Source: http://openjurist.org/291/f3d/1116/armendariz-montoya-v-c-sonchik
Timestamp: 2013-12-12 06:14:35
Document Index: 210225027

Matched Legal Cases: ['§ 212', '§ 212', '§ 440', '§ 212', '§ 309', '§ 1101', '§ 440']

291 F3d 1116 Armendariz-Montoya v. C Sonchik | OpenJurist
291 F. 3d 1116 - Armendariz-Montoya v. C Sonchik	Home291 f3d 1116 armendariz-montoya v. c sonchik
291 F3d 1116 Armendariz-Montoya v. C Sonchik 291 F.3d 1116
Hugo ARMENDARIZ-MONTOYA, Petitioner-Appellee,v.Roseanne C. SONCHIK, District Director, Immigration and Naturalization Service, Respondent-Appellant.
Before O'SCANNLAIN and TALLMAN, Circuit Judges, and KING*, District Judge.
* In 1972, Hugo Armendariz-Montoya ("Armendariz") entered the United States without inspection from Mexico when he was three years old. In 1978, he adjusted his status to that of a lawful permanent resident. He has resided in the United States since his entry.
In April 1997, an Immigration Judge ("IJ") conducted a deportation hearing. Armendariz conceded deportability, but sought a discretionary waiver of inadmissibility under INA § 212(c). Section 440(d) of the Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act ("AEDPA"), which was enacted on April 24, 1996, categorically negates § 212(c) relief for those aliens deportable for having committed a qualifying controlled substance offense or an aggravated felony.1 Pub.L. 104-132, 110 Stat. 1214, 1277. The IJ determined that AEDPA § 440(d) applied to Armendariz who was thus ineligible for a § 212(c) waiver.
Armendariz appealed to the Board of Immigration Appeals ("BIA"), which affirmed. He subsequently filed a petition for review with this court, but we dismissed for lack of jurisdiction. See Armendariz-Montoya v. INS, No. 97-71305(9th Cir. Feb. 29, 2000); see also IIRIRA § 309(c)(4)(G), 100 Stat. at 3009-626 to 627 (reprinted at 8 U.S.C. § 1101, Historical and Statutory Notes) (stripping jurisdiction over claims on direct review for aliens deportable for certain grounds).
Whether AEDPA § 440(d) applies, depends, of course, on the date Armendariz's deportation proceedings commenced. Cortez-Felipe v. INS, 245 F.3d 1054 (9th Cir. 2001) tells us that deportation proceedings commence with the filing of the OSC with the Immigration Court. In Cortez, the alien suspected that the INS would initiate deportation proceedings. IIRIRA was set to take effect on April 1, 1997. However, by late March 1997, the INS had not taken any action. In the hope of avoiding IIRIRA's amendments, the alien contacted the INS to request initiation of deportation proceedings before April 1. On March 27, the INS served the OSC, but did no