Opinion ID: 175914
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Stipulated Removal Process

Text: The stipulated removal provision allows an IJ to enter an “order of removal stipulated to by the alien (or the alien’s representative) and the [Immigration and Naturalization] Service.”2 8 U.S.C. § 1229a(d). An IJ’s ability to enter stipulated removal orders “facilitates judicial efficiency in uncontested 1 The remaining issues presented in Ramos’s appeal are addressed in a memorandum disposition filed concurrently with this opinion. 2 On March 1, 2003, the functions of the former Immigration and Naturalization Service (“INS”) were transferred from the Department of Justice to three agencies (the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services) in the newly formed Department of Homeland Security (“DHS”). See Homeland Security Act of 2002, Pub. L. No. 107-296, 116 Stat. 2135 (Nov. 25, 2002). 16258 UNITED STATES v. RAMOS cases,” and serves to “alleviate overcrowded federal, state, and local detention facilities.” Stipulated Requests for Deportation or Exclusion Orders, 59 Fed. Reg. 24,976 (May 13, 1994). The Department of Justice (“DOJ”) first promulgated a regulation implementing stipulated removal in 1995. 8 C.F.R. § 3.25. The regulation codified an IJ’s discretion to enter a stipulated removal order without a hearing and in the absence of the alien, but, out of due process concerns, limited the availability of such orders only to aliens represented by counsel at the time the stipulation was entered. See Stipulated Requests for Deportation or Exclusion Orders, 60 Fed. Reg. 26,351-52 (May 17, 1995). The regulation provided further procedural safeguards for aliens stipulating to their removal by mandating that the IJ determine that the “represented respondent/applicant voluntarily, knowingly, and intelligently entered into a stipulated request for an order of deportation or exclusion.” 8 C.F.R. § 3.25 (1995); see also Stipulated Requests for Deportation or Exclusion Orders, 59 Fed. Reg. at 24,976. As the DOJ noted, “the words ‘voluntarily, knowingly and intelligently’ . . . ensure maximum protection for aliens entering into stipulations,” and protect those who cannot “fully understand the ramifications of a stipulation” due to limited English language skills. 60 Fed. Reg. at 26,351-52. [1] In 1997, the DOJ amended the language of the regulation to its current form, which governs Ramos’s removal proceedings.3 See Inspection and Expedited Removal of Aliens, 62 Fed. Reg. 10,312, 10,321-22 (Mar. 6, 1997). Like the former version of the regulation, 8 C.F.R. § 1003.25 provides an IJ with discretion to “enter an order of deportation, exclusion or removal stipulated to by the alien (or the alien’s representa- 3 The current version of the regulation, 8 C.F.R. § 1003.25, was previously codified at 8 C.F.R. § 3.25(b) (1997), but was redesignated at its present location in 2003, without any alterations to the regulatory language. See 68 Fed. Reg. 9830 (Feb. 28, 2003). UNITED STATES v. RAMOS 16259 tive) and the Service.” Id. The amended regulation, however, permits an IJ to enter stipulated orders of removal for aliens without legal representation, and requires that the stipulation include: (1) An admission that all factual allegations contained in the charging document are true and correct as written; (2) A concession of deportability or inadmissability as charged; (3) A statement that the alien makes no application for relief under the [Immigration and Nationality] Act; (4) A designation of a country for deportation or removal under section 241(b)(2)(A)(i) of the Act; (5) A concession to the introduction of the written stipulation of the alien as an exhibit to the Record of Proceeding; (6) A statement that the alien understands the consequences of the stipulated request and that the alien enters the request voluntarily, knowingly, and intelligently; (7) A statement that the alien will accept a written order for his or her deportation, exclusion or removal as a final disposition of the proceedings; and (8) A waiver of appeal of the written order of deportation or removal. 8 C.F.R. § 1003.25(b). [2] The amended regulation provides additional procedural safeguards for unrepresented aliens in stipulated removal pro16260 UNITED STATES v. RAMOS ceedings by requiring that the IJ “determine that the alien’s waiver is voluntary, knowing, and intelligent.” Id. As the DOJ noted, this requirement safeguards against an imprudent waiver of a formal adjudication on the part of an unrepresented alien . . . . If an immigration judge is confronted with a stipulated request raising due process concerns, he or she may examine that request in the context of a hearing. Inspection and Expedited Removal of Aliens, 62 Fed. Reg. at 10,322.