Source: https://www.justice.gov/osg/brief/kucana-v-holder-brief-merits
Timestamp: 2018-08-21 20:00:58
Document Index: 470198666

Matched Legal Cases: ['§ 1001', '§ 1003', '§ 1003', '§ 1003', '§ 1208', '§ 1003', '§ 1003', '§ 1003', '§ 1208']

Kucana v. Holder - Brief (Merits) | OSG | Department of Justice
Kucana v. Holder - Brief (Merits)
1. 8 U.S.C. 1229a provides, in pertinent part:
Any alien who, after written notice required un der paragraph (1) or (2) of section 1229(a) of this title has been provided to the alien or the alien's counsel of record, does not attend a proceeding un der this section, shall be ordered removed in ab sentia if the Service establishes by clear, unequivo cal, and convincing evidence that the written notice was so provided and that the alien is removable (as defined in subsection (e)(2) of this section). The written notice by the Attorney General shall be considered sufficient for purposes of this subpara graph if provided at the most recent address pro vided under section 1229(a)(1)(F) of this title.
(B) No notice if failure to provide address informa tion
No written notice shall be required under sub paragraph (A) if the alien has failed to provide the address required under section 1229(a)(1)(F) of this title.
(i) upon a motion to reopen filed within 180 days after the date of the order of removal if the alien demonstrates that the failure to appear was because of exceptional circumstances (as de fined in subsection (e)(1) of this section), or
The filing of the motion to reopen described in clause (i) or (ii) shall stay the removal of the alien pending disposition of the motion by the immigra tion judge.
Any petition for review under section 1252 of this title of an order entered in absentia under this paragraph shall (except in cases described in sec tion 1252(b)(5) of this title) be confined to (i) the validity of the notice provided to the alien, (ii) the reasons for the alien's not attending the proceed ing, and (iii) whether or not the alien is removable.
(E) Additional application to certain aliens in con tiguous territory
An alien may file one motion to reopen proceed ings under this section, except that this limitation shall not apply so as to prevent the filing of one mo tion to reopen described in subparagraph (C)(iv).
The motion to reopen shall state the new facts that will be proven at a hearing to be held if the motion is granted, and shall be supported by affida vits or other evidentiary material.
There is no time limit on the filing of a motion to reopen if the basis of the motion is to apply for relief under sections1 1158 or 1231(b)(3) of this title and is based on changed country condi tions arising in the country of nationality or the country to which removal has been ordered, if such evidence is material and was not available and would not have been discovered or presen ted at the previous proceeding.
The filing of a motion to reopen an order en tered pursuant to subsection (b)(5) of this sec tion is subject to the deadline specified in sub paragraph (C) of such subsection.
Any limitation under this section on the dead lines for filing such motions shall not apply-
(I) if the basis for the motion is to apply for relief under clause (iii) or (iv) of section 1154(a)(1)(A) of this title, clause (ii) or (iii) of section 1154(a)(1)(B) of this title,2 section 1229b(b)(2) of this title, or section 1254(a)(3) of this title (as in effect on March 31, 1997);
(III) if the motion to reopen is filed within 1 year of the entry of the final order of removal, except that the Attorney General may, in the Attorney General's discretion, waive this time limitation in the case of an alien who demonstrates extraordinary circum stances or extreme hardship to the alien's child; and
(IV) if the alien is physically present in the United States at the time of filing the mo tion.
The filing of a motion to reopen under this clause shall only stay the removal of a qualified alien (as defined in section 1641(c)(1)(B) of this title3 pending the final disposition of the motion, in cluding exhaustion of all appeals if the motion establishes that the alien is a qualified alien.
The term "exceptional circumstances" refers to ex ceptional circumstances (such as battery or extreme cruelty to the alien or any child or parent of the alien, serious illness of the alien, or serious illness or death of the spouse, child, or parent of the alien, but not including less compelling circumstances) beyond the control of the alien.
