed a mot i on t o r eopen he rpr ocee di ngs w i t h t he B I A s o t hats he coul d pur s ue an appl i cat i on foradj us t m entof s t atus bas ed on herr ece ntm arr i age t o a U ni t ed St at es c itiz e n . B yor derent er ed M ar ch 30, 2009, t he B I A deni ed the mot i on on t he gr ound t hat T j an w as i nel i gi bl e t o adj us thers t atus beca us e s he had r emai ned i n t he countr ybey ond t he vol unt arydepartur e per i od. See 8 U . S. C . § 1229c( d) ( 1) ( B ) . T j an then moved for r econs i der at i on on t he gr ound t hatherhus band’ s I - 130 pet i t i on had j us tbeen a ppr oved, butt he B I A deni ed herr eques t , r ei t er at i ng t hats he w as s t atut or i l yi nel i gi bl e t o adj us ther s t atus . See i d. T

j an fi l ed a t i m el ypet i t i on forr evi ew of the B I A ’ s deci s i on deny i ng herW e re v ie w th e d e n ia l o f a m o tio n f

o r r e c o n s id e ra tio n f

o r a n a b u s e o f

d is c re tio n . 1 N ocon v. I N S, 789 F. 2d 1028, 1032–33 ( 3d C i r . 1986) . U ndert hi s s t andar d, w e may r ever s e the B I A ’ s deci s i on onl yi f i ti s “arbi t r ary , i r r at i onal , orcontr aryt o l aw . ” Sevoi an v . A s h c ro f

t, 2 9 0 F .3 d 1 6 6 , 1 7 4 (3 d C ir . 2 0 0 2 ). 3 m ot i on forr econs i der at i on. T he governm entnow m oves fors um m aryact i on. 1 II. In it s m o ti o n fo r sum m aryac ti o n , the g o v ern m en t argu es th at th e B IA d id n o t err i n deny i ng T

j an’ s m ot i on forr econs i der at i on beca us e Tj an’ s fai l ur e t o departw i t hi n t he s p e c if ie d f o rt y -t h re e -d a yp e ri o d re n d e rs h e r i n e lig ib le to a d ju s t h e r s ta tu s . S e e 8 U .S .C . § 1229c( d) ( 1) ( B ) . W e agr ee. I n herm ot i on forr econs i der at i on, T j an pr ovi ded evi dence that h er h u sb an d ’s I-13 0 p eti ti o n h ad b ee n ap p rov ed o n A p ri l 6, 20 0 9 . A s the B IA e x p lain e d , h o w e v e r, th e f a c t th a t th e v isa p e tit io n h a d b e e n a p p ro v e d d id n o t af f e c t it s p r e v i o u s d e t e r mi n a t i o n t h a ts h e i s s t a tu t o r i l yi n e l i g i b l e t o a d j u s th e rs t a tu s u n d e r8 U. S . C. § 1 2 2 9 c (d )( 1 )( B ). W e have cons i der ed Tj an’ s ar gum ent s i n oppos i t i on t o t he governm ent ’ s m ot i on fors um m aryact i on and conc l ude thatt heyar e w i t houtm er i t . Fi r s t , T j an ar gues t hatt he B I A vi ol at ed herdue pr oces s r i ght s , and i t s ow n deci s i on i n M at t erof V el ar de- Pachec o, 2 3 I& N D e c . 2 5 3 (B IA 2 0 0 2 ), b yf a ili n g to c o n sid e r th e e v id e n c e sh e su b m itt e d in s u p p o rt o f

h e r m o tio n f

o r r e c o n s id e ra tio n — i.e ., h e r h u s b a n d ’s a p p ro v e d I- 1 3 0 p e titio n . O u r re v iew o f

th e re c o rd , h o w e v e r, re v e a ls th a t th e B IA d id in d e e d c o n sid e r th is evi dence , onl yt o det erm i ne thati tdi d notpr ovi de a ba s i s forr econs i der at i on. N ext , T j anT

jan a lso a rgu es th at he r du e p roc ess righ ts “w ere v iolated b ythe f ac t th at th e IJ 2 and the B oar d, w i t houtanyexpl anat i on, arbi t r ar i l ygr ant ed the Pet i t i onera 43 dayper i od of vol unt arydepartur e fol l ow i ng t he conc l us i on of herhear i ng, r athert han a 60 da y vol unt arydepartur e per i od, w hi ch i s t he maxi m um per i od of t i m e perm i t t ed byt he s t atut e. ” ( O pp. t o M ot i on forSum m aryD i s pos i t i on 10. ) H ow ever , beca us e Tj an di d not pet i t i on forr evi ew of the B I A ’ s or derperm i t t i ng hert o vol unt ar i l ydepart , w e l ack ju ri s d ic tio n to re v ie w th a t o rd e r. 4 ar gues t hatt he B I A fai l ed t o gi ve pr operw ei ghtt o t he “e xpr es s publ i c pol i cy pr efe r ence s ” of Congre s s and the court s t o keep f ami l i es of U ni t ed St at es ci t i zens and i mm i g r a n t s u n i t e d . Wh i l e we d o n o td i s a g r e e wi t h t h i s g e n e r a l p o l i c ys t a t e me n t , we bel i eve thatC ongr es s has m ade i t s i nt entcl eari n 8 U . S. C . § 1229c( d) ( 1) ( B ) t hatan app l i cant l i ke Tj an, w ho had been perm i t t ed to dep artvo l un t ari l ybu tfai l ed to do so w ith in th e s p e c if

ie d p e ri o d , is in e lig ib le to a d ju s t h e r s ta tu s u n d e r 8 U .S .C . § 1 2 2 9 b . Fi nal l y , w e have cons i der ed Tj an’ s di s cus s i on of the Supr eme C our t ’ s deci s i on i n D ada v. M u k a se y , 1 2 8 S .C .t 23 0 7 , 2 3 1 9 (2 0 0 8 ), b u t co n c lu d e th a t h e r re lian c e o n th is c a se is m i s pl ace d, as D ada c oncerned a pe t i t i onerw ho— unl i ke Tj an— m oved t o r eopen proceed i ng s before t he vol unt arydepartur e per i od had expi r ed. See i d. 2 F o r th e f o re g o in g re a so n s, w e w ill g ra n t th e g o v e rn m e n t’s m o tio n a n d su m m a rily denyt he pet i t i on forr evi ew . See Thi r d C i r . L A R 27. 4; I . O . P. 10. 6.