Opinion ID: 4538683
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Appeal and Present Motion to Reopen

Text: The Board of Immigration Appeals (“BIA”) summarily affirmed the IJ’s decision without opinion. Id. at 366 (BIA Summary Order). Ba thereafter filed multiple motions to reopen, based on an approved I-130 visa petition, which were denied and are not relevant to this case. See id. at 281–82 (First Mot. to Reopen); id. at 276 (First BIA Order Denying Mot. to Reopen); id. at 255 (Mot. to Reconsider and Second Mot. to Reopen); id. at 250–51 (Second BIA Order Denying Mot. to Reopen). On October 22, 2018, Ba filed the motion to reopen that is at issue in this case. A.R. at 33 (Third Mot. to Reopen at 10). In it, he explained that since the time he had been ordered removed, “[d]ue to the unavailability of travel documents from Mauritania; the fact that his country has stripped him of his citizenship; DHS’s priority scheme for deportations; and the unsafe conditions in Mauritania, [he] was allowed to remain in the U.S. for almost two decades.” Id. at 26. Ba stated that “he complied with DHS’s requests for regular check-ins with ICE, and continued to live his life in the United States,” including raising two children who are United States citizens. Id. The 8 No. 19-3859, Ba v. Barr motion asserts that Ba’s removal proceedings should be reopened because conditions in Mauritania have worsened, “particularly for a Christian of Afro-Mauritanian descent like [him],” and that Mauritania’s “recent actions to jail political opponents” and to subject activists to detention and torture threaten his safety. Id. at 28. Ba appended to his motion a proposed application for relief, in which he stated, inter alia, that “the government would detain and torture me for my political beliefs in opposition to slavery,” and that “you will be put to death if you denounce the religion of Islam: I am Christian.” Id. at 241 (Proposed Asylum Appl. at 5). The BIA denied Ba’s motion, A.R. at 3 (Third BIA Order Denying Mot. to Reopen) (hereinafter “BIA Decision”), providing the following reasoning for its denial: The respondent avers that conditions in Mauritania have harshened for Christians of “Afro-Mauritanian descent” like himself, rendering him likely to return to the “slave caste” in that country (Motion at 6-10). However, the respondent has not addressed the adverse credibility findings of the Immigration Judge, which this Board summarily affirmed (IJ at 5).[] In rendering this finding, the Immigration Judge found the respondent’s claim that he had been a slave in Mauritania was implausible, citing various reasons (IJ at 5-9). The Immigration Judge also cited the fact that French was the respondent’s preferred language, and the lack of reliable identity documents, in finding that the respondent is actually Senegalese, rather than a native and citizen of Mauritania, as he claims (IJ at 7-8).[5] Therefore, the respondent has not shown that his proffered evidence, relating to conditions in Mauritania, reflects any materially changed country conditions showing that he is now eligible for relief from removal. The respondent also has not demonstrated any material change in Senegal. Accordingly, the respondent’s motion is not exempt from the above-noted statutory bars on motions to reopen, and reopening is not warranted. 5 Here, footnote 3 of the BIA’s decision reads: “The respondent has not submitted any evidence with his motion showing that he is a national and/or citizen of Mauritania. Absent such basic, yet significant, evidence, he has not demonstrated the materiality of any of the evidence relating to conditions in Mauritania.” Id. at 4 n.3. 9 No. 19-3859, Ba v. Barr Id. at 3–4 (citation omitted). Ba timely petitioned this court for review. We have jurisdiction to review the BIA’s decision pursuant to 8 U.S.C. § 1252(a)(1).