Opinion ID: 76142
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: BIA's Summary Affirmance Procedure

Text: 21 Mendoza next argues that the BIA's summary affirmance procedures established by the Attorney General in 8 C.F.R. § 3.1(a)(7) violate his due process rights because the BIA issued a one-sentence order without reviewing the facts of his case. 7 As explained below, we agree with the First Circuit's analysis in Albathani v. INS, 318 F.3d 365 (1st Cir.2003), and conclude that the BIA's summary affirmance procedures did not violate Mendoza's due process rights. 22 Under these summary affirmance procedures, a single BIA member may affirm an IJ's decision in a single sentence without an opinion if the BIA member determines that the result was correct and that any errors were harmless and immaterial, and `that (A) the issue on appeal is squarely controlled by existing ... precedent ...; or (B) the factual and legal questions raised on appeal are so insubstantial that three-Member review is not warranted.' Gonzalez-Oropeza v. U.S. Attorney Gen., 321 F.3d 1331, 1332 (11th Cir.2003) (quoting 8 C.F.R. § 3.1(a)(7)(ii)). The result of such an affirmance is that the IJ's decision becomes the final agency determination. Gonzalez-Oropeza, 321 F.3d 1331, 1332 (citing 8 C.F.R. § 3.1(a)(7)(iii)). Such an order does not necessarily imply approval of all of the reasoning of the IJ's decision, but does signify that any errors by the IJ were harmless or immaterial. 8 C.F.R. § 3.1(a)(7)(iii). If the BIA member decides that the decision is inappropriate for affirmance without an opinion, the case is assigned to a three-member panel for review and decision; however, that panel also is authorized to determine that a case should be affirmed without an opinion. See id. § 3.1(a)(7)(iv). 23 In Albathani v. INS, 318 F.3d 365 (1st Cir.2003), the First Circuit examined the due process implications of the BIA's summary affirmance procedures. The First Circuit stated that there are two possible bases for a due process challenge to the summary affirmance procedures: (1) that the BIA decision is the final decision [of the INS] and a BIA summary affirmance does not provide a reasoned basis for review; and (2) that a one-line summary affirmance provides no way for courts to police the BIA to see that it is actually doing its job according to the regulations it has promulgated. 318 F.3d 365, 376. 24 The First Circuit concluded, however, that the BIA's summary affirmance procedure does not violate an alien's due process rights. In determining that appellate courts adequately are able to review INS removal decisions, the First Circuit observed that (1) an alien has no constitutional right to an administrative appeal and (2) Congress has not given aliens any statutory right to an administrative appeal. 318 F.3d 365, 375 (citing Guentchev v. INS, 77 F.3d 1036, 1037 (7th Cir.1996)). Any administrative appeals rights available to aliens are created by regulations promulgated by the Attorney General, and under the regulations, no entitlement to a full opinion by the BIA exists. Gonzalez-Oropeza, 321 F.3d 1331, 1332; see also Albathani, 318 F.3d 365, 377; 8 C.F.R. § 3.1(b) (2002). Furthermore, meaningful review of the INS's removability determination is not precluded by the brevity of the BIA's summary affirmance decision because an appellate court will continue to have the IJ's decision and the record upon which it is based available for review. Albathani, 318 F.3d 365, 377. 25 Likewise, we conclude that summary affirmance of Mendoza's removal did not violate any due process rights. As this Court stated in Gonzalez-Oropeza, under the [INS] regulations, no entitlement to a full opinion by the BIA exists. 321 F.3d 1331, 1332. That a one-sentence order was entered is no evidence that the BIA member did not review the facts of Mendoza's case. There also is no evidence that the BIA member who reviewed Mendoza's removal deviated from the requirements of the regulations in determining whether Mendoza's appeal could be subject to the streamlining procedures of 8 C.F.R. § 3.1(a)(7). See also Gonzalez-Oropeza, 321 F.3d 1331, 1332 (concluding that in summarily affirming the IJ's decision, the BIA was in full compliance with the regulations, as the issues in th[e] case [were] not complex, and [were] governed by existing agency and federal court precedent). Moreover, our review of the IJ's decision and the administrative record reveals that there is a basis for affirmance and for summary affirmance of Mendoza's removal. 8 26 PETITION DENIED.