P u rsuan t t o 5 T H C IR
. R. 47. 5, t h e courtha s det erm i n ed that t h i s opi n i on * shou l d n otbe pu bl i shed an d i s not preceden texcept u n der t h e l i m i t ed c i r c um s t anc e s s e tf

o r t h i n 5 T H C IR
. R. 47. 5. 4. 

### INTHE UNI TED S TATESCOU RT OFAPPEALS

FORTHE FIFTH CIRCU IT

N o. 08- 10192 Su m m ar y Cal endar

UN I TE D S TA TE S OF AM ERI CA P l ai n t i f f

- A pp el l ee

v. GERARDO ALVA- BARBOS A D e fe nda nt

- Appe l l ant

A pp ealf

rom t h e U n i t ed S t ates D i st ri ctC ou rt f or t h e N ort h ern D i st ri ctof T exas U SDC N o . 4 : 0 7

- CR- 1 2 8

- ALL

B ef ore JO L L Y , B E N AV ID E S , an d H AY N E S , C i rcui tJu dg es. P E R C U R IA M: * G erardo A lva-B arbosa ap pea l s hi s co n d i t i on algu i l t y pl ea conv i ct i on f or il leg a l ree n tryfollow in g d e p o rta tion in v iola tion o f 8 U .S .C

. § 1 3 2 6 (a ) an d(b)(1 ). A lva -B a rb osa arg u es th a t t h e d i stri ct cou rt erred i n de n yin g h i s m otio n to
s u p p r e s s h is IN S file , id e n tit ye v id e n c e , in c lu d in gh i s fin g e r p r in ts , a n dh is st atem en tt oI m m i grati on an d C u st om s E n f orcem en t(IC E ) agen t s, becau se t h ey
w e r e t he f

r ui t s o f a n i l l e ga lt r af

f i c s t o p. United States Court of App eals Fifth Circuit 

### F I L E D Ma rc h 26, 2009 Cha rl es R. F ulb ru g e II I ClerkN o. 08- 10192

2 O n Jul y 26, 2007, A lva- B arbos a w as a pas se ngeri n a ve hi c l e t hatw as st opped by po l i c e b ec ause t he ve hi c l e’ s l i c ens e pl at e w as par t i al l y o bs t r uct ed by
a tr a ile rh itc h

. T h e d r iv e ro f th e v e h ic le w a s a r r e s te dfo rn o t h a v in gav a lid d r iv e r ’ s lic e n s e o r p r o o f o f in s u r a n c e . T h e o ffic e r w h o s to p p e d th e v e h ic le determ i n ed that he coul d rel ease t h e veh i cl e t o A lva-B arbosa i f A lva-B arbosa h ad a val i d d river’ s l i cense. A f t er r el aying A lva-B arbosa’ s nam e an d d ate of bi r t h t o hi s di spat c her , t he o f f i c erw as i nf

or m ed byt he di sp a tch ert hatA lvaB a rb o s a was wan t e do n a n o ut s t a nd i ngt r a f f i c war r a nt
. Ba s e do n t hat out st andi ng w ar r ant , t he o f f i c ert oo k A lva- B arbos a i nt o c ust ody. F ive days l at er , on Jul y 31, 2007, A lva- B arbos a w as t urned ove rto Im m i gr at i o n a nd Cus t o m s Enf o r c e m e nt(I CE ) a ut ho r i t i e s a nd f i nge r pr i nt e d. I CE a ge nt s di s c o ve r e d t hatAl va - Barbo s a pr e vi o us l y hadb e e n de po r t e d. The ag e nt s con f

i r m e d t hatt he f

i nge r pr i nt s t ak e n o n J ul y 31 , 2 00 7, m at c he d t he f i n g e r p r i n t s i n Alv a - Ba rb o s a ’ s I m m i g r a t i o n a n dNa t u r a l i z a t i o n S e r v i c e (I NS) Af i l e . Alva - Barbo s a ga ve a ge nt s aswor n st at e m e nti n whi c h he a dm i t t e d t o t he previ ou s deportat i on an d to i l l egally reenteri n g t h e U n i t ed S t ates. A lva- B arbos a m ove d t o s uppres s al levi denc e and i nf or m at i on obt ai ned as
a resul tof the stop. H e d oes n ota rgue t h at the groun ds of fered by the pol i ce f

