Opinion ID: 195538
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: The BIA's December 12, 1993 Decision.

Text: 20 In denying the motion to reopen that petitioner filed directly with the BIA, it relied, in part, on 8 C.F.R. Sec. 3.2. This section, so far as is relevant, provides: 21 Motions to reopen in deportation proceedings shall not be granted unless it appears to the Board that evidence sought to be offered is material and was not available and could not have been discovered or presented at the former hearing.... 22 We review a denial of a motion to reopen based on this ground for abuse of discretion. See INS v. Doherty, 112 S. Ct. 719, 725 (1992); Abudu, 485 U.S. at 105. 23 Viewed under this standard, it is plain that the evidence petitioner presented in support of his motion to reopen-the specifics of how his car broke down, how it was fixed and the attempts he made to gain access to the INS offices when he finally arrived in Boston-were available in April 1993 when he filed the first motion to reopen with the immigration judge and in July 1993 when he appealed to the BIA. See Gando-Coello, 888 F.2d at 199 (where evidence presented in motion to reopen was available at time of in absentia deportation and at time of appeal from deportation order, BIA's denial of motion to reopen upheld). 24 Petitioner adds a last argument, raised for the first time in his brief on appeal to this court. He claims that the holding of an in absentia hearing violated his due process rights. The Supreme Court has approved in absentia hearings: An alien must be given 'a reasonable opportunity to be present at [the] proceeding,' but if the [alien] fails to avail himself of that opportunity, the hearing may proceed in his absence. INS v. Lopez-Mendoza, 468 U.S. 1032, 1038-39 (1984). Courts of appeals have held that if this standard is met, there is no due process violation. See Reyes-Arias v. INS, 866 F.2d 500, 503- 04 (D.C. Cir. 1989); Maldonado-Perez, 865 F.2d at 333. We agree with these cases and therefore reject petitioner's constitutional claim.