Source: https://nortontooby.com/content/california-one-year-custody-condition-probation-may-not-constitute-aggravated-felony-one-yea
Timestamp: 2019-04-19 10:50:13+00:00

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Many aggravated felony definitions require that the court order a term of imprisonment for a qualifying conviction of one year or more, or they are not aggravated felonies. For many of the most common aggravated felonies, the sentence imposed is decisive. These offenses constitute aggravated felonies if and only if a sentence of one year or more in custody is ordered by the court. Therefore, for these offenses, the many defenses against a sentence imposed of one year or more constitute complete defenses to aggravated felony status. See N. TOOBY & J. ROLLIN, AGGRAVATED FELONIES § 3.63 (2006)(updated monthly online).
Immigration counsel can make two related arguments that this definition is not met, in the common situation in which the custody time appears not in a judgment of the court, but rather as a voluntary agreement by the defendant to serve the time as a condition of probation. California law is used as the context for this argument, but counsel may find that this argument can be made with respect to convictions from other jurisdictions as well.
(4) and agrees to serve 365 days in the county jail as a condition of probation.
Under these conditions, immigration counsel can argue that the defendant is serving the time in custody not as a result of a court order, but as a result of agreeing to a condition of probation that s/he serve the time. If the crime is an aggravated felony if and only if a sentence to imprisonment of one year or more is imposed for the conviction, then counsel can argue that this one year of custody is not imposed on account of the conviction, but instead as a condition of probation.
The aggravated felony deportation ground, INA § 237(a)(2)(A)(iii), 8 U.S.C. § 1227(a)(2)(A)(iii), when read with the aggravated felony definition, e.g., for crimes of violence, INA § 101(a)(43)(F), 8 U.S.C. § 1227(a)(43)(F), requires that there must be a “conviction” for a “crime of violence . . . for which the term of imprisonment is at least one year . . . .” Therefore, if the term of imprisonment is not imposed “for” the conviction, but rather is agreed to as a condition of probation, then the conviction does not qualify as an aggravated felony.
In addition, immigration counsel can argue that in the context of custody as a condition of probation, the custody has not been “ordered.” INA § 101(a)(48)(B), 8 U.S.C. § 1101(a)(48)(B). Instead, the defendant has agreed to serve the time as a condition of probation, evidenced by the defendant’s signature and oral statement in court of agreement to the conditions of probation, which cannot be imposed without the defendant’s agreement.
1 See INA §§ 101(a)(43)(F), (G), (J), (R), (S). 8 U.S.C. §§ 1101(a)(43)(F), (G), (J), (R), (S).
2 This offense is considered an “obstruction of justice offense.” Matter of Batista-Hernandez, 21 I. & N. Dec. 955 (BIA 1997); INA § 101(a)(43)(S), 8 U.S.C. § 1101(a)(43)(S).
3 INA § 101(a)(43)(S), 8 U.S.C. § 1101(a)(43)(S).
4 INA § 101(a)(43)(G), 8 U.S.C. § 1101(a)(43)(G).
5 INA § 101(a)(43)(R), 8 U.S.C. § 1101(a)(43)(R).
6 INA § 101(a)(43)(R), 8 U.S.C. § 1101(a)(43)(R).
7 INA § 101(a)(43)(F), 8 U.S.C. § 1101(a)(43)(F).
8 INA § 101(a)(43)(P), 8 U.S.C. § 1101(a)(43)(P).
9 INA § 101(a)(43)(R), 8 U.S.C. § 1101(a)(43)(R).
10 INA § 101(a)(43)(S), 8 U.S.C. § 1101(a)(43)(S).
11 INA § 101(a)(43)(S), 8 U.S.C. § 1101(a)(43)(S).
12 INA § 101(a)(43)(G), 8 U.S.C. § 1101(a)(43)(G).
13 INA § 101(a)(43)(S), 8 U.S.C. § 1101(a)(43)(S).
14 INA § 101(a)(43)(G), 8 U.S.C. § 1101(a)(43)(G).
15 INA § 101(a)(43)(R), 8 U.S.C. § 1101(a)(43)(R).
16 This same argument can be made with respect to the six-month sentence imposed requirement of the Petty Offense Exception to moral turpitude inadmissibility. INA § 212(a)(2)(A)(ii)(II), 8 U.S.C. § 1182(a)(2)(A)(ii)(II).

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 § 212
 § 1182