Source: https://openjurist.org/413/f3d/462/manzano-garcia-v-r-gonzales-us
Timestamp: 2018-12-14 10:57:31
Document Index: 628829551

Matched Legal Cases: ['§ 242', '§ 1252', '§ 1229', '§ 1252', '§ 1252', '§ 1003', '§ 1252', '§ 242', '§ 1252', '§ 1252', '§ 1252', '§ 245', '§ 1255', '§ 309', '§ 1252', '§ 309', '§ 244', '§ 241', '§ 244', '§ 1252', '§ 212', '§ 1182', '§ 1229', '§ 1255', '§ 1252', '§ 1003', '§ 245', '§ 1255', '§ 1255', '§ 1255', '§ 245', '§ 1255', '§ 1003', '§ 3', '§ 1003', '§ 242', '§ 1182', '§ 1255', '§ 3', '§ 1003', '§ 1182', '§ 1255', '§ 309', '§ 242', '§ 1252', '§ 1182', '§ 1229', '§ 1255', '§ 1252', '§ 1003', '§ 1252', '§ 1182', '§ 1255', '§ 212', '§ 1003', '§ 242', '§ 245', '§ 309', '§ 241', '§ 244', '§ 309', '§ 245', '§ 3', '§ 1003', '§ 309']

413 F. 3d 462 - Manzano-Garcia v. R Gonzales US
413 F3d 462 Manzano-Garcia v. R Gonzales US
413 F.3d 462
Eliseo MANZANO-GARCIA; Reina Manzano-Olea; Antonio Abraham Manzano-Olea, Petitioners,
To begin, the government argues that this Court lacks jurisdiction to review the BIA's denial of the motion to reopen because, under INA § 242(a)(2)(B)(ii), now codified at 8 U.S.C. § 1252(a)(2)(B)(ii),2 review of discretionary decisions is prohibited. The government contends that although the statute allowing motions to reopen does not per se state that a decision regarding a motion to reopen is within the sole or unreviewable discretion of the Attorney General, 8 U.S.C. § 1229a(c)(6), such determinations are universally recognized as inherently discretionary. See, e.g., INS v. Doherty, 502 U.S. 314, 323-24, 112 S.Ct. 719, 116 L.Ed.2d 823 (1992) (noting Attorney General's broad discretion to deny motions to reopen). The Manzanos contend this Court retains jurisdiction under § 1252(a) over an appeal from a final order of a denial of the BIA of a motion to reopen.
This Court recently undertook to resolve this precise issue — "the degree to which 8 U.S.C. § 1252(a)(2)(B)(ii) ... precludes judicial review of motions to reopen immigration proceedings." Zhao v. Gonzales, 404 F.3d 295, 301-02 (5th Cir.2005). There, the Court noted that it is a federal regulation, 8 C.F.R. § 1003.23(b)(3),3 and not any statute, which furnishes the amount of discretion that the Attorney General enjoys when considering motions to reopen. Zhao, 404 F.3d at 303. The Court continued on to discuss how due to this regulatory-provided discretion, § 1252(a)(2)(B)(ii) could mistakenly be read:
The government also makes the argument that this Court lacks jurisdiction pursuant to INA § 242(a)(2)(B)(i), now codified at 8 U.S.C. § 1252(a)(2)(B)(i), which states that we cannot review "any judgment regarding the granting of relief under section 1182(h), 1182(i), 1229b, 1229c, or 1255 of this title." 8 U.S.C. § 1252(a)(2)(B)(i). The government contends § 1252(a)(2)(B)(i) bars our review because the BIA's exercise of its authority to deny reopening the Manzanos' proceedings was a discretionary decision that relates to INA § 245, 8 U.S.C. § 1255, which governs adjustment of status. The government also insists Rodriguez v. Ashcroft, 253 F.3d 797, 799-800 (5th Cir.2001) (per curiam), where this Court determined that it had no jurisdiction to review the BIA's denial of a petitioner's motion to reopen, controls such that we cannot review the Manzanos' motion to reopen.
