Opinion ID: 3035003
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: The Underlying Removals

Text: Gonzalez was born in Mexico, in 1976. He entered the United States with his parents illegally when he was three months old. His parents subsequently adjusted their status and became legal permanent residents (“LPR”). They did not UNITED STATES v. GONZALEZ 15615 adjust Gonzalez’s status at the time because they thought it would be easier to adjust it later. Gonzalez has six siblings, all of whom were born in the United States. When Gonzalez was 14 years old, his parents consulted someone they thought was an attorney about adjusting Gonzalez’s status. The attorney told them that his status could not be adjusted because Gonzalez had tattoos. The parents believed the attorney and neither they nor Gonzalez applied to adjust Gonzalez’s status. On January 31, 1994, Gonzalez pled guilty to two counts of second degree robbery in violation of California Penal Code § 211. Gonzalez was sentenced to a three-year term at the California Youth Authority. At the time of his conviction, the offense constituted an aggravated felony, rendering Gonzalez deportable under 8 U.S.C. § 1252(b) (1994). Subsequently, Congress amended the immigration laws in a number of relevant respects. Subsection 1228(b), as amended by the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 (“IIRIRA”) and the Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act of 1996 (“AEDPA”), provides that non-LPR aliens convicted of an aggravated felony are subject to expedited removal, without a hearing before an immigration judge (“IJ”), and are ineligible for any form of relief from removal, including relief under 8 U.S.C. § 1182(h) (also known as § 212(h) waiver). See 8 U.S.C. § 1228(b). On December 8, 1997, the Immigration and Naturalization Service (“INS”)1 served Gonzalez with a Notice of Intent to Issue a Final Administrative Deportation Order. The notice explained that Gonzalez was deportable under 8 U.S.C. 1 Most of the functions of the INS have since been transferred to the newly-created Department of Homeland Security. See Homeland Security Act of 2002, Pub. L. No. 107-296, §§ 441, 471, 116 Stat. 2135, 2192, 2205 (2002). For convenience, we refer to the agency involved as the INS. 15616 UNITED STATES v. GONZALEZ § 1227(a)(2)(A)(iii) because he had been convicted of an aggravated felony as defined by 8 U.S.C. § 1101(a)(43). The notice further explained that, under § 1228(b), Gonzalez was deportable without a hearing before an IJ. The notice informed Gonzalez that he could choose to have counsel represent him at removal proceedings at his own expense and “seek judicial review of any final administrative deportation order by filing a petition for review” within 30 days after issuance of the administrative order. The notice required Gonzalez to indicate whether he chose to contest his deportability based on one of the three following grounds: (1) that he was a citizen or national of the United States, (2) that he was an LPR of the United States, or (3) that he had not been convicted of the criminal offense described in the notice. Gonzalez indicated that he did not wish to contest the deportation order. In doing so, he also signed the following statement: I admit the allegations and charge in this Notice of Intent. I admit that I am deportable and acknowledge that I am not eligible for any form of relief from removal. I waive my right to rebut and contest the above charges and my right to file a petition for review of the Final Removal Order. The next day, an INS service officer issued a Final Administrative Removal Order, finding that Gonzalez was deportable based on his aggravated felony conviction and that he was ineligible for any discretionary relief from removal. Gonzalez was deported the following day. Gonzalez subsequently reentered the United States and, in February 1999, the INS served him with a Notice of Intent to Reinstate the December 1997 removal order. The notice informed Gonzalez that he was removable as an alien who has illegally reentered after previously having been removed. The notice explained that Gonzalez could contest the INS’ deterUNITED STATES v. GONZALEZ 15617 mination by making an oral or written statement to an immigration officer and that Gonzalez had no right to a hearing before an IJ. Gonzalez was removed from the United States in 2000.