I M G- 2 0 2 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

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___________ CH I WU CHE N, a k a Z HI WU ZH E NG, 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 072- 491- 902) I m m i gr at i on J udge: W i l l i am S tr as s er

____________________________________ Subm i tt ed U nderT hi r d C i r cui tL A R 34. 1( a)

M ay12, 2010 B e f o re : 

### BARRY , ST A PL E T O N A N D N Y G A A R D , C i r cui tJ udges

( O pi ni on fi l ed: M ay17, 2010)

_________ OP I NI ON

_________ P E R C UR I AM C h i W u C h e n p e tit io n s f o r re v iew o f

a n o rd e r d e n y in g h is m o tio n to re o p e n h is re m o v a l p ro c e e d in g s . F o r th e f o llo w in g re a s o n s , w e w ill d e n yth e p e titio n f o r r e v ie w . I.2

C hi W u C hen, a nat i ve and c i t i zen of the Peopl e’ s R epubl i c of Chi na, ent er ed the U ni t ed St at es i n 1992. H e w as pl ace d i n r emoval pr ocee di ngs forent er i ng the U ni t ed S ta te s w ith o u t p ro p e r d o c u m e n ts a n dh e ap p lie df o r a s y lu m a n dw ith h o ld in g o f re m o v a l. C hen cl ai m ed thathe had be en per s ecut ed underC hi na’ s fami l ypl anni ng pol i cybecaus e he w as notperm i tt ed t o m arryhi s fi ft een- y ear - ol d gi r l fr i end and w as fi ned forcohabi t i ng w i th her , and bec aus e hi s gi r l fr i end underw enta for ced abort i on. H e al s o cl ai m ed thathe fear ed he w oul d be fi ned ori m pr i s oned i f he r eturned t o C hi na. T he I m m i gr at i on J udge deni ed C hen’ s appl i cat i on and or der ed hi s deport at i on. T he B oar d of I m m i gr at i on A ppeal s ( “B I A ”) aff

i rm ed thatdeci s i on and di s m i s s ed C hen’ s appea l on J anuary18, 1995. M o re th a n f

o u rte e n y e a rs la ter(o n o r a b o u t M a y9 , 2 0 0 9 ), C h e n f iled a m o tio n to r eopen hi s r emoval pr ocee di ngs bas ed on hi s 2007 m arr i age t o a U ni t ed St at es ci t i zen and pendi ng appl i cat i on foran adj us tm entof s t atus t o l aw ful perm anentr es i dent . C hen as ked the B I A t o t ake hi s “s peci al s i tuat i on i nt o cons i der at i on” and t o t erm i nat e orcont i nue the pr ocee di ngs unt i l a dec i s i on w as m ade on hi s appl i cat i on. T he B I A deni ed the mot i on as tim e -b a rre du n d e r 8 C .F .R . § 1 0 0 3 .2 (c )(2 ) o n A u g u st 4 , 2 0 0 9 . T h e B IA a lso d e c lin e d to exer ci s e i t s di s cr et i onaryauthor i tyt o r eopen the pr ocee di ngs s ua s pont e. C hen then fi l ed a t i me l yp e t i t i o n f

o rr e v i e w.C h e n re lies o n o ldlaw f o r h is a ss e rtio n th a t th e B IA ’s p ra c tice is to g ra n t m o tio n s to 1 r eopen f oradj us tm entof s t atus unl es s the r ecor d s how s cl eari nel i gi bi l i ty . T hatw as the B IA ’s f o rm e r ru le , a n n o u n c e din M a tte r o f G a rc ia , 1 6 I. & N . D e c . 6 5 3 , 6 5 4 (B IA 1 9 7 8 ). B u t th e B IA h a s m o d if

ied th a t ru le s e v e ra l ti m e s. T h e B IA c u rre n tlye m p lo y s a m u lti fac t ort es tt o det erm i ne w hethert o gr anta mot i on t o r eopen f oradj us tm entof s t atus bas ed on a marr i age e nt er ed i nt o aft ercomm ence m entof r emoval pr ocee di ngs , the fi r s tfac t orof wh i c h i s wh e th e rth e mo t i o n i s t i me l yf i l e d . S e e M a tt e ro f

Ve l a r d e - P a c h e c o , 2 3 I . & N. D ec. 253, 256 ( B I A 2002) ; m odi fi ed, M att erof Lam us - Pava, 25 I . & N . D ec. 61, 64- 65 (B IA 2 0 0 9 ). 3 II. W e have j ur i s di ct i on overthi s appea l pur s uantt o 8 U . S. C . § 1252. W e r evi ew an or derdeny i ng a mot i on t o r eopen f oran abus e of di s cr et i on. See G uo v. A s hcr oft , 386 F. 3d 556, 562 ( 3d C i r . 2004) . U nderthi s hi ghl ydefe r ent i al s t andar d, the B I A ’ s deci s i on w ill n o t b e d is tu rb e du n le s s it is a rb itr a ry, irr a tio n a l, o r c o n tr a ry to la w . Id . T h e B IA d en ied C h en ’s m o ti o n to reo p en b ec au se itw as u n ti m ely . U n d er 8 C . F. R . § 1003. 2( c) ( 2) , a mot i on t o r eopen mustbe fi l ed w i thi n ni netyday s of the dat e of the fi nal admi ni s tr at i ve dec i s i on. C hen fi l ed hi s m ot i on m or e than fourt een y ear s aft erthe BI A’ s d e c i s i o n d i s mi s s i n g h i s ap p e a l a n dn o n e o f th e e x c e p t i o n s t o th e n i n e ty - d a yt i me li m itap p ly . S ee 8 C . F . R . § 1 0 0 3 . 2 (c)(3). C h en m ak es se v era l argu m en ts th at th e B IA ab u se dits d isc re tio n in d e n y in g h is m o tio n , inc lu d in g th a t th e B IA f a iled to re v iew h is m ot i on once i tdet erm i ned thati tw as t i m e- barr ed, fai l ed t o gr anthi s m ot i on even though hi s m arr i age i s bona fi de and he i s pr i m a fa ci e el i gi bl e foradj us tm entof s t atus , and depart ed fr om i t s es t abl i s hed pr act i ce of gr ant i ng m ot i ons t o r eopen f orpurpos es of adj us tm entof s t atus “s o l ong as ther e i s no cl eari nel i gi bi l i ty . ” B utC hen neve raddr es s es 14

th e f a c t th a t h is m o tio n w a s u n tim e lyo r d e m o n stra tes th a t an e x c e p tio n to th e tim e lim it i s appl i cabl e i n hi s cas e. A nd al though C hen ci t es s ever al cas es w her e court s have he l d that the B I A abus ed i t s di s cr et i on bydeny i ng w hathe i dent i fi es as “s i m i l arm ot i ons , ” none of thos e ca s es ar e i n fac tt o s i m i l art o hi s , fornone i nvol ved unt i m el ym ot i ons t o r eopen r emoval pr ocee di ngs . Fi nal l y , t o the ext entthatC hen cha l l enges the B I A ’ s r efus al t o s ua sp o n te r e o p e n th e p ro c e e d in g s, th is w e lac kju risd ictio n to re v iew th a t d e c isio n b e c a u se it i s comm i tt ed t o the B I A ’ s unfett er ed di s cr et i on. See C al l e- V uj i l es v. A s hcr oft , 320 F. 3d 4 7 2 , 4 7 4 -75 (3d C ir . 2 0 0 3 ). Ac c o r d i n g l y , we wi l l d e n yth e p e t i t i o n f o rr e v i e w.