Id. at 800; see also IIRIRA § 309(c)(4)(E) ("[T]here shall be no appeal of any discretionary decision under section 212(c), 212(h), 212(i), 244, or 245 of the Immigration and Nationality Act."). We noted that "[t]o hold otherwise would create a loophole that would thwart the clear intent of Congress that the courts not review the discretionary decisions of the BIA." Id. Thus, in Rodriguez, we considered if we had jurisdiction pursuant to the IIRIRA equivalent of § 1252(a)(2)(B)(i) and determined we did not because § 309(c)(4)(E) expressly precluded our review of the merits of extreme hardship determinations under INA § 244. See id. at 800 (distinguishing Arrozal v. INS, 159 F.3d 429 (9th Cir.1998), because there the "merits of the denial to reopen ... involved a deportation order under INA § 241(a)(2)" for the petitioner overstaying her visa, not her request for suspension of deportation under INA § 244).
Here, unlike in Rodriguez, we would not have been precluded from reviewing the original determination of the BIA, which summarily affirmed the IJ's decision in his order of removal that the Manzanos had not shown good cause to merit another continuance, because that judgment did not relate to any of the delineated subsections of title 8 we cannot review under § 1252(a)(2)(B)(i). Instead, the IJ ordered, and the BIA affirmed, the Manzanos removable under INA § 212(a)(6)(A)(i), 8 U.S.C. § 1182(a)(6)(A)(i). The IJ did not make any discretionary determination based on voluntary departure or adjustment of status pursuant to his statutorily granted discretion under 8 U.S.C. § 1229c or § 1255. Rather, the IJ expressly noted that the Manzanos had abandoned their request for voluntary departure and that there was no adjustment of status application yet submitted to the court because there was no current, approved immigrant visa petition and no visa petition had yet been filed. The IJ's denial of continuance and the BIA's summary affirmance of that decision were indeed discretionary; however, such discretion is authorized pursuant to regulation, not to any statute outlined in § 1252(a)(2)(B)(i). See 8 C.F.R. § 1003.29 ("The Immigration Judge may grant a motion for continuance for good cause shown.").4 Therefore, Rodriguez does not preclude our review here.
As for any argument that we lack jurisdiction because the Manzanos' motion to reopen relates to a request for adjustment of Mr. Manzano's status, this would clearly be the case if the BIA had actually made a discretionary determination on the merits to deny such adjustment of status under INA § 245, 8 U.S.C. § 1255. See Medina-Morales v. Ashcroft, 371 F.3d 520, 526 (9th Cir.2004) ("If the denial of [the petitioner's] motion to reopen was a judgment regarding the granting of relief under ... § 1255 ..., then we are without jurisdiction to review the discretionary aspects of the BIA's decision."). However, the parties' arguments on appeal here only relate to the allegedly erroneous factual and legal findings of the BIA in denying the Manzanos their motion to reopen their removal proceedings, not to any alleged factual or legal errors made by the BIA in any decision to actually deny Mr. Manzano adjustment of status under § 1255.
Mr. Manzano's basis for the reopening of removal proceedings was that his visa petition had now been approved; that is, he alleged he was now prima facie eligible for an adjustment of status pursuant to INA § 245(i), 8 U.S.C. § 1255(i). The government opposed the reopening because "[t]he crucial information in this case ... is not new and could have been presented earlier." Under 8 C.F.R. § 1003.2 (formerly 8 C.F.R. § 3.2), the BIA could not grant the motion to reopen unless it found that Mr. Manzano's new evidence was "material and was not available and could not have been discovered or presented at the former hearing." 8 C.F.R. § 1003.2(c)(1) (emphasis added). The record indicates that the BIA denied the Manzanos' motion to reopen because of Mr. Manzano's prior dilatory actions in not promptly filling out the requisite paperwork and applying for his visa such that at the time the Manzanos sought yet another continuance from the IJ and were deemed removable under INA § 242(a)(6)(A)(i), 8 U.S.C. § 1182(a)(6)(A)(i), Mr. Manzano was still not eligible to apply for adjustment of status under § 1255.
