Opinion ID: 780650
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: The Section 212(k) Waiver

Text: 25 We lastly address the BIA's decision regarding the Section 212(k) waiver. Section 212(K) applies to immigrants who were unaware of their ineligibility for admission to the United States. See Senica v. I.N.S., 16 F.3d 1013, 1014 (9th Cir.1994). The statute gives the Attorney General discretion to admit an immigrant who was unaware of her ineligibility for admission and who could not have discovered this ineligibility by exercise of reasonable diligence. 2 In the present case, Judge Bryant ruled that Mayo qualified