Source: https://casetext.com/case/griffiths-v-ins
Timestamp: 2018-11-14 14:14:41
Document Index: 692925868

Matched Legal Cases: ['§ 241', '§ 1251', '§ 212', '§ 212', '§ 212', '§ 212', '§ 101', '§ 1101', '§ 212', '§ 212', '§ 101', '§ 322', '§ 101', '§ 101', '§ 101', '§ 322', '§ 212', '§ 212', '§ 212', '§ 212', '§ 212']

Griffiths v. I.N.S, 243 F.3d 45 | Casetext
243 F.3d 45 (1st Cir. 2001)
…Notice of Hearing (Docket # 260). On May 27, 2010, Mr. Carey filed a brief memorandum with the Court…
Gomes v. Ashcroft
…C. Harmless Error The BIA&apos;s error does not, however, necessitate a denial of respondents&apos; motion to dismiss…
holding that a notation of "guilty-filed" on the criminal docket could not constitute a conviction under the first prong of the INA conviction definition because "a formal judgment of guilt under the first prong of the definition entails a showing of something beyond a simple finding of guilt. . . . Otherwise the reference in the second prong of the statute to deferred adjudications where either a judge or a jury has `found the alien guilty&apos; would be rendered superfluous."
Summary of this case from Puello v. Bureau of Citiz
finding that Massachusetts law does not treat a "guilty filed" charge as a "final judgment" or a "formal judgment of guilt," so it does not constitute a "conviction" for purposes of immigration statute
Summary of this case from Virden v. United States
concluding that such filing procedures do constitute convictions after enactment of the IIRIRA
…243 F.3d 45, 52 (1st Cir. 2001)). “Subsection (i) specifies five sufficient findings: a finding of guilt by a…
No. 00-1694.
Heard February 9, 2001.
Appeal from the Court of Appeals, Lynch, Circuit Judge.
On September 19, 1991, the INS ordered Griffiths to show cause why he should not be deported under former § 241(a)(2)(C) of the INA, 8 U.S.C. § 1251(a)(2)(C), based on this firearms conviction. At the deportation hearing on October 19, 1992, Griffiths conceded the INS's factual allegations and deportability, but sought an opportunity to apply for relief from deportation by way of an adjustment of status and a § 212(h) waiver of inadmissibility based on purported hardship to his U.S. citizen family relations. Over the INS's objection, the immigration judge granted a continuance, and Griffiths filed applications for adjustment of status and a § 212(h) waiver.
On April 29, 1993, Griffiths moved to terminate the deportation proceedings against him, contending that he no longer stood convicted as alleged in the order to show cause. He argued to the immigration judge that the "guilty-filed" disposition of the renewed charges was not sufficiently final to support an order of deportation, citing Pino v. Landon, 349 U.S. 901, 75 S.Ct. 576, 99 L.Ed. 1239 (1955). Petitioner contended that that disposition of the criminal charge did not qualify as a conviction under the definition set forth in the BIA decision, Matter of Ozkok, 19 I. N. Dec. 546 (BIA 1988), which governed at the time. The INS countered that the portion of the definition in Matter of Ozkok relied on by petitioner in fact governed only cases where adjudication of guilt was deferred and thus there was no "formal judgment of guilt" entered, while in this case the criminal court entered a formal finding of "guilty," a finding which was sufficient to support a charge of deportability. On May 7, 1993, the immigration judge found that the "guilty-filed" disposition was a conviction, mistakenly denied petitioner a § 212(c) waiver (which is a discretionary waiver based on equitable factors, and for which Griffiths had not applied), denied petitioner's request for voluntary departure, and ordered Griffiths deported. The immigration judge failed to address petitioner's application for a § 212(h) waiver, the waiver for which he actually had applied.
Griffiths timely appealed his deportation order to the BIA, again contending that the "guilty-filed" disposition was not of sufficient finality to constitute a conviction for immigration purposes. While Griffiths's appeal was pending, Congress enacted the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996, Pub.L. No. 104-208, 110 Stat. 3009 (1996), which amended the INA to include (for the first time) a statutory definition of "conviction" for federal immigration purposes. See INA § 101(a)(48)(A), 8 U.S.C. § 1101(a)(48)(A). On May 9, 2000, the BIA dismissed Griffiths's appeal from the order of deportation, agreeing with the INS that the "guilty-filed" disposition was sufficient to support the deportation charges against him under this new statutory definition of conviction. The BIA relied on its intervening determination in Matter of Punu, Int. Dec. 3364, 1998 WL 546634 (BIA 1998), that the statutory definition of "conviction" broadened the scope of "conviction" for immigration purposes to encompass some deferred adjudications, even where the right to further appellate review of the issue of guilt or innocence on such deferred adjudications remained available. The BIA affirmed the immigration judge's denial of a § 212(c) waiver, and found that without such waiver he could not qualify for adjustment of status. Like the immigration judge, the Board failed to address the application for a § 212(h) waiver, nor did it address his request for voluntary departure in lieu of deportation. Griffiths now petitions this court for review of the Board's decision.
