T hi s di s pos i t i on i s notappr opr i a t e f orpubl i c a t i on and i s notpr e c e de nt * e xc e pta s pr ovi de d by9th C i r . R . 36- 3.

Th e H o n o r ab l e M i c h a e l H . W a t s o n , D i s tr i c tJu d g e f o rth e U . S. ** D i s tr i c tC ourtf

orS outhe rn O hi o, C ol um bus , s i tt i ng byde s i gna t i on.

NOT F OR P UB L I CAT I ON UN I TE D STATE S C OU RT OF APPE ALS FOR T HE NI NTH CI RC UI T J OSE L UI S HERNA ND EZ B OC AN E GR A; NI C OL AS A S AN T OS DE HERNAN DEZ, P et i t i o n ers, v. E R I C H . H O L D E R , J r ., A tto rn e yG e n e r a l, R e s p o n d e n t. N o. 07- 74296 A ge nc yN os . A 095- 399- 705

A 095- 399- 706 ME MOR AN DU M *

O n P e t i t i on f

orR e vi e w of

a n O r de rof

the B o a r do f I m m ig r a tio n A p p e a ls A r gue d a nd S ubm i tt e d M a y13, 2011 S a n F r a n c is c o , C a lif

o rn ia B ef ore: H U G and P A E Z , C i rc ui tJudg es , and W A T S O N , D i stri ctJudg e. ** Jose L ui s H ernand ez B ocanegra and N i col as a S ant os de H ernand ez ( “ P e t i t i one r s ” ) , am a rr i e d c oupl e w ho a r e na t i ve s a nd c i t i z e ns of M e xi c o, pe t i t i on f orr e vi e w of

the B oa r d of

I m m i gr a t i on A ppe a l s ’ ( “ B I A ” ) de ni a l of the i r“ de f

a c t o” 

# FI LED MA Y27 2 011 M OLLY C. DW Y ER, CLERK U . S. C O U R T OF APPE ALS2

m ot i on t o r e ope n ba s e d on the i rc l a i m of i ne f f e c t i ve a s s i s t a nc e of

c ouns e l . T he B I A d e n ie dth e m o tio n b e c au s e P e titio n e r s f a ile dto c o m p lyw ith th e r e q u ir e m e n ts s e tf orth i n M at te rof L oz ada , 19 I. & N . D ec . 63 7 (B IA 19 88 ). B ec ause the part i es a r e f a m i l i a rw i th the f

a c tua l a nd pr oc e dur a l hi s t oryof thi s c a s e , w e do notr e c ount a d d itio n a l f

a c ts e x c e p t a s n e c e s s a ryto e x p la in th e d e c is io n . W e r evi ew for abu se of di sc re t i on the B IA ’ s deni alof a m ot i on t o reopen a nd r e vi e w de novo c l a i m s of due pr oc e s s vi ol a t i ons i nc l udi ng c l a i m s of i ne f f e c t i ve a s s is ta n c e o f

c o u n s e l. Moh am m ed v. G on zales , 40 0 F . 3d 78 5, 79 1-92 (9th C i r. 2005) . Jur i s di c t i on i s pr ope runde r8 U . S . C . § 1252, a nd w e de nythe pe t i t i on f or r e v i e w. T he B I A ha s e s t abl i s he d s e ve r a l pr oc e dur a l r e qui r e m e nt s f ora l i e ns s e e ki ng t o r e ope n the i rr e m ova l pr oc e e di ngs ba s e d on ac l a i m tha tthe yw e r e de ni e d due p r o c e s s b e c au s e o f

th e in e f f e c tiv e a s s is ta n c e o f

th e ira tto rn e y . Se e M

at te rof L oz ada , 19 I . & N . D e c . a t639. P e t i t i one r s c onc e de tha tthe ydi d nots a t i s f ythe L oz ada r e q u ir e m e n ts , b u t a r g u e th a t c o m p lia n c e is u n n e c e s s aryb e c au s e th e ir f o rm e rc o u n s e l’s in e f

f e c tiv e n e s s is o b v io u s o n th e f a c e o f th e r e c o r d . See Ca s t i l lo - Pe r ezv . I

NS , 2 1 2 F .3 d5 1 8 , 5 2 5 - 2 6 ( 9 th C ir . 2 0 0 0 ) ( h o ld in g th a t f a ilu r e to c om pl yw i th the L oz ada r e qui r e m e nt s i s notf a t a l w he r e the a l l e ge d i ne f f e c t i ve a s s is ta n c e is p la in o n th e f a c e o f th e a d m in is tr a tiv e r e c o r d ) .3

