Case Name: UNITED STATES of America, Plaintiff-Appellee, v. Valente ACOSTA-LICEA, also known as Valente Acosta, Defendant-Appellant
Court: United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit
Jurisdiction: United States
Decision Date: 2006-12-12
Citations: 209 F. App'x 407
Docket Number: No. 06-40172
Parties: UNITED STATES of America, Plaintiff-Appellee, v. Valente ACOSTA-LICEA, also known as Valente Acosta, Defendant-Appellant.
Judges: Before KING, WIENER, and OWEN, Circuit Judges.
Reporter: West's Federal Appendix
Volume: 209
Pages: 407–408

Head Matter:
UNITED STATES of America, Plaintiff-Appellee, v. Valente ACOSTA-LICEA, also known as Valente Acosta, Defendant-Appellant.
No. 06-40172
Conference Calendar.
United States Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit.
Dec. 12, 2006.
James Lee Turner, Assistant U.S. Attorney, U.S. Attorney’s Office, Southern District of Texas, Houston, TX, for PlaintiffAppellee.
Marjorie A. Meyers, Federal Public Defender, Molly E. Odom, Federal Public Defender’s Office, Southern District of Texas, Houston, TX, for Defendant-Appellant.
Before KING, WIENER, and OWEN, Circuit Judges.

Opinion:
PER CURIAM:
Valente Acosta-Licea appeals from his guilty-plea conviction and sentence for being found in the United States after previous deportation. See 8 U.S.C. § 1326. Acosta-Licea argues that the district court erred by imposing a 16-level adjustment under U.S.S.G. § 2L1.2(b)(l)(A)(n) based upon his Texas conviction for burglary of a habitation. As Acosta-Licea concedes, his argument is foreclosed by United States v. Garcia-Mendez, 420 F.3d 454, 455-57 (5th Cir.2005), cert. denied, - U.S. -, 126 S.Ct. 1398, 164 L.Ed.2d 100 (2006), and although he argues that Garcia-Mendez was incorrectly decided, Garcia-Mendez remains binding. See United States v. Stone, 306 F.3d 241, 243 (5th Cir.2002).
Acosta-Licea's constitutional challenge to § 1326 is foreclosed by Almendarez-Torres v. United States, 523 U.S. 224, 235, 118 S.Ct. 1219, 140 L.Ed.2d 350 (1998). Although Acosta-Licea contends that Almendarez-Torres was incorrectly decided and that a majority of the Supreme Court would overrule Almendarez-Torres in light of Apprendi v. New Jersey, 530 U.S. 466, 120 S.Ct. 2348, 147 L.Ed.2d 435 (2000), we have repeatedly rejected such arguments on the basis that AlmendarezTorres remains binding. See United States v. Garza-Lopez, 410 F.3d 268, 276 (5th Cir.), cert. denied, - U.S. -, 126 S.Ct. 298, 163 L.Ed.2d 260 (2005). Acosta-Licea properly concedes that his argument is foreclosed in light of AlmendarezTorres and circuit precedent, but he raises it here to preserve it for further review.
AFFIRMED.
Pursuant to 5th Cir. R. 47.5, the court has determined that this opinion should not be published and is not precedent except under the limited circumstances set forth in 5th Cir. R. 47.5.4.