We review de novo an agency's construction of a statute that it administers, although subject to established principles of deference. See INS v. Aguirre-Aguirre, 526 U.S. 415, 424-25, 119 S.Ct. 1439, 143 L.Ed.2d 590 (1999); Herrera-Inirio v. INS, 208 F.3d 299, 304 (1st Cir. 2000). Under those principles of deference, if the intent of Congress is clear, it must govern, but where the statute is silent or ambiguous on an issue, the question for the court is whether the agency's interpretation is based on a permissible construction of the statute. See Chevron U.S.A., Inc. v. Natural Resources Defense Council, Inc., 467 U.S. 837, 842-43, 104 S.Ct. 2778, 81 L.Ed.2d 694 (1984); Herrera-Inirio, 208 F.3d at 304. Since "agency officials acting in the immigration context `exercise especially sensitive political functions that implicate questions of foreign relations,' deference to administrative expertise is particularly appropriate." Herrera-Inirio, 208 F.3d at 304, quoting INS v. Abudu, 485 U.S. 94, 110, 108 S.Ct. 904, 99 L.Ed.2d 90 (1988).
Before the enactment of IIRIRA in 1996, the INA did not provide any statutory definition of "conviction" for immigration purposes. The Supreme Court briefly addressed the meaning of the term in a two-sentence per curiam opinion, Pino v. Landon, 349 U.S. 901, 75 S.Ct. 576, 99 L.Ed. 1239 (1955). In that case, the Supreme Court addressed the decision of this court in Pino v. Nicolls, 215 F.2d 237 (1st Cir. 1954), which found that a criminal conviction placed "on file" in Massachusetts qualified as a conviction for the purposes of the INA. The Supreme Court reversed, holding that "[o]n the record here we are unable to say that the conviction has attained such finality as to support an order of deportation" under the INA. 349 U.S. at 901, 75 S.Ct. 576.
The BIA attempted to create uniformity in the treatment of various state methods of disposing of criminal cases by creating a controlling definition of "conviction" for immigration purposes in Matter of Ozkok, 19 I. N. Dec. 546 (BIA 1988), which included a three-part test to apply where adjudication of guilt had been withheld under state procedures.
In Matter of Ozkok, the BIA concluded that it would "consider a person convicted if the court has adjudicated him guilty or has entered a formal judgment of guilt." 19 I. N. Dec. at 551. Where adjudication of guilt had been withheld, however, further examination of the state procedure is required, and the BIA held that where adjudication of guilt was withheld, a "conviction" for immigration purposes could nevertheless be found if the following elements were present:
Id. at 551-52. Superimposed on these three elements was the requirement of a degree of finality, imported from Pino v. Landon. See id. at 553 n. 7.
The term "conviction" means, with respect to an alien, a formal judgment of guilt of the alien entered by a court, or, if adjudication of guilt has been withheld, where —
INA § 101(a)(48)(A). Though enacted after the relevant conduct, this definition governs on Griffiths's appeal. See IIRIRA § 322(c) ("EFFECTIVE DATE. — The amendments made by subsection (a) shall apply to convictions and sentences entered before, on, or after the date of the enactment of this Act.").
This section deliberately broadens the scope of the definition of "conviction" beyond that adopted by the Board of Immigration Appeals in Matter of Ozkok, 19 IN Dec. 546 [1988 WL 235459] (BIA 1988). As the Board noted in Ozkok there exist in the various States a myriad of provisions for ameliorating the effects of a conviction. As a result, aliens who have clearly been guilty of criminal behavior and whom Congress intended to be considered "convicted" have escaped the immigration consequences normally attendant upon conviction. Ozkok, while making it more difficult for alien criminals to escape such consequences, does not go far enough to address situations where a judgment of guilt or imposition of sentence is suspended, conditioned upon the alien's future good behavior. For example, the third prong of Ozkok requires that a judgment or adjudication of guilt may be entered if the alien violates a term or condition of probation, without the need for any further proceedings regarding guilt or innocence on the original charge. In some States, adjudication may be "deferred" upon a finding or confession of guilt, and a final judgment of guilt may not be imposed if the alien violates probation until there is an additional proceeding regarding the alien's guilt or innocence. In such cases, the third prong of the Ozkok definition prevents the original finding or confession of guilt to be considered a "conviction" for deportation purposes. This new provision, by removing the third prong of Ozkok, clarifies Congressional intent that even in cases where adjudication is "deferred," the original finding or confession of guilt is sufficient to establish a "conviction" for purposes of the immigration laws.
