Opinion ID: 3013014
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 7

Heading: necessity for a remand

Text: As we have summarized above, the foundation of Zubeda’s claim for relief under the Convention Against Torture is that she will likely be detained by the government of the DRC if forcibly returned and that it is more likely than not that she will be raped while in detention there.18 As noted above, in granting Zubeda relief under the Convention Against Torture, the Immigration Judge wrote, “I am convinced that [Zubeda] would be detained upon her arrival. Virtually every government detains its citizens for some period of time after that citizen is deported or forcibly removed from another country.” A.R. at 54. The BIA reversed because of what it described as “a dearth of evidence to support any finding that [Zubeda] is likely to be detained for any reason.” Id. at 3. During argument, the attorney for the INS devoted much of her time to arguing that the record simply did not support the Immigration Judge’s conclusion about the likelihood of Zubeda’s detention upon return to the DRC. Yet, as we have already noted, it appears from the Immigration Judge’s opinion that he simply took administrative notice of that fact. Zubeda claims that the BIA’s concern over a “dearth of evidence to support [Zubeda’s] detention” is therefore entirely unremarkable. Zubeda argues that the law does not require that she prove anything as obvious as the likelihood of detention upon forcible return to her homeland after deportation for attempting to illegally enter another country. According to Zubeda, the Immigration Judge’s factual conclusion regarding events that will likely follow upon her return is too commonly known to require proof, and the country reports allow a reasonable fact finder to make a decision about the likelihood of rape while 18. Counsel has argued that Zubeda is even more likely to be raped in detention because she is from a rebel-held region. 26 held in detention in the DRC. She therefore asks us to conclude that the BIA erred in not deferring to the Immigration Judge’s factual conclusion based upon an administratively noticed fact. In McLeod v. Immigration and Naturalization Service, 802 F.2d 89 (3d Cir. 1986), we noted that an agency can take official or administrative notice of commonly acknowledged facts. We explained: Official notice, rather than judicial notice, is the proper method by which agency decisionmakers may apply knowledge not included in the record. The Administrative Procedure Act allows a decisionmaker to take “official notice” of material not appearing in the evidence in the record. Official notice is a broader concept than judicial notice. Both doctrines allow adjudicators to take notice of commonly acknowledged facts, but official notice also allows an administrative agency to take notice of technical or scientific facts that are within the agency’s area of expertise. Id. at 93 n.4. Here, however, the Immigration Judge did not expressly invoke the doctrine of official or administrative notice in evaluating Zubeda’s claim.19 The likelihood of official detention greatly bolsters Zubeda’s claim under the Convention given the apparent likelihood that she would be raped if detained. Although we conclude that the BIA erred in providing only a minimal analysis of Zubeda’s claim and deciding the appeal on the basis of Matter of J-E, as well as allowing rulings on her asylum and withholding of deportation claim to control her claim under the Convention, we are reluctant to simply reverse and remand to the BIA given the ambiguity surrounding the Immigration Judge’s possible invocation of the doctrine of administrative notice. Moreover, counsel for the INS has conceded that, given the state of this record, the matter can best be resolved by a remand to the Immigration Judge (as opposed to the BIA) to allow clarification of the record and an opportunity for 19. We do not suggest that an Immigration of Administrative Judge must always formally announce that he or she is taking administrative notice. 27 any additional fact finding or evidence that may be necessary. See INS v. Ventura, 537 U.S. 12 (2002). Accordingly, we will remand the matter to the Immigration Judge for further proceedings consistent with this opinion. In doing so, we commend counsel for the INS for the fair, forceful and thorough manner in which she presented the government’s appeal. The government has no interest in deporting Zubeda if she is entitled to relief from the order of deportation. In light of the universal condemnation of torture in numerous international agreements, and the renunciation of torture as an instrument of official policy by virtually all of the nations of the world (in principle if not in practice), . . . . an act of torture committed by a state official against one held in detention violates established norms of the international law of human rights, and hence the law of nations. Filartiga v. Pena-Irala, 630 F.2d 876, 880 (2nd Cir. 1980).20 The INS has also agreed that Zubeda will be able to raise the issue of her tribal identity before the Immigration Judge on remand. The administrative record confirms that Zubeda is a member of the Bembe tribe. Form 1-870 (record of determination of credible fear interview), at 2. (A.R. at 296). Zubeda’s counsel claimed at oral argument that she is also entitled to relief because of treatment afforded Bembes in the DRC. The Bembe tribe is from the South Kivu Region of the DRC which is a rebel-held and controlled area of the Congo. According to Amnesty International, a number of people who live in the Kivu Region are being detained by the DRC and are at risk of being tortured. App. at 95. Moreover, Amnesty International reports that a number of these individuals are being arbitrarily detained simply because they are from the Kivu Region. Id. Amnesty 20. See also Universal Declaration of Human Rights, General Assembly Resolution, 217(III)(A)(Dec. 10, 1948) (“no one shall be subjected to torture”), American Convention on Human Rights, Art. 5, OAS Treaty Series No. 36 at 1, OAS Off. Rec. OEA/Ser 4 v/II 23, doc 21, rev.2. (English ed. 1975) (“No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading punishment or treatment”). 28 International indicates that members of the Bembe tribe are generally opposed to the killing of the Tutsi minority in the Congo. App. at 82. Zubeda’s counsel claims that the government of the DRC regards Bembes as sworn enemies of the government. Counsel also notes that, according to Amnesty International, mayi-mayi, who are armed groups supporting the government, have targeted Bembes for killing. App. at 82. In Zubeda’s counsel’s view, this strongly supports her claim that she is more likely to be tortured if returned to the Congo. It may also provide the missing “on account of ” element for a claim of asylum or withholding of deportation. However, counsel concedes that this issue was not raised by prior counsel before the Immigration Judge.21 Nevertheless, inasmuch as the INS has agreed to allow Zubeda to raise this issue on remand, the Immigration Judge will be able to determine if Zubeda’s ethnicity affects the prior denial of relief. As we have previously noted: Justice requires that an applicant for asylum or withholding of deportation be afforded a meaningful opportunity to establish his or her claim. Deportation is always a harsh measure; it is all the more replete with danger when the alien makes a claim that he or she will be subject to death or persecution if forced to return to his or her home country. In enacting the Refugee Act of 1980 Congress sought to give the United States sufficient flexibility to respond to situations involving political or religious dissidents and detainees throughout the world. Senathirajah, 157 F.3d 210, 221 (3d Cir. 1998) (internal quotation marks omitted) (quoting INS v. Cardoza-Fonseca, 480 U.S. 421, 449 (1987)).