2. 8 U.S.C. 1252 provides, in pertinent part:
Judicial review of a final order of removal (other than an order of removal without a hearing pursu ant to section 1225(b)(1) of this title) is governed only by chapter 158 of title 28, except as provided in subsection (b) of this section and except that the court may not order the taking of additional evi dence under section 2347(c) of such title.
Notwithstanding any other provision of law (statutory or nonstatutory), including Section 2241 or title 28, or any other habeas corpus pro vision, and Sections 1361 and 1651 of such title, no court shall have jurisdiction to review-
(i) except as provided in subjection (e) of this section, any individual determination or to entertain any other cause or claim arising from or relating to the implementation or op eration of an order of removal pursuant to section 1225(b)(1) of this title,
(ii) except as provided in subsection (e) of this section, a decision by the Attorney Gen eral to invoke the provisions of such section,
(iii) the application of such section to indi vidual aliens, including the determination made under section 1225(b)(1)(B) of this title, or
(iv) except as provided in subsection (e) of this section, procedures and policies adop ted by the Attorney General to implement the provisions of section 1225(b)(1) of this title.
Nothwithstanding any other provision of law (statutory or nonstatutory), including Section 2241 of title 28, or any other habeas corpus pro vision, and Section 1361 and 1651 of such title, and except as provided in subparagraph (D), and regardless of whether the judgment, decision, or action is made in removal proceedings, no court shall have jurisdiction to review-
(ii) any other decision or action of the At torney General or the Secretary of Homeland Security the authority for which is specified under this subchapter to be in the discretion of the Attorney General of the Secretary of Homeland Security, other than the granting of relief under section 1158(a) of this title.
Notwithstanding any other provision of law (statutory or nonstatutory), including Section 2241 of title 28, or any other habeas corpus pro vision, and Sections 1361 and 1651 of such title, and except as provided by law, no court shall have jurisdiction to review any final order of re moval against an alien who is removable by rea son of having committed a criminal offense cov ered in section 1182(a)(2) or 1227(a)(2)(A)(iii), (B), (C), or (D) of this title, or any offense cov ered by section 1227(a)(2)(A)(ii) of this title for which both predicate offenses are, without re gard to their date of commission, otherwise cov ered by section 1227(a)(2)(A)(i) of this title.
Nothing in subparagraph (B) or (C), or in any other provision of this chapter (other than this section) which limits or eliminates judicial re view, shall be construed as precluding review of constitutional claims or questions of law raised upon a petition for review filed with an appropri ate court of appeals in accordance with this sec tion.
With respect to review of an order of removal under subsection (a)(1) of this section, the following require ments apply:
3. 8 C.F.R. 1003.2 provides, in pertinent part:
Reopening or reconsideration before the Board of Immi gration Appeals.
(a) General. The Board may at any time reopen or reconsider on its own motion any case in which it has rendered a decision. A request to reopen or reconsider any case in which a decision has been made by the Board, which request is made by the Service, or by the party affected by the decision, must be in the form of a written motion to the Board. The decision to grant or deny a motion to reopen or reconsider is within the dis cretion of the Board, subject to the restrictions of this section. The Board has discretion to deny a motion to reopen even if the party moving has made out a prima facie case for relief.
(1) A motion to reopen proceedings shall state the new facts that will be proven at a hearing to be held if the motion is granted and shall be supported by affidavits or other evidentiary material. A motion to reopen proceedings for the purpose of submitting an application for relief must be accompanied by the appropriate application for relief and all supporting documentation. A motion to reopen proceedings shall not be granted unless it appears to the Board that evidence sought to be offered is material and was not available and could not have been discovered or presented at the former hearing; nor shall any motion to reopen for the purpose of affording the alien an opportunity to apply for any form of discre tionary relief be granted if it appears that the alien's right to apply for such relief was fully explained to him or her and an opportunity to apply therefore was afforded at the former hearing, unless the relief is sought on the basis of circumstances that have arisen subsequent to the hearing. Subject to the other re quirements and restrictions of this section, and not withstanding the provisions in § 1001.1(p) of this chapter, a motion to reopen proceedings for consid eration or further consideration of an application for relief under section 212(c) of the Act (8 U.S.C. 1182(c)) may be granted if the alien demonstrates that he or she was statutorily eligible for such relief prior to the entry of the administratively final order of deportation.