The BIA has interpreted the definition of "conviction" in INA § 101(a)(48)(A) in Matter of Punu, Int. Dec. 3364, 1998 WL 546634 (BIA 1998). In that case, the Board, sitting en banc, addressed a Texas criminal procedure that deferred adjudication of the criminal charge and placed the defendant on probation, but allowed for the possibility of further appellate review on the question of the defendant's guilt or innocence. The Board found that the defendant was "convicted" for immigration purposes under the new definition, as there was a finding of guilt and the imposition of probation. See id.; see also Moosa v. INS, 171 F.3d 994 (5th Cir. 1999) (affirming the conclusion that a deferred adjudication under Texas law was a conviction for federal immigration purposes), reversing Martinez-Montoya v. INS, 904 F.2d 1018 (5th Cir. 1990) (holding that deferred adjudication under Texas law did not qualify as "conviction" for federal immigration purposes under the pre-IIRIRA definition). Implicit in this holding is a conclusion that the "finality" requirement no longer applied to deferred adjudications under the new definition, as the concurrence makes explicit. See Matter of Punu, Int. Dec. 3364, at 12 (Grant, Board Member, concurring); see also Moosa, 171 F.3d at 1009 ("finality is no longer a requirement"). Matter of Punu did not purport to deal with the issue of finality under the first prong of the new IIRIRA definition of a conviction, where there is "a formal judgment of guilt." It addressed only the second prong of the new definition, where "adjudication of guilt has been withheld."
It has long been a common practice in this Commonwealth, after verdict of guilty in a criminal case, when the court is satisfied that, by reason of extenuating circumstances . . . or other sufficient cause, public justice does not require an immediate sentence, to order, with the consent of the defendant and of the attorney for the Commonwealth, and upon such terms as the court in its discretion may impose, that the indictment be laid on file. . . . Such an order is not equivalent to a final judgement, or to a nolle prosequi or discontinuance, by which the case is put out of court; but is a mere suspending of active proceedings in the case . . . and leaves it within the power of the court at any time, upon the motion of either party, to bring the case forward and pass any lawful order or judgment therein.
Dowdican's Bail, 115 Mass. at 136. Despite the SJC's reference to "after verdict," a charge can be filed "at any stage," White, 17 F.3d at 479, even prior to trial or change of plea. A guilty-filed disposition involves "an admission of sufficient facts for a possible finding of guilt, but not an explicit admission of guilt." United States v. Tavares, 93 F.3d 10, 13 n. 3 (1st Cir. 1996). Because filing of a charge "is not a final judgment" or "equivalent to sentencing," Commonwealth v. Bianco, 390 Mass. 254, 454 N.E.2d 901, 903-04 (1983), the process "suspend[s], for as long as the case remains on file, the defendant's right to appeal alleged error in the proceeding," Commonwealth v. Delgado, 367 Mass. 432, 326 N.E.2d 716, 719 (1975). It is for that reason that a defendant must consent to filing. See id.
Instead the BIA assessed whether the guilty-filed disposition under Massachusetts law fell within the category demarcated by the second prong, where Congress has determined that there is sufficient evidence of a conviction for federal immigration purposes despite the fact that the state has withheld adjudication of guilt. In Matter of Punu, the BIA addressed this category and interpreted INA § 101(a)(48)(A) to encompass deferred adjudications regardless of the possibility of further appellate review on the issue of guilt or innocence. Applying that interpretation to this case, the Board here found that like deferred adjudications under Texas law, the guilty-filed disposition under Massachusetts law could qualify as a conviction for federal immigration purposes. Thus under the BIA's construction of the statutory definition, finality is no longer a requirement in cases where the adjudication of guilt has been withheld.