or t he s t o p wer e apr e t e xtf o ra n i nve s t i ga t o r y s t o p. I ns t e ad , he argu es thatt he of f i c erhad no l egalbas i s t o s t op t he vehi c l e bec ause a t r ai l erhi t c h obs c uri ng a lic e n s e p la te w a s n o t a tr a ffic o ffe n s e u n d e rth e T e x a s T r a n s p o r ta tio n C o d e . H o w e v e r , w e d o n o t n e e dto d e c id e w h e th e rth e tr a f f i c s t o p w a s le g a l, b e c a u s e e v e n a s s u m in gt h a t itw a s ille g a l, th e d is tr ic t c o u r t d idn o t e r rin den yi n g t h e m ot i on t o sup press. T h e ‘ f rui tof the poi sonou s tr ee’d oct ri n e h ol ds t h at al levi den ce obt ai n ed fr o m a n ille g a l s e a r c h m u s t b e s u p p r e s s e d u n le s s “t h e r e w a s ab r e a k in th e ch a in
o f e ve nt s s uf

f i c i e ntt o r e f

ut e t he i nfe r e nc e t hat t he e vi de nc e w as a pr o duc t o f t he F ou rth A m en d m en t vi olati on . ” S ee Un i t ed S t ate s v. Ja qu ez , 421 F. 3d 338, 341 ( 5th C i r. 200 5) (i n t erna lqu ot ati on m arks an d ci t ati on om i t t ed). A lva-B arbosaN o. 08- 10192

3 w as a r r e s t e d b as e d o n a n o ut s t and i ng w ar r antf o rat r af

f i c vi o l at i o n, a f

t e rt he dr ive ro f

t he c ari n whi c h he w as apa s s e nge rw as ar r e s t e d, and as a r e s ul t o f t he of f i cer’ s at t em pt t o deter m i n e w h et h er A lva-B arbosa h ad a val i d d river’ s l i cense so t h at t h e car coul d be rel eased t o h i m . F ive da ys af t er A lva-B arbosa h ad been p l a c e di n c u s t o d yb a s e do n t h a tw a r r a n t , I C E a g e n t s a s s u me dc u s t o d yo f h i m, f i n gerpri n t ed h i m , an d su bsequ en t l y di scovered t h at he p re v iou sly had been dep ort ed. U n der th e se circum st an ces, t h e evi den ce t o w h i ch A lva-B arbosa obj ec t s – hi s i dent i t y, f i nger pri nt s, s t at em ent , and I N S f i l e –w as ob t ai ned “by
m e a n s s u ffic ie n tly d is tin g u is h a b le to b e p u r g e do f” a n yta in t, s e eW ard v

. D r e t ke , 420 F

. 3d 479 , 488 ( 5th C i r. 200 5)

. A ccor di n gl y, w e do not f i n d that t h e evi den ce
w as apr o duc to f

t he a l l e ge dly unl awf uls t o p. M o r e o v e r , A lv a -B a rb o s a ’ s a r g u m e n tth a t h is id e n tit ya n dh is IN S file
s h o u ldh a v e b e e n s u p p r e s s e dis fo r e c lo s e db yth is co u r t’s p r e c e d e n t. S ee Un i t ed S t ate s v. Herrera- O choa , 2 4 5 F .3 d 4 9 5 , 4 9 8 (5 th C ir . 2 0 0 1 ); Uni t e d S t at e s v. R oque - V

i l lanu e va , 1 7 5 F .3 d 3 4 5 , 3 4 6 (5 th C ir . 1 9 9 9 ); Uni t e d St at e s v . Pi ne daCh in ch illa , 712 F. 2d 942, 944 ( 5t h C i r . 1983)

. A lva- B arbos a acknow l edge s t hat hi s a r gum e nti s l i ke l y f o r e c l o s e d butnot e s t hathe w i s he s t o pr e s e r ve t he i s s ue f o rf u r t h e rr e v i e w. T h e j u d g me n to f

t h e d i s t r i c tc o u r ti s A F F I RMED.