Opinion ID: 795696
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: introduction

Text: 2 Wallace is a native and citizen of Trinidad, and he entered the United States as a non-immigrant visitor on August 2, 2000 at the age of sixteen. In December 2000, Wallace and two friends robbed a man on a New York subway car. Wallace's friends brandished weapons, and Wallace struck the victim. The three then took the victim's money and MetroCard. 1 Wallace subsequently pleaded guilty to robbery in the first degree, among other crimes, as a result of the subway incident, and he received a Youthful Offender Adjudication. 2 See N.Y.Crim. Proc. Law §§ 720.10-720.35. In addition, Wallace has been arrested for possession of marijuana and for turnstile jumping. 3 Having been served a Notice to Appear, Wallace conceded removability and was found removable by the IJ. Wallace sought to avoid removal by applying for an adjustment of status pursuant to 8 U.S.C. § 1255. The basis of his application was that his step-father, an American citizen, had filed a petition on his behalf for lawful admission as a permanent resident. See 8 U.S.C. § 1151(b)(2)(A)(i) (providing for admission of immediate relatives of United States citizens). 4 Adjustment of status is a matter of grace, not of right, and the evaluation of such applications is left to the discretion of the Attorney General. See, e.g., Bugayong v. INS, 442 F.3d 67, 71 (2d Cir.2006). The IJ determined that Wallace met the statutory requirements of 8 U.S.C. § 1255 and then, as an exercise of discretion, chose to grant Wallace's application for adjustment of status. When deciding whether to grant the application, the IJ identified the following positive factors that, in his view, outweighed the negative factors in Wallace's criminal record. First, Wallace has strong family ties in this country to, among others, his step-father and his mother, who is a lawful permanent resident and a member of the United States Army Reserve. Second, Wallace and his family will suffer hardship if he is removed to Trinidad. Third, the IJ found that Wallace showed evidence of genuine rehabilitation. 5 The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) appealed the IJ's order to the BIA. The BIA reversed the IJ, concluding that because of Wallace's criminal history, which indicates a propensity to violate the law, he is not desirable as an alien resident in the United States and that, notwithstanding the obvious familial support which he enjoys here, this factor cannot outweigh the negative factor of criminal history. In addition, the Board concluded that the IJ erred in finding adequate evidence of rehabilitation which would outweigh the negative criminal history, stating that although the evidence does suggest that [Wallace] has attempted to rehabilitate himself while incarcerated, we cannot find that this outweighs the seriousness of his conviction for robbery and other indications of criminal activity. Accordingly, the BIA vacated the order of the IJ and ordered Wallace removed to Trinidad. 6 This petition for review followed.