Opinion ID: 4533799
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Violation of Internal Regulations

Text: Kohn argues that the agency failed to comply with two of its own regulations that exist for his benefit. An agency’s failure to follow its own procedures or regulations can require its action to be invalidated. United States ex. rel. Accardi v. Shaughnessy, 347 U.S. 260, 267 (1954) (vacating deportation order where Attorney General did “precisely what the regulations forbid him to do: dictat[ed] the Board’s decision”). Following Accardi, this Court has held that a noncitizen in deportation proceedings need not make a showing of prejudice when claiming that the government “has failed to adhere to its own regulations regarding the right to 6 counsel.” Montilla v. INS, 926 F.2d 162, 169 (2d Cir. 1991). To prevail, a noncitizen must show two things: that “the subject regulations were for the alien’s benefit and that the [government] failed to adhere to them.” Id. We must now examine whether (1) the subject regulations were for Kohn’s benefit, and (2) if so, whether the agency failed to adhere to them. a. 8 C.F.R. § 1240.10(a)(2) Kohn asserts the government failed to adhere to regulations that require IJs to “[a]dvise the respondent of the availability of pro bono legal services for the immigration court location at which the hearing will take place, and ascertain that the respondent has received a list of such pro bono legal service providers.” 8 C.F.R. § 1240.10(a)(2). In Picca v. Mukasey, 512 F.3d 75 (2d Cir. 2008), we held that a prior version of 8 C.F.R. § 1240.10(a) was “designed for the benefit of immigrants” because it implicates the fundamental right to counsel. Id. at 79–80. The regulation, therefore, is for Kohn’s benefit. In Picca, we also determined that the IJ violated the regulation by not advising the noncitizen of the availability of free legal services or ascertaining that he had received the list. Id. Here, by contrast, the IJ advised Kohn of the availability of pro bono legal service providers and directed Kohn to take the list of providers. Kohn does not dispute that he received such a list. Instead he argues that the list did not include providers that (a) were located in Fishkill, NY, where the removal hearing 7 was held, and (b) that would provide legal services for “cases such as that of Petitioner.” Petitioner’s Br. at 15. By Kohn’s own admission, however, at least two of the listed providers did not explicitly decline to provide services at his hearing location. The list he received included 14 providers, and only 5 providers limited their services to locations other than Fishkill. The list gave the names of 9 other providers who did not exclude Fishkill as a location where they would represent a non-citizen. Unlike in Picca, where the IJ failed to provide any list of pro bono legal service providers to the noncitizen, the IJ here substantially complied with the regulation by giving Kohn a list of providers operating in his state. Nor is the list deficient because some of the service providers on it did not accept cases like his. The regulation does not require that an IJ provide noncitizens with a list of providers willing to take cases similar to the type presented by the non-citizen petitioner. Rather, the regulation requires only that the IJ advise the noncitizen of “the availability of pro bono legal services for the immigration court location at which the hearing will take place.” 8 C.F.R. § 1240.10(a)(2). The factual circumstances of Kohn’s case have no bearing on whether the IJ complied with the regulation. b. 8 C.F.R. § 1003.61(b) Finally, Kohn argues that the IJ failed to comply with 8 C.F.R. § 1003.61(b), which requires the Director to maintain a 8 list of pro bono providers “which shall be updated not less than quarterly.” 8 C.F.R. § 1003.61(b). Kohn argues that the agency violated this regulation because the list he received at his February 6, 2018 hearing was last updated in October 2017. Even assuming arguendo that the regulation concerns a fundamental right to counsel and is for the benefit of a noncitizen, Montilla, 926 F.2d at 169, remand is not required because Kohn has not demonstrated that the Director failed to update the list. The list Kohn received also included a website address at which Kohn could have obtained an updated list. That was sufficient to fulfill any obligations to Kohn the government had under the regulation. For the foregoing reasons, the petition for review is DENIED. All pending motions and applications are DENIED and stays VACATED. FOR THE COURT: Catherine O’Hagan Wolfe, Clerk of Court 9