Opinion ID: 443223
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Parole Revocation

Text: 13 Moret contends that the termination of his parole was improper because the INS failed to comply with its own internal procedures governing the revocation of parole for Mariel Cubans. These procedures, announced on May 17, 1982, allow for the revocation of a Mariel Cuban's parole when either the alien has been convicted in the United States of a felony or serious misdemeanor, or when the INS District Director determines that the alien presents a clear and imminent danger to the community or himself. The INS official responsible for implementing these guidelines has emphasized that in non-criminal cases, the policy of the INS is to revoke parole only when the alien is deemed to be a clear and imminent danger to the community or to himself. Declaration of John A. Simon, Supp.App. p. 2a (emphasis added). 14 The government maintains that supplemental wire instructions, issued by the INS on March 1, 1983, specifically allow for the revocation of parole of a Mariel Cuban who violates the conditions of his sponsoring program. We find, however, that these parole guidelines are inapplicable on their face to Moret. The guidelines apply only to whose Mariel Cubans paroled from the Atlanta penitentiary. Prior to his present incarceration, Moret had never, so far as the record discloses, been to the Atlanta facility, or to any other federal penitentiary. Moreover, these guidelines indicate that a Mariel Cuban must, before being paroled, sign a special agreement containing the conditions of his parole. There is no evidence that Moret was ever shown, or that he ever signed, a form agreeing to the conditions for resettlement in the Vision Quest program. 15 Thus, in the present case, if the revocation is to be upheld, there must be an explicit finding that Moret posed a clear and imminent danger to society. There has been no such finding. The only determination made by the INS was that Moret had failed to abide by the conditions of his resettlement program. 16 The government argues, however, that this court may sustain the agency's determination because the administrative record supports a finding--though not explicitly made--that Moret posed a danger to the community. The record does disclose that Moret is a somewhat unstable and aggressive young man. However, this court is not free to uphold the agency's determination on the basis of a post-hoc rationalization by the government. S.E.C. v. Chenery Corp., 318 U.S. 80, 63 S.Ct. 454, 87 L.Ed. 626 (1943). Neither may this court supply its own justification for the decision of the INS. As Professor Davis concludes: 17 Even if the evidence in the record, combined with the reviewing court's understanding of the law, is enough to support the order, the court may not uphold the order unless it is sustainable on the agency's findings and for the reasons stated by the agency. 18 K. Davis, Administrative Law Treatise Sec. 14:29 (1980). Hence, regardless of whether the administrative record would sustain a finding that Moret was a clear and imminent danger to the community, the fact remains that no such determination has been made by the INS. This fact is dispositive. For as Supreme Court precedent makes clear, a court must evaluate the propriety of an agency action solely on the grounds invoked by the agency in its initial determination. If, as in this case, those grounds are inadequate or improper, the agency action must be set aside. See S.E.C. v. Chenery Corp. (Chenery II), 332 U.S. 194, 196-97, 67 S.Ct. 1575, 1577, 91 L.Ed. 1995 (1947). 19 An agency abuses its discretion if it fails to follow its own regulations and procedures. Shepherd v. Merit Systems Protection Board, 652 F.2d 1040 (D.C.Cir.1981). See also Piper v. Crosland, 519 F.Supp. 962 (E.D.N.Y.1981) (INS abused its discretion in denying alien's application for stay of deportation because agency failed to follow internal guidelines requiring a finding that application was frivolous or that substantial adverse factors disfavored a stay). 20 The district court did not consider whether the INS actions were arbitrary, capricious or an abuse of discretion because it apparently felt that Moret's concerns would be addressed at the INS exclusion hearing. We believe that the district court erred in declining to consider this issue. Because the agency's own revocation policies do not allow for a revocation of parole without a finding of a clear and imminent danger and because there was no such finding in this case, we hold that the termination of Moret's parole was an abuse of discretion. 3