(2) Except as provided in paragraph (c)(3) of this section, a party may file only one motion to reopen deportation or exclusion proceedings (whether be fore the Board or the Immigration Judge) and that motion must be filed no later than 90 days after the date on which the final administrative decision was rendered in the proceeding sought to be reopened, or on or before September 30, 1996, whichever is later. Except as provided in paragraph (c)(3) of this sec tion, an alien may file only one motion to reopen re moval proceedings (whether before the Board or the Immigration Judge) and that motion must be filed no later than 90 days after the date on which the final administrative decision was rendered in the proceed ing sought to be reopened.
(3) In removal proceedings pursuant to section 240 of the Act, the time limitation set forth in para graph (c)(2) of this section shall not apply to a mo tion to reopen filed pursuant to the provisions of § 1003.23(b)(4)(ii). The time and numerical limitation set forth in paragraph (c)(2) of this section shall not apply to a motion to reopen proceedings:
(i) Filed pursuant to the provision of § 1003.23(b)(4)(iii)(A)(1) or § 1003.23 (b)(4)(iii)(A)(2);
(ii) To apply or reapply for asylum or withhold ing of deportation based on changed circumstances arising in the country of nationality or in the coun try to which deportation has been ordered, if such evidence is material and was not available and could not have been discovered or presented at the previous hearing;
(iii) Agreed upon by all parties and jointly filed. Notwithstanding such agreement, the parties may contest the issues in a reopened proceeding; or
(iv) Filed by the Service in exclusion or deporta tion proceedings when the basis of the motion is fraud in the original proceeding or a crime that would support termination of asylum in accordance with § 1208.22(f) of this chapter.
(4) A motion to reopen a decision rendered by an Immigration Judge or Service officer that is pending when an appeal is filed, or that is filed while an ap peal is pending before the Board, may be deemed a motion to remand for further proceedings before the Immigration Judge or the Service officer from whose decision the appeal was taken. Such motion may be consolidated with, and considered by the Board in connection with, the appeal to the Board.
(d) Departure, deportation, or removal. A motion to reopen or a motion to reconsider shall not be made by or on behalf of a person who is the subject of exclusion, deportation, or removal proceedings subsequent to his or her departure from the United States. Any depar ture from the United States, including the deportation or removal of a person who is the subject of exclusion, deportation, or removal proceedings, occurring after the filing of a motion to reopen or a motion to reconsider, shall constitute a withdrawal of such motion.
(e) Judicial proceedings. Motions to reopen or re consider shall state whether the validity of the exclusion, deportation, or removal order has been or is the subject of any judicial proceeding and, if so, the nature and date thereof, the court in which such proceeding took place or is pending, and its result or status. In any case in which an exclusion, deportation, or removal order is in effect, any motion to reopen or reconsider such order shall in clude a statement by or on behalf of the moving party declaring whether the subject of the order is also the subject of any pending criminal proceeding under the Act, and, if so, the current status of that proceeding. If a motion to reopen or reconsider seeks discretionary relief, the motion shall include a statement by or on be half of the moving party declaring whether the alien for whose relief the motion is being filed is subject to any pending criminal prosecution and, if so, the nature and current status of that prosecution.
(f) Stay of deportation. Except where a motion is filed pursuant to the provisions of §§ 1003.23(b)(4)(ii) and 1003.23(b)(4)(iii)(A), the filing of a motion to reopen or a motion to reconsider shall not stay the execution of any decision made in the case. Execution of such deci sion shall proceed unless a stay of execution is specifi cally granted by the Board, the Immigration Judge, or an authorized officer of the Service.
