Opinion ID: 790662
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Due Process Challenges to the Original Deportation Hearing

Text: 35 A due process violation that renders the underlying deportation invalid also invalidates a conviction under 8 U.S.C. § 1326. Mendoza-Lopez, 481 U.S. at 840, 107 S.Ct. 2148. Bahena-Cardenas argues that the underlying deportation was invalid because the hearing violated his due process rights in two ways. First, Bahena-Cardenas argues that his due process rights were violated because he was in a coma during the first day of his hearing. Second, Bahena-Cardenas contends that the immigration judge's failure to advise him of the possibility of discretionary relief violated due process. We are not persuaded by either argument.
36 Bahena-Cardenas argues that holding the immigration hearing when he could not be present violated his due process rights. He is correct that due process requires physical presence in deportation hearings. See United States v. Leon-Leon, 35 F.3d 1428, 1431 n. 2 (9th Cir.1994) (citing Purba v. INS, 884 F.2d 516, 517 (9th Cir.1989) (holding that an alien is entitled to be physically present at a deportation hearing)). However, we conclude that the violation was not prejudicial. 37 Bahena-Cardenas argues that holding the hearing without his presence was such an egregious due process violation that it is unnecessary to show prejudice. However, we have consistently held that defendants must show prejudice in order to invalidate a § 1326 conviction even when the due process violation is clear. See, e.g., United States v. Alvarado-Delgado, 98 F.3d 492, 493 (9th Cir.1996) (en banc) (holding that defendant who was deported without being informed of his right to a deportation hearing, while having established a violation of due process, must still show prejudice); Leon-Leon, 35 F.3d at 1431 (holding that in spite of any violation of the alien's due process rights, the deportation order may still be used to prove an element of a crime if the alien fails to show prejudice resulting from the violation); United States v. Proa-Tovar, 975 F.2d 592, 595 (9th Cir.1992) (en banc) (holding that [t]he defendant also bears the burden of proving prejudice when immigration judge did not act in accord with due process). 38 Bahena-Cardenas has not demonstrated that he was prejudiced by his absence on the first day of his deportation hearing. During the portion of the hearing that Bahena-Cardenas missed, the only person who testified was the DEA agent who arrested Bahena-Cardenas for selling heroin. The agent was later recalled and subjected to full cross-examination in Bahena-Cardenas' presence. Moreover, the immigration judge specifically did not find the agent's testimony dispositive. 39 Bahena-Cardenas also argues that his absence from the beginning of the trial violated his Sixth Amendment rights because he was denied the opportunity to assist his lawyer effectively during the deportation hearing, making it the equivalent of an uncounseled prior. Although aliens in deportation proceedings have no constitutional right to counsel under the Sixth Amendment, Lara-Aceves, 183 F.3d at 1010 (citing Magallanes-Damian v. INS, 783 F.2d 931, 933 (9th Cir.1986)), the Fifth Amendment right to due process has been construed to give aliens the right to have counsel present. See Baltazar-Alcazar v. INS, 386 F.3d 940, 944 (9th Cir.2004). 40 Bahena-Cardenas, however, was not denied counsel. In fact, his lawyer was present at the hearing and it was Bahena-Cardenas himself who was unavailable. We find no precedent that suggests that a defendant's absence from a hearing or trial, when counsel is present, constitutes a denial of the right to counsel. Indeed, the right to counsel is important because of the difficulty aliens have in presenting their cases forcefully and effectively: 41 A petitioner must weave together a complex tapestry of evidence and then juxtapose and reconcile that picture with the voluminous, and not always consistent, administrative and court precedent in this changing area.... These factors and related legal requirements are daunting enough for a seasoned immigration lawyer.... It is no wonder we have observed with only a small degree of hyperbole, the immigration laws have been termed second only to the Internal Revenue Code in complexity. A lawyer is often the only person who could thread the labyrinth. 42 Baltazar-Alcazar, 386 F.3d at 947-48 (internal citations and quotations omitted). An alien's absence from the proceedings when a lawyer is ably representing his interests does not create such problems. 43 Accordingly, we conclude that Bahena-Cardenas' § 1326 conviction should not be overturned based on the fact that he was not present for the beginning of his deportation hearing. 44
45 Bahena-Cardenas argues that his due process rights were violated because the immigration judge did not advise him of plausible discretionary relief. Bahena-Cardenas was deported following a conviction for selling heroin, and he is therefore excludable under 8 U.S.C. § 1182(a)(2). The only waiver available is found in subsection (h), which applies only to those aliens who were convicted of a single offense of simple possession of 30 grams or less of marijuana, and therefore does not apply to Bahena-Cardenas. Accordingly, because Bahena-Cardenas could not plausibly qualify for discretionary relief, there is no due process violation. 46