Case Name: UNITED STATES of America v. Heriberto ALVARADO-MARTINEZ, Appellant at No. 06-3781; United States of America v. Romeo Nunez-Flores, Appellant at No. 06-3782
Court: United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
Jurisdiction: United States
Decision Date: 2007-11-28
Citations: 255 F. App'x 645
Docket Number: Nos. 06-3781, 06-3782
Parties: UNITED STATES of America v. Heriberto ALVARADO-MARTINEZ, Appellant at No. 06-3781 United States of America v. Romeo Nunez-Flores, Appellant at No. 06-3782.
Judges: Before: RENDELL and NYGAARD, Circuit Judges, and McCLURE, District Judge.
Reporter: West's Federal Appendix
Volume: 255
Pages: 645–646

Head Matter:
UNITED STATES of America v. Heriberto ALVARADO-MARTINEZ, Appellant at No. 06-3781 United States of America v. Romeo Nunez-Flores, Appellant at No. 06-3782.
Nos. 06-3781, 06-3782.
United States Court of Appeals, Third Circuit.
Submitted Under Third Circuit LAR 34.1(a) Oct. 31, 2007.
Filed: Nov. 28, 2007.
Robert L. Eberhardt, Office of United States Attorney, Pittsburgh, PA, for United States of America.
Patrick M. Livingston, Pittsburgh, PA, for Appellant.
Before: RENDELL and NYGAARD, Circuit Judges, and McCLURE, District Judge.
Honorable James F. McClure, Jr., District Judge for the United States District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, sitting by designation.

Opinion:
OPINION OF THE COURT
NYGAARD, Circuit Judge.
Because our opinion is wholly without precedential value, and because the parties and the District Court are familiar with its operative facts, we offer only an abbreviated recitation to explain why we will deny the appeals of Mr. Nunez-Flores, and Mr. Alvarado-Martinez.
Mr. Nunez-Flores and Mr. Alvarado-Martinez pleaded guilty to the possession of false or altered permanent resident alien cards ("green cards"). The plea agreements preserved the probable cause challenge that they both raised in pre-trial motions seeking to suppress, inter alia, the green cards as fruits of an unreasonable search.
Appellants were passengers in a car driven by a man who was illegally present in the United States. A police officer stopped the vehicle for speeding. The officer observed that all of the men were Hispanic. He asked for a driver's license from the driver, and learned that he did not have one. He asked the driver if either passenger had a license and he said that they did not. The officer then asked both passengers directly, in English, to provide identification. Both men handed him a green card, and identification cards written in Spanish.
The officer questioned the authenticity of one identification card from each passenger, making him suspicious that he did not have accurate information. He ran a check of the names and birth dates to learn if any of them had any valid identification or any outstanding warrants. After the check did not produce any positive identification, the officer instructed each man, in English, to get out of the car one at a time. They complied.
The officer asked the men if they were illegally present in the United States. The driver answered "yes," and at the same time the two passengers immediately put their heads down. The officer interpreted this movement of their heads to be a nonverbal agreement with the driver's answer. After relaying information about the stop to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the officer followed its instructions to transport the men to the Allegheny County Jail.
The District Court concluded that the officer obtained the false green cards pursuant to a lawful arrest. We agree. The District Court appropriately assessed the totality of the circumstances, noting: the lawfulness of the traffic stop; the lack of driver's licenses; the officer's general concerns about a lack of positive identification; the various indicia that led the officer to conclude that the men acknowledged their illegal presence in the country; and, the instruction of Immigration and Customs Enforcement to detain the men. United States v. Myers, 308 F.3d 251, 255 (3d Cir.2002). We do not find any error in the District Court's judgment that, at the time of arrest, a reasonable officer in these circumstances would find probable cause to arrest the men for violation of immigration laws. Therefore, we will affirm the District Court's Order of Conviction of Mr. Nunez-Flores and the Order of Conviction and Sentence of Mr. Alvarado Martinez.
. The appeals were consolidated for disposition by Order dated December 12, 2006.