(g) Filing procedures-
(1) English language, entry of appearance, and proof of service requirements. A motion and any submission made in conjunction with a motion must be in English or accompanied by a certified English translation. If the moving party, other than the Ser vice, is represented, Form EOIR-27, Notice of Entry of Appearance as Attorney or Representative Before the Board, must be filed with the motion. In all cases, the motion shall include proof of service on the opposing party of the motion and all attachments. If the moving party is not the Service, service of the motion shall be made upon the Office of the District Counsel for the district in which the case was com pleted before the Immigration Judge.
(2) Distribution of motion papers.
(i) A motion to reopen or motion to reconsider a decision of the Board pertaining to proceedings before an Immigration Judge shall be filed directly with the Board. Such motion must be accompanied by a check, money order, or fee waiver request in satisfaction of the fee requirements of § 1003.8. The record of proceeding pertaining to such a mo tion shall be forwarded to the Board upon the re quest or order of the Board.
(ii) A motion to reopen or a motion to reconsider a decision of the Board pertaining to a matter ini tially adjudicated by an officer of the Service shall be filed with the officer of the Service having ad ministrative control over the record of proceeding.
(iii) If the motion is made by the Service in pro ceedings in which the Service has administrative control over the record of proceedings, the record of proceedings in the case and the motion shall be filed directly with the Board. If such motion is filed directly with an office of the Service, the en tire record of proceeding shall be forwarded to the Board by the Service officer promptly upon receipt of the briefs of the parties, or upon expiration of the time allowed for the submission of such briefs.
(3) Briefs and response. The moving party may file a brief if it is included with the motion. If the motion is filed directly with the Board pursuant to paragraph (g)(2)(i) of this section, the opposing party shall have 13 days from the date of service of the mo tion to file a brief in opposition to the motion directly with the Board. If the motion is filed with an office of the Service pursuant to paragraph (g)(2)(ii) of this section, the opposing party shall have 13 days from the date of filing of the motion to file a brief in oppo sition to the motion directly with the office of the Service. In all cases, briefs and any other filings made in conjunction with a motion shall include proof of service on the opposing party. The Board, in its discretion, may extend the time within which such brief is to be submitted and may authorize the filing of a brief directly with the Board. A motion shall be deemed unopposed unless a timely response is made. The Board may, in its discretion, consider a brief filed out of time.
(h) Oral argument. A request for oral argument, if desired, shall be incorporated in the motion to reopen or reconsider. The Board, in its discretion, may grant or deny requests for oral argument.
(i) Ruling on motion. Rulings upon motions to re open or motions to reconsider shall be by written order. Any motion for reconsideration or reopening of a deci sion issued by a single Board member will be referred to the screening panel for disposition by a single Board member, unless the screening panel member deter mines, in the exercise of judgment, that the motion for reconsideration or reopening should be assigned to a three-member panel under the standards of § 1003.1(e)(6). If the order directs a reopening and fur ther proceedings are necessary, the record shall be re turned to the Immigration Court or the officer of the Service having administrative control over the place where the reopened proceedings are to be conducted. If the motion to reconsider is granted, the decision upon such reconsideration shall affirm, modify, or reverse the original decision made in the case.
4. 8 C.F.R. 1003.23 provides, in pertinent part:
(a) Pre-decision motions. Unless otherwise permit ted by the Immigration Judge, motions submitted prior to the final order of an Immigration Judge shall be in writing and shall state, with particularity the grounds therefore, the relief sought, and the jurisdiction. The Immigration Judge may set and extend time limits for the making of motions and replies thereto. A motion shall be deemed unopposed unless timely response is made.