The Board did not address the meaning of the first prong of INA § 101(a)(48)(A), governing cases where there is a "formal judgment of guilt," in its decision construing the statute, Matter of Punu. See Int. Dec. 3364, n. 1 (Grant, Board Member, concurring) ("For example, this opinion does not address the circumstance of an alien against whom a formal adjudication of guilt has been entered by a court, but who has pending a noncollateral post-judgment motion or appeal."). Since we address petitioner's case here under the second test, we likewise do not address any finality requirements for finding a conviction under this first prong.
Since the Board's interpretation of the statutory definition is a permissible construction of the statutory language, petitioner's argument that a lack of sufficient finality bars a finding of conviction in his case is unavailing. Most importantly, the Board's understanding of the treatment of cases where the adjudication of guilt is withheld is not inconsistent with the plain language of the statute. In fact, the BIA's interpretation of the statute reflects a rather straight-forward application of its language. The language of the statute as to the second prong requires two elements — (i) some sufficient finding of support for a conclusion of guilt, and (ii) the imposition of some form of punishment — in order to find a "conviction" for immigration purposes. The Board likewise requires that both of those elements be found. Nor does the language of the statute, on its face, impose any additional requirements, such as finality. This reading is reinforced by recognition of the fact that Congress enacted this particular language against the background of the more stingy definition of "conviction" in Matter of Ozkok. Moreover, the Board's conclusion is buttressed by the legislative history of the provision adding the definition, IIRIRA § 322, which expressly contemplates that the original finding of guilt may be sufficient to establish a "conviction" under the definition in cases where adjudication has been deferred despite the theoretical availability of additional proceedings regarding guilt or innocence.
There may be a permissible interpretation of the new statutory definition in which the requirement from Pino v. Landon that deferred adjudications exhibit a certain degree of finality persists beyond the enactment of the definition of "conviction" in IIRIRA. But the BIA's conclusion that it does not is not unreasonable. Since the Board's interpretation of the treatment of cases where the adjudication of guilt is withheld is both wholly consistent with the plain language of the definitional statute and reflects a reasonable understanding of the purposes of its enactment, we must defer to that interpretation. See Chevron, 467 U.S. at 842-43, 104 S.Ct. 2778; Herrera-Inirio, 208 F.3d at 304.
It is possible that the BIA could find, with adequate facts, that the state court judge took Griffiths's prior probationary period into consideration in deciding not to impose any punishment upon placing the case on file. With such facts, it is arguable that the BIA could permissibly conclude that the "guilty-filed" disposition of Griffiths's case was sufficient to establish a conviction for federal immigration purposes. However, those facts are not established on the record before us. Where a reviewing court cannot sustain an agency decision because it has failed to offer a legally sufficient basis for that decision, the appropriate remedy is remand to the agency for further consideration. See Gailius v. INS, 147 F.3d 34, 47 (1st Cir. 1998). We think a remand is particularly appropriate where the lack of factual development stems from confusion about the meaning of a new statute. Therefore, we remand this case to the BIA.
Petitioner sought a § 212(h) waiver of inadmissibility in order to obtain relief from the deportation order by means of an adjustment of status. Section 212(h) allows waiver of inadmissibility where inadmissibility results from criminal activity, the immigrant is "the spouse, parent, son, or daughter of a citizen of the United States," and denial of the admission would result in "extreme hardship" to that person. See 8 U.S.C. 1182(h)(1)(B). Here, the petitioner is both the son of a U.S. citizen and the parent of three U.S. citizens. The immigration judge and the BIA both failed to address the application for a § 212(h) waiver, instead in error considering and rejecting the petitioner's eligibility for a § 212(c) waiver. Petitioner seeks a remand to the Board to consider his eligibility for the § 212(h) waiver.
Where, as a matter of law, Griffiths is ineligible for the relief he sought, remand to the Board is unnecessary despite a clear error, as he suffers no unfair prejudice. See, e.g., White v. INS, 17 F.3d at 480, citing Liwanag v. INS, 872 F.2d 685, 687 n. 2 (5th Cir. 1989). The plain language of the statute, as amended by IIRIRA, renders Griffiths ineligible for the discretionary consideration of hardship. Section 348 of IIRIRA amended § 212(h) to add the following sentence:
No waiver shall be granted under this subsection in the case of an alien who has previously been admitted to the United States as an alien lawfully admitted for permanent residence if since the date of such admission . . . the alien has not lawfully resided continuously in the United States for a period of not less than 7 years immediately preceding the date of initiation of proceedings to remove the alien from the United States.