Apparently, the BIA determined that Mr. Manzano's tardiness in applying for his visa, particularly where multiple continuances had been granted by the IJ, meant his approved visa could feasibly have been presented at some time during the former proceeding for him to apply for adjustment of status. Thus, we reasonably infer that the BIA denied the motion to reopen based on the second ground enumerated in INS v. Abudu, 485 U.S. 94, 108 S.Ct. 904, 99 L.Ed.2d 90 (1988): "the movant has not introduced previously unavailable, material evidence, 8 CFR § 3.2."5 Id. at 104-05, 108 S.Ct. 904. But see Mickeviciute v. INS, 327 F.3d 1159, 1163 (10th Cir.2003) (remanding where it was not clear on what ground of Abudu the BIA had relied to deny a motion to reopen). Here, the BIA denied the Manzanos' motion to reopen pursuant to 8 C.F.R. § 1003.2 and the "new evidence" ground of Abudu. See 485 U.S. at 105, 108 S.Ct. 904. The BIA thus ultimately affirmed its prior affirmance of the Manzanos' removability under § 1182(a)(6)(A)(i); it did not make an adverse determination of the merits of Mr. Manzano's application for adjustment of status under § 1255.
As the government acknowledges, courts from other Circuits have held that the analogous judicial review provision of IIR-IRA, § 309(c)(4)(E), does not bar a court's jurisdiction over a motion to reopen where the denial is not based on the merits of any delineated barred subsection.6 One court has held such in the context of INA § 242(a)(2)(B)(i), 8 U.S.C. § 1252(a)(2)(B)(i). See Medina-Morales, 371 F.3d at 527 (finding BIA's denial of motion to reopen was a decision affirming removal under § 1182(a)(6)(A)(i), not based on an adverse determination of the merits under § 1229c or § 1255, and thus was not barred from review by § 1252(a)(2)(B)(i)). We agree with such reasoning here and hold that review of the BIA's denial of the Manzanos' motion to reopen pursuant to 8 C.F.R. § 1003.2 is not barred by § 1252(a)(2)(B)(i) because such denial was an affirmance of their removability under § 1182(a)(6)(A)(i), not an adverse determination of the merits of Mr. Manzano's requested adjustment of status under § 1255.
We review the BIA's denial of a motion to reopen proceedings under a highly deferential abuse of discretion standard. Zhao, 404 F.3d at 303; see also Lara v. Trominski, 216 F.3d 487, 496 (5th Cir.2000) ("[M]otions for reopening of immigration proceedings are disfavored ....") (quoting Doherty, 502 U.S. at 323, 112 S.Ct. 719). Even where the petitioner has made out a prima facie case of eligibility for suspension of removal, the BIA can choose to deny the motion to reopen if it finds "the movant has not introduced previously unavailable, material evidence." Abudu, 485 U.S. at 104-05, 108 S.Ct. 904 (noting the proper standard of review for a denial on such ground is abuse of discretion). Such discretion is not to be disturbed "so long as it is not capricious, racially invidious, utterly without foundation in the evidence, or otherwise so aberrational that it is arbitrary rather than the result of any perceptible rational approach." Pritchett v. INS, 993 F.2d 80, 83 (5th Cir.1993) (citation omitted).
The Manzanos argue that the BIA's decision to deny their motion to reopen was based on erroneous factfindings and an improper application of the law, and thus that such denial was unreasonable and arbitrary. The main facts the Manzanos dispute are that Mr. Manzano did not sign the G-28 form due to delay on his part, but rather because he did not receive the form from his counsel, and that they only received two, not three, prior continuances for completion of the labor certification process. The Manzanos argue that even if such facts were correct, their case is factually distinguishable from other cases where motions to reopen have been denied for reasons such as repeated violations of immigration laws and frivolous appeals, INS v. Rios-Pineda, 471 U.S. 444, 450-52, 105 S.Ct. 2098, 85 L.Ed.2d 452 (1985); being a fugitive from justice, Wittgenstein v. INS, 124 F.3d 1244, 1245 (10th Cir. 1997); concealment of whereabouts, Arana v. United States Immigration & Naturalization Serv., 673 F.2d 75, 76-77 (3d Cir. 1982); or refusal to comply with a surrender notice, Matter of Barocio, 19 I & N Dec. 255, 257-58 (BIA 1985).