(b) Before the Immigration Court-
(1) In general. An Immigration Judge may upon his or her own motion at any time, or upon motion of the Service or the alien, reopen or reconsider any case in which he or she has made a decision, unless jurisdiction is vested with the Board of Immigration Appeals. Subject to the exceptions in this paragraph and paragraph (b)(4), a party may file only one mo tion to reconsider and one motion to reopen proceed ings. A motion to reconsider must be filed within 30 days of the date of entry of a final administrative order of removal, deportation, or exclusion, or on or before July 31, 1996, whichever is later. A motion to reopen must be filed within 90 days of the date of entry of a final administrative order of removal, de portation, or exclusion, or on or before September 30, 1996, whichever is later. A motion to reopen or to reconsider shall not be made by or on behalf of a per son who is the subject of removal, deportation, or exclusion proceedings subsequent to his or her de parture from the United States. Any departure from the United States, including the deportation or re moval of a person who is the subject of exclusion, deportation, or removal proceedings, occurring after the filing of a motion to reopen or a motion to recon sider shall constitute a withdrawal of such motion. The time and numerical limitations set forth in this paragraph do not apply to motions by the Service in removal proceedings pursuant to section 240 of the Act. Nor shall such limitations apply to motions by the Service in exclusion or deportation proceedings, when the basis of the motion is fraud in the original proceeding or a crime that would support termina tion of asylum in accordance with § 1208.22(e) of this chapter.
(i) Form and contents of the motion. The mo tion shall be in writing and signed by the affected party or the attorney or representative of record, if any. The motion and any submission made in conjunction with it must be in English or accompa nied by a certified English translation. Motions to reopen or reconsider shall state whether the valid ity of the exclusion, deportation, or removal order has been or is the subject of any judicial proceed ing and, if so, the nature and date thereof, the court in which such proceeding took place or is pending, and its result or status. In any case in which an exclusion, deportation, or removal order is in effect, any motion to reopen or reconsider such order shall include a statement by or on be half of the moving party declaring whether the sub ject of the order is also the subject of any pending criminal proceeding under the Act, and, if so, the current status of that proceeding.
(ii) Filing. Motions to reopen or reconsider a decision of an Immigration Judge must be filed with the Immigration Court having administrative control over the Record of Proceeding. A motion to reopen or a motion to reconsider shall include a certificate showing service on the opposing party of the motion and all attachments. If the moving party is not the Service, service of the motion shall be made upon the Office of the District Counsel for the district in which the case was completed. If the moving party, other than the Service, is repre sented, a Form EOIR-28, Notice of Appearance as Attorney or Representative Before an Immigration Judge must be filed with the motion. The motion must be filed in duplicate with the Immigration Court, accompanied by a fee receipt.
(iii) Assignment to an Immigration Judge. If the Immigration Judge is unavailable or unable to adjudicate the motion to reopen or reconsider, the Chief Immigration Judge or his or her delegate shall reassign such motion to another Immigration Judge.
(iv) Replies to motions; decision. The Immi gration Judge may set and extend time limits for replies to motions to reopen or reconsider. A mo tion shall be deemed unopposed unless timely re sponse is made. The decision to grant or deny a motion to reopen or a motion to reconsider is within the discretion of the Immigration Judge.
(v) Stays. Except in cases involving in absentia orders, the filing of a motion to reopen or a motion to reconsider shall not stay the execution of any decision made in the case. Execution of such deci sion shall proceed unless a stay of execution is spe cifically granted by the Immigration Judge, the Board, or an authorized officer of the Service.
