Opinion ID: 780807
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: facts

Text: 1 As we are resolving the appeals of several petitioners, we address the facts of each of their cases in turn. Initially, we review the statutory history of the discretionary relief provisions applicable to resident aliens.
2 The statutory history of discretionary relief from deportation is complex, and is set forth fully in our opinion in St. Cyr. 229 F.3d at 410-12. To summarize briefly here, the deportation of resident aliens who commit aggravated felonies is controlled by the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA). See 8 U.S.C. § 1227(a)(2)(A)(iii) (2001). Prior to 1997, aliens deportable under the INA could apply to the Attorney General for a discretionary waiver of deportation pursuant to § 212(c) of the INA. To qualify for such relief, an alien was required to show that he (1) was a lawful permanent resident of the United States, (2) had an unrelinquished domicile of seven consecutive years, and (3) had not committed an aggravated felony for which he had served a term of at least five years. See 8 U.S.C. § 1182(c) (1994). If the alien met these requirements, the Attorney General had the discretion to waive deportation. See id.; St. Cyr, 229 F.3d at 410. 3 In 1996, Congress enacted first the Anti-Terrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act (AEDPA), which limited eligibility for relief under § 212(c), see AEDPA, Pub.L. No. 104-132, § 440(d), 110 Stat. 1214, 1277 (1996), and then the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act (IIRIRA) which repealed INA § 212(c) completely, effective April 1, 1997. See IIRIRA, Pub.L. No. 104-208, § 304(b), 110 Stat. 3009-546, -597 (1996). Section 212(c) relief was, in effect, replaced by a new form of relief called cancellation of removal, 8 U.S.C. § 1229b, which allows the Attorney General to cancel removal proceedings for a class of resident aliens that does not include those convicted of an aggravated felony. In removal proceedings commenced after April 1, 1997, therefore, resident aliens convicted of an aggravated felony are no longer eligible for any form of discretionary relief from deportation.
4 Rankine, a citizen of Jamaica, entered the United States as a permanent resident alien in June 1983. In 1994, he was convicted after a jury trial in state court of attempted second degree murder and was sentenced to eight to sixteen years for that charge, as well as to indeterminate concurrent sentences on four other charges including assault and criminal possession of a weapon. 5 In May 1998, the INS formally commenced removal proceedings against Rankine, charging that he was deportable under 8 U.S.C. § 1227(a)(2)(A)(iii) (1998) as an alien convicted of an aggravated felony and under § 1227(a)(2)(C) as an alien convicted of a firearms offense. At his deportation hearing in December 1998, Rankine, through counsel, conceded these two charges of removability and the factual allegations supporting them. The Immigration Judge (IJ) found that Rankine, as an aggravated felon, was deportable and ineligible for any form of relief from removal. The IJ therefore ordered Rankine removed to Jamaica. 6 On appeal to the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA), Rankine argued that he should have been found eligible for § 212(c) relief because such relief was available to him when he committed his crimes. In May 1999, the BIA affirmed the IJ's decision. 7 Petitioning the district court for a writ of habeas corpus, Rankine asserted that he remained eligible for relief because he was convicted of his crimes prior to the enactment of IIRIRA. On January 23, 2001, the district court denied the petition, holding that because Rankine had not shown he was convicted pursuant to a guilty plea, he was not eligible for § 212(c) relief under our decision in St. Cyr. The district court subsequently granted Rankine a certificate of appealability on the ground that St. Cyr had been granted certiorari by the Supreme Court.
8 Lawrence, also a citizen of Jamaica, entered the United States as a permanent resident alien in May 1971. In 1986, Lawrence pled guilty to attempted criminal possession of a controlled substance, a crime for which he was sentenced to five years' probation. In 1995, Lawrence was convicted in state court after a jury trial of criminal sale and criminal possession of cocaine in the third degree, and was sentenced to concurrent terms of four and a half to nine years. 9 In March 1999, the INS initiated removal proceedings against Lawrence by filing a Notice to Appear, which charged that he was removable under 8 U.S.C. §§ 1227(a)(2)(A)(iii) and (B)(i) as an alien convicted of an aggravated felony and a controlled substance violation. At his deportation hearing in August 1999, Lawrence conceded that he was deportable as charged, but contended that § 212(c) relief was available to him. The IJ found that Lawrence was ineligible for § 212(c) relief as well as for any other form of relief from removal, and consequently ordered his removal to Jamaica. The IJ's ruling was upheld by the BIA on appeal. 10 Lawrence petitioned the federal district court for a writ of habeas corpus, claiming that he was eligible for § 212(c) relief because his criminal conviction occurred prior to the enactment of IIRIRA. The district court denied the petition on July 20, 2001, holding that it was bound by this court's decision in St. Cyr to conclude that Lawrence was ineligible for such relief because he had not been convicted pursuant to a guilty plea. The district court issued a certificate of appealability, however, because it recognized that our statements in St. Cyr about the application of IIRIRA to pre-IIRIRA convictions obtained after trial could be construed as dicta.
11 Eze is a citizen of Nigeria who entered the United States as a visitor in 1983 and adjusted his status to permanent resident alien in 1985. In 1993, Eze was convicted following a jury trial of rape in the first degree, sodomy, incest, and sexual abuse of a minor, and was sentenced to eight and one-third to twenty-five years in prison. 1 12 In February 1998, the INS filed a Notice to Appear against Eze, charging that he was removable as an aggravated felon under 8 U.S.C. § 1227(a)(2)(A)(iii). At his removal hearing in September 1998, the IJ found that Eze was deportable as charged and was not eligible for any form of relief from removal because he was placed into removal hearings after the effective date of IIRIRA. In April 1999, the BIA denied Eze's appeal. 13 Petitioning the district court for a writ of habeas corpus, Eze raised seven arguments, including the contention that the IJ wrongly found him ineligible for a waiver of deportation pursuant to § 212(c). Eze argued that his proceedings were pending prior to AEDPA's and IIRIRA's enactment, and that therefore, his case should have been decided under the statutory scheme in effect at that time. The district court dismissed his petition on September 27, 2000, holding, inter alia, that AEDPA precluded Eze, an aggravated felon, from seeking a discretionary waiver of deportation. The district court subsequently denied a certificate of appealability. 14 On April 4, 2001, this court granted a certificate of appealability and appointed counsel to represent Eze on the following questions: (1) whether Eze would have qualified for a waiver of deportability under 8 U.S.C. § 1182(c) (1994) by virtue of having established lawful unrelinquished domicile of seven consecutive years and having served less than five years on his state court conviction; and (2) if so, whether AEDPA § 440(d) and IIRIRA § 304(a) were impermissibly retroactive as applied to Eze because he was convicted after a jury trial prior to their enactment. 15 We heard the appeals of these three petitioners in tandem because their cases all hinge on whether § 212(c) relief should remain available to aggravated felons who were convicted after trial while § 212(c) was still in effect, but whose removal proceedings were commenced after § 212(c) was repealed. Because we answer this question in the affirmative, we do not address the first issue raised in Eze's certificate of appealability.