Opinion ID: 160831
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Petitioners Mario and Judith Aguilera

Text: 2 On January 26, 1995, an immigration judge denied Petitioner Mario Aguilera's asylum application. Mr. Aguilera, a citizen and native of Chile, appealed to the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA), which affirmed the immigration judge's decision on October 12, 1995. Mr. Aguilera did not exercise his statutory right to appeal to this court. On October 25, 1995, after Mr. Aguilera's final order of deportation had been entered, he married Petitioner Judith Aguilera, a U.S. citizen. In addition to Mr. Aguilera's two sons from a previous marriage, Mr. and Mrs. Aguilera have two daughters, who were born in the United States. In May 1997, Mrs. Aguilera filed Form I-30 immediate relative visa petitions for her husband and step-children. The next year, the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) approved the I-30 visa petitions, allowing Mr. Aguilera and his children to apply for legal permanent residency. 3 Mr. Aguilera did not return to Chile after his asylum application was denied, and on October 8, 1997, the INS issued a warrant of deportation. In 1998, he was convicted for using a false social security number in violation of 42 U.S.C. 408(a)(7)(B), for which he was sentenced to six months in jail. Upon his release, the INS agreed to stay his deportation for a year, expiring on February 27, 1999, or until he reopened his deportation proceedings to apply for adjustment of status based on his marriage to a U.S. citizen. Before the expiration of his sentence, Mr. Aguilera sought to reopen his deportation proceedings under 8 C.F.R. 3.2(c)(3)(iii), which allows the filing of an untimely motion to reopen if and when the INS jointly files such motion. The INS did not, however, agree to join his motion to reopen.