Source: http://openjurist.org/298/f3d/1148
Timestamp: 2015-09-03 07:06:43
Document Index: 336608931

Matched Legal Cases: ['§ 1101', '§ 1708', '§ 1227', '§ 1227', '§ 1101', '§ 1101', '§ 1227']

298 F3d 1148 Randhawa v. Ashcroft | OpenJurist
298 F. 3d 1148 - Randhawa v. Ashcroft Home
298 F3d 1148 Randhawa v. Ashcroft 298 F.3d 1148
Sat Jagroop Singh RANDHAWA, Petitioner,v.John ASHCROFT,* Attorney General, Respondent.
No. 99-71634.
Robert B. Jobe (argued), Law Office of Robert B. Jobe, Appearance only by Hilary A. Han, Law Office of Robert B. Jobe, San Francisco, CA, for the petitioner-appellant.
Quynh Vu (argued), United States Department of Justice, Appearances only by David W. Ogden, United States Department of Justice, Civil Division, Brenda Ellison, United States Department of Justice, and Regina Byrd, United States Department of Justice, Office of Immigration Litigation, Washington, DC, for the respondent-appellee.
Before SCHROEDER, Chief Judge, D.W. NELSON and RAWLINSON, Circuit Judges.
Sat "Sonny" Randhawa argues that his conviction for possession of stolen mail is not an aggravated felony under 8 U.S.C. § 1101(a)(43)(G). In light of our en banc decision in United States v. Corona-Sanchez, 291 F.3d 1201 (9th Cir.2002) (en banc), we must disagree.
Randhawa, a native citizen of India, entered the United States as a lawful permanent resident in 1991. A couple years after he entered the United States, Randhawa began to run into trouble with the law. In April of 1993, he was convicted in California Municipal Court for petty theft in violation of California Penal Code Section 490.1 after stealing two cartons of cigarettes. Three years later, in September of 1996, Randhawa was indicted in federal district court. The indictment charged Randhawa with two counts of delay of the mail, seven counts of mail theft, and one count of possession of stolen mail. On January 6, 1997, and pursuant to a plea agreement, Randhawa pled guilty to only the count charging him with possession of stolen mail in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1708. According to the judgment form, Randhawa was "committed to the custody of the United States Bureau of Prisons to be imprisoned for a total term of 12 months," but the sentencing judge recommended to the BOP that Randhawa be placed in the Cornell Community Corrections Facility.
On September 29, 1998, the Immigration and Naturalization Service ("INS") issued a Notice to Appear charging Randhawa with being deportable as an alien who, after admission to the United States, (1) was convicted of an aggravated felony, pursuant to 8 U.S.C. § 1227(a)(2)(A)(iii), and (2) was convicted of two crimes of moral turpitude, not arising out of the same criminal scheme, pursuant to 8 U.S.C. § 1227(a)(2)(A)(ii). The Notice to Appear did not specify which category of aggravated felony Randhawa's conviction for possession of stolen mail fit under, but the INS argued and the Immigration Judge ("IJ") agreed that the relevant category was § 1101(a)(43)(G) (listing as an aggravated felony "a theft offense ... for which the term of imprisonment[is] at least one year"). Randhawa argued that he did not qualify as an aggravated felon under § 1101(a)(43)(G) because the sentencing judge's recommendation and the BOP's decision to designate a half-way house as the place for his sentence meant that he was not actually sentenced to one year of "imprisonment." On March 23, 1999, the IJ ordered Randhawa deported to India. The IJ held that his conviction was a deportable "theft offense," finding that the cases cited by Randhawa which establish that a sentence in a half-way house is not a term of imprisonment do not apply in the immigration context and that the common law definition of imprisonment includes commitment to a community corrections center. The IJ also determined that Randhawa was deportable under 8 U.S.C. § 1227(a)(2)(A)(ii) because both of his prior convictions were crimes of moral turpitude and they were not part of the same criminal scheme.1 Because Randhawa was determined to be an aggravated felon, the IJ found that he was not eligible for any relief from deportation.
Randhawa then submitted a pro se notice of appeal which asserted the same arguments against considering his conviction an aggravated felony. Subsequently, Randhawa obtained counsel who submitted a Notice of Entry of Appearance and a motion to accept a late-filed brief. The BIA denied this motion because of a failure to demonstrate compelling circumstances, and decided to consider only those issues raised in Randhawa's pro se notice of appeal. The BIA rejected Randhawa's argument that his time in a half-way house was not a term of imprisonment and affirmed the IJ's decision.2 Randhawa then filed this timely appeal.
"The question of whether a conviction under federal law is a deportable offense is reviewed de novo." Albillo-Figueroa v. INS, 221 F.3d 1070, 1072 (9th Cir.2000). While the BIA's interpretation of immigration laws is entitled to deference, see INS v. Aguirre-Aguirre, 526 U.S. 415, 424-25, 119 S.Ct. 1439, 143 L.Ed.2d 590 (1999), we are not obligated to accept