Opinion ID: 2648824
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Timely Retraction

Text: The Eids contend that the District Court should have granted their timely retraction argument. Under that theory, Eid’s withdrawal of his application for permanent residency should “wash away” the attempt to garner benefits, 11 precluding the application of § 1154(c) and making the BIA’s decision to apply § 1154(c) erroneous.5 We disagree. The basic principle of timely retraction or recantation is that where an alien voluntarily retracts a false statement before its falsehood is exposed (or about to be exposed), the effect of the false statement is cancelled out. See Matter of M—, 9 I. & N. Dec. 118 (BIA 1960); see also Valdez-Munoz v. Holder, 623 F.3d 1304, 1309 (9th Cir. 2010) (“The doctrine of timely recantation is of long standing and ameliorates what would otherwise be an unduly harsh result for some individuals, who, despite a momentary lapse, simply have humanity’s usual failings, but are being truthful for all practical purposes.”). Here, Pickett’s “retraction” of her I-130 Petition occurred only after it had been approved and she and Eid were questioned regarding the purpose of their marriage. Even if the timely retraction doctrine were extended to include withdrawals of official forms, it would be most difficult to show that the withdrawal, after the Petition was filed (Eid “sought to be accorded” the benefit) and after the legitimacy of the marriage was called into question by immigration officials, was timely. Thus the timely retraction doctrine does not apply. 5 The BIA did not discuss timely retraction in its decision, likely because it was not raised in Packard-Eid’s BIA brief. However, because timely retraction was mentioned in the notice of appeal, it is considered administratively exhausted under the standards of our Court. See Joseph v. Att’y Gen., 465 F.3d 123, 126 (3d Cir. 2006) (“Under the liberal exhaustion policy . . . , an alien need not do much to alert the Board that he is raising an issue.”). 12