Opinion ID: 202758
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: The IJ's Refusal to Terminate Removal Proceedings

Text: 14 Unless a petitioner shows good cause for failure to appear at a joint petition interview, the Department of Homeland Security will automatically terminate an alien's conditional permanent resident status as of the second anniversary of its conferral. 8 U.S.C. § 1186a(c)(2)(A)(ii); 8 C.F.R. § 216.4(b)(3). Feliz argues that the IJ erred in finding that he had not established good cause for failing to appear at the June 2003 interview, and in therefore refusing to terminate the removal proceedings against him. 15 We will uphold the BIA's finding that Feliz did not establish good cause if it is supported by substantial evidence. See 8 U.S.C. § 1252(b)(4)(B); Rodriguez-Ramirez v. Ashcroft, 398 F.3d 120, 123 (1st Cir.2005) ([A]n inquiring court must uphold the BIA's resolution of [fact-driven] issues so long as its decision is supported by substantial evidence in the record.). Because the BIA summarily affirmed the IJ's determination, we review the opinion of the IJ as if it were that of the BIA. Albathani v. INS, 318 F.3d 365, 373 (1st Cir.2003). 16 Relying on the Ninth Circuit's decision in Agyeman v. INS, 296 F.3d 871 (9th Cir.2002), Feliz appears to argue that his wife's poor health constituted good cause for their failure to appear at the interview. Agyeman is inapposite. There is no evidence that this is a case in which ill health accounted for the failure to appear at the June 12, 2003 interview. Feliz's wife's health has never before been offered by Feliz as a reason for their failure to appear at that interview. Rather Feliz said he did not receive notice of the interview; the IJ's finding that this was not true was based on substantial evidence. 17 At the hearing, the government presented evidence that the interview notice had been mailed to Feliz at his record address and that it had not been returned. The government also indicated that the notice for the first interview and the NTA had been mailed to the same address and apparently had been received. In addition, Feliz's credibility suffered substantially when he testified about why his wife did not appear at the February 7, 2005 hearing. When the IJ rejected Feliz's brazen claim that he had not known that his wife's presence was required at the hearing, Feliz added that she suffered from arthritis and so couldn't be in the cold much. He did not assert that she was actually unable to appear, nor had he earlier told the IJ that there would be any difficulty with her appearing. 18 To the extent Feliz argues that his wife's ill health constituted good cause for her failure to appear on February 7, and that the IJ therefore should not have found him removable based on her failure to appear, his argument essentially is that the IJ should have granted another continuance. See 8 C.F.R. § 1003.29. 19 In Herbert v. Ashcroft, 325 F.3d 68 (1st Cir.2003), this court reversed an IJ's denial of a petitioner's motion to reopen when the petitioner's counsel had filed a motion for a continuance and the petitioner had failed to appear at a hearing. Id. at 69-70. In that case, the petitioner's attorney had filed on the day of the hearing an emergency motion for a continuance based on the fact that he was required to appear on a case in federal court at the same time. Id. at 70. The attorney never notified the petitioner of the motion or of his conflict, and, primarily because of transportation difficulties, the petitioner arrived approximately thirty minutes late to the hearing. Id. The petitioner's relatives arrived on time to the hearing and informed court personnel that the petitioner would be arriving shortly. Id. Despite this assurance and the attorney's motion for a continuance, however, the IJ proceeded in absentia and ordered the petitioner deported. Id. The petitioner filed a motion to reopen, citing extraordinary circumstances, see 8 C.F.R. § 3.23(b)(4)(iii) (2002), which was denied. Herbert, 325 F.3d at 70. 20 In Herbert, we held that if there were indeed a failure to appear, it was excused by exceptional circumstances. Id. at 72-73. We noted that had the petitioner's attorney been able to appear, he would have informed the IJ that the petitioner was on his way. Id. at 72. We further noted that had the petitioner arrived on time, he likely would not have elected to proceed without counsel. Id. Finally, we observed that the petitioner's family had arrived at the hearing on time, and that their testimony could have been taken first, thereby avoiding any delay. Id. 21 The facts of this case are very different. No continuance was ever requested here. Nor was Feliz's wife merely late; Feliz indicated that she would not appear at all. The case already had been continued once before, and there was no indication that another continuance would result in the appearance of Feliz's wife. The IJ did not abuse his discretion in not granting a continuance to allow Feliz's wife to appear. 22 Finally, Feliz also argues that the IJ erred in rejecting his counsel's proffer of a joint tax return as evidence that Feliz and his wife had a bona fide marriage. The issue before the IJ was only whether Feliz and his wife had good cause for failing to appear for their interview on June 12, 2003. The IJ indicated that if both Feliz and his wife had testified that they had not received notice and if he had seen evidence that the marriage was bona fide, then he might have been inclined to terminate the removal proceedings. Given that substantial evidence supports the IJ's decision that Feliz failed to establish that he had not received notice of the June 12, 2003 interview, the issue of whether the marriage was bona fide is, as the IJ stated, irrelevant. The IJ therefore committed no error in refusing to accept Feliz's evidence of a bona fide marriage. 23