The government responds that the BIA did not err in stating the facts underlying its decision. Through counsel, the government argues, Mr. Manzano requested a total of six continuances—of which he received five. The government maintains the IJ granted three prior continuances for Mr. Manzano to pursue his application for labor certification, on October 19, 1998 (to await approval of the application), November 12, 1998 (again, to await approval of the application), and February 11, 1999 (pending final decision on the application). The government also contends the record supports that the delay in filing the I-140 immigrant visa petition was due, in part, to Mr. Manzano's failure to respond to his counsel's repeated communications in that regard.
The Fifth Amendment requires that aliens subject to removal proceedings be provided due process: "(1) notice of the charges against him, (2) a hearing before an executive or administrative tribunal, and (3) a fair opportunity to be heard." United States v. Lopez-Ortiz, 313 F.3d 225, 230 (5th Cir.2002), cert. denied, 537 U.S. 1135, 123 S.Ct. 922, 154 L.Ed.2d 827 (2003) (citing Kwong Hai Chew v. Colding, 344 U.S. 590, 597-98, 73 S.Ct. 472, 97 L.Ed. 576 (1953)).
The Manzanos make no contention that they were not properly afforded either notice, a hearing, or a fair opportunity to be heard. The Manzanos merely make a one-sentence argument that their constitutional due process rights have been violated due to the legal and factual errors committed by the BIA in the denial of their motion to reopen. Thus, what the Manzanos presuppose is that they have a constitutionally protected right to actual discretionary relief from removal or to be eligible for such discretionary relief, and that because the BIA denied their motion to reopen, it follows that their due process rights have been violated. This is incorrect. See Jay v. Boyd, 351 U.S. 345, 353, 76 S.Ct. 919, 100 L.Ed. 1242 (1956) ("[T]hough we assume a statutory right to a full hearing on those issues, it does not follow that such a right exists on the ultimate decision — the exercise of discretion to suspend deportation."); Lopez-Ortiz, 313 F.3d at 230-31 (holding in illegal reentry criminal case that petitioner had no constitutional due process interest in eligibility for discretionary relief from removal under § 212(c) of the Immigration and Nationality Act); see also Nguyen v. Dist. Dir., Bureau of Immigration & Customs Enforcement, 400 F.3d 255, 259 (5th Cir. 2005) (holding same in a collateral civil proceeding). We find no evidence in the record that indicates the BIA violated the Manzanos' due process rights.
One of their sons is an adult and did not join in the Manzanos' motion to reopen
Section 1003.23(b)(3) provides, in relevant part: "The Immigration Judge has discretion to deny a motion to reopen even if the moving party has established a prima facie case for relief." 8 C.F.R. § 1003.23(b)(3)
Such regulatory-based discretionary decision would also be reviewable under the reasoning ofZhao.
The other availableAbudu grounds are either: that the petitioner has not established a prima facie case for the underlying relief sought; or without deciding either that a prima facie case has not been met or the new evidence was previously available, leaping ahead and "simply determin[ing] that even if [the two threshold concerns] were met, the movant would not be entitled to the discretionary grant of relief." 485 U.S. at 104-05, 108 S.Ct. 904.
See Stewart v. INS, 181 F.3d 587, 595-96 (4th Cir.1999) (finding BIA's denial of motion to reopen was a decision that the petitioner had not shown "exceptional circumstances" under INA § 242B(e)(2)(A), not a merits determination of adjustment of status under INA § 245, barred from review by INA § 309(c)(4)(E)); Arrozal, 159 F.3d at 432 (finding BIA's denial of motion to reopen was a decision under INA § 241(a)(2) that the petitioner had overstayed her visa, not a merits determination of whether she met a showing of extreme hardship under INA § 244, barred from review by INA § 309(c)(4)(E)); see also Prado v. Reno, 198 F.3d 286, 291 (1st Cir. 1999) ("The decision as to which [the petitioner] seeks review is not a BIA judgment on whether to adjust [her] status [under INA § 245], which would be a `judgment regarding the granting of relief under' an enumerated section, but is rather a decision not to reopen under 8 C.F.R. § 3.2" (now 8 C.F.R. § 1003.2) not barred from review by INA § 309(c)(4)(E)).