T o d em o n strat e i n effecti v e assi st an ce o f co u n sel , P et i t i o n ers m u stest ab l i sh (1) thatthei r c ou nselfa i l ed t o p er form w i th suffi ci entcom pet ence , and (2) that th e yw e r e p r e

ju d ic e db yth e irc o u n s e l’s p e r f o rm a n c e . See Moh am m ed , 40 0 F . 3d at 7 9 3 . W e c o n c lu d e th a t P e titio n e r s h a v e f a ile dto m a k e th is s h o w in g . 1. C om pet ence In re gard t o the l evel of com pet ence att orneys m ustdem on stra t e, thi s C ou rt h a s s ta te d : “w e d o n o t r e q u ir e th a t [ p e titio n e r ’s ] r e p r e s e n ta tio n b e b r illian t, b u t it cann otse rve t o m ake [ the] i m m i grat i on hear i ng so fund am ent al l y unfai r that [pet i t i on er ] w as prevent ed fr om re as on abl y pre se nt i ng hi s c as e. ” L in v . A s h c r o ft , 3 7 7 F .3 d1 0 1 4 , 1 0 2 7 ( 9 th C ir . 2 0 0 4 ) ( in te rn a l q u o ta tio n m a rk s o m itte d ) . P e t i t i one r s a r gue tha tthe i rc ouns e l pe r f orm e d i nc om pe t e nt l ya tthe S e pt e m be r18, 2003 c a nc e l l a t i on of

r e m ova l he a r i ng byf

a i l i ng t o i ntr oduc e m e di c a l e vi de nc e of th e irU .S . c itiz e n c h ild r e n ’s h e a lth is s u e s . T h e r e c o r d , h o w e v e r , in d ic a te s th a t b o th c ouns e l a nd P e t i t i one r s a tt e m pt e d t o obt a i n m e di c a l doc um e nt a t i on f r om the chi l dren’ s doct ors, tho ug h they w er e ul t i m at el y unsucce ss ful . C ou nselal so ar gu ed r e p e a te d lyf

o ra d d itio n a l tim e to p r o c u r e m e d ic a l e v id e n c e a n dn o te dth a t a su b p o en a f

ro m th e c o u rt m ig h t b e n ec es sa ry . T h u s, w e c o n clu d e th at co u n se l’ s perf orm ance do es no tri se t o the l evel of i ncom pet ence . 2. P re

j ud i ce4

A sh o w i n g o f p rej u d i ce can b e m ad e i f co u n sel ’ s p erfo rm an ce “ w as so i nadequ at e thati tm ayhave aff ec t ed the ou t com e of the proceedi ng s. ” I tu rr ib a rr ia v . I NS , 3 2 1 F .3 d8 8 9 , 8 9 9 - 9 0 0 ( 9 th C ir . 2 0 0 3 ) ( in te rn a l q u o ta tio n m a rk s o m itte d ) . P etit io n er s a rg u e th at h ad co u n se l i n tro du ce dm ed ical ev id en ce o f th eir c h il d re n ’s c ondi t i ons , the i m m i gr a t i on j udge w oul d ha ve gr a nt e d the m c a nc e l l a t i on of re m ov al . T he re cord, ho w ever , dem on stra t es thatatthe t i m e of the heari ng , nei ther chi l d suffe re d from a s er i ou s m edi ca l ai l m ent . Jose H ernand ez B ocanegra t es t i fi ed atthe heari ng thata s peci al i sthad exam i ned thei r ol destson j uston e dayearl i er and h ad st at ed thatthe chi l d “ w as fi ne” and t o com e bac k i f the bo y devel op ed a ddi t i ona l pr obl e m s w i th hi s t e s t i c l e s . H e a l s o not e d tha thi s y ounge s ts on ha d not be e n di a gnos e d w i th a s thm aa thi s m os tr e c e ntm e di c a l appoi ntm e nt . B e c aus e the t e s t i m o n ye s t ab l i s h e dth a tth e c h i l d r e n d i dn o th a v e a n yc r i t i c a l m e d i c a l n e e d s , we c onc l ude tha ta ddi t i ona l m e di c a l e vi de nc e w oul d notha ve a f f e c t e d the out c om e of th e p r o c e e d in g . In su m , P etit io n er s h av e f ailedto d em o n stra te th at th eir c o u n se l’ s i neff ec t i veness i s pl ai n o n the fa ce of the re cord. C on se qu ent l y, P et i t i on er s w er e r e qui r e d t o c om pl yw i th M atte rof L oz ada a nd the B I A di d notabus e i t s di s c r e t i on byde ny i ng the “ de f

a c t o” m ot i on t o r e ope n. P E T I T I ON F OR RE V I E W DE NI E D.