(3) Motion to reopen. A motion to reopen proceed ings shall state the new facts that will be proven at a hearing to be held if the motion is granted and shall be supported by affidavits and other evidentiary material. Any motion to reopen for the purpose of acting on an application for relief must be accompanied by the appro priate application for relief and all supporting docu ments. A motion to reopen will not be granted unless the Immigration Judge is satisfied that evidence sought to be offered is material and was not available and could have not been discovered or presented at the former hearing. A motion to reopen for the purpose of provid ing the alien an opportunity to apply for any form of discretionary relief will not be granted if it appears that the alien's right to apply for such relief was fully ex plained to him or her by the Immigration Judge and an opportunity to apply thereof was afforded at the hear ing, unless the relief is sought on the basis of circum stances that have arisen subsequent to the hearing. Pursuant to section 240A(d)(1) of the Act, a motion to reopen proceedings for consideration or further consid eration of an application for relief under section 240A(a) (cancellation of removal for certain permanent resi dents) or 240A(b) (cancellation of removal and adjust ment of status for certain nonpermanent residents) may be granted only if the alien demonstrates that he or she was statutorily eligible for such relief prior to the ser vice of a notice to appear, or prior to the commission of an offense referred to in section 212(a)(2) of the Act that renders the alien inadmissible or removable under sec tions 237(a)(2) of the Act, or (a)(4), whichever is earliest. The Immigration Judge has discretion to deny a motion to reopen even if the moving party has established a prima facie case for relief.
(4) Exceptions to filing deadlines-
(i) Asylum and withholding of removal. The time and numerical limitations set forth in paragraph (b)(1) of this section shall not apply if the basis of the motion is to apply for asylum under section 208 of the Act or withholding of removal under section 241(b)(3) of the Act or withholding of removal under the Convention Against Torture, and is based on changed country conditions arising in the country of nationality or the country to which removal has been ordered, if such evidence is material and was not available and could not have been discovered or presented at the previous proceeding. The filing of a motion to reopen under this section shall not auto matically stay the removal of the alien. However, the alien may request a stay and, if granted by the Immi gration Judge, the alien shall not be removed pend ing disposition of the motion by the Immigration Judge. If the original asylum application was denied based upon a finding that it was frivolous, then the alien is ineligible to file either a motion to reopen or reconsider, or for a stay of removal.
(ii) Order entered in absentia or removal proceed ings. An order of removal entered in absentia or in removal proceedings pursuant to section 240(b)(5) of the Act may be rescinded only upon a motion to re open filed within 180 days after the date of the order of removal, if the alien demonstrates that the failure to appear was because of exceptional circumstances as defined in section 240(e)(1) of the Act. An order entered in absentia pursuant to section 240(b)(5) may be rescinded upon a motion to reopen filed at any time if the alien demonstrates that he or she did not receive notice in accordance with sections 239(a)(1) or (2) of the Act, or the alien demonstrates that he or she was in Federal or state custody and the failure to appear was through no fault of the alien. However, in accordance with section 240(b)(5)(B) of the Act, no written notice of a change in time or place of pro ceeding shall be required if the alien has failed to provide the address required under section 239(a)(1)(F) of the Act. The filing of a motion under this paragraph shall stay the removal of the alien pending disposition of the motion by the Immigration Judge. An alien may file only one motion pursuant to this paragraph.
(iii) Order entered in absentia in deportation or exclusion proceedings.
(A) An order entered in absentia in deportation proceedings may be rescinded only upon a motion to reopen filed:
(1) Within 180 days after the date of the or der of deportation if the alien demonstrates that the failure to appear was because of exceptional circumstances beyond the control of the alien (e.g., serious illness of the alien or serious illness or death of an immediate relative of the alien, but not including less compelling circumstanc es); or
(2) At any time if the alien demonstrates that he or she did not receive notice or if the alien demonstrates that he or she was in federal or state custody and the failure to appear was through no fault of the alien.
(B) A motion to reopen exclusion hearings on the basis that the Immigration Judge improperly entered an order of exclusion in absentia must be supported by evidence that the alien had reason able cause for his failure to appear.
(C) The filing of a motion to reopen under para graph (b)(4)(iii)(A) of this section shall stay the deportation of the alien pending decision on the motion and the adjudication of any properly filed administrative appeal.
(iv) Jointly filed motions. The time and numerical limitations set forth in paragraph (b)(1) of this sec tion shall not apply to a motion to reopen agreed upon by all parties and jointly filed.
3 So in original. A closing parenthesis probably should appear.
2008-0911.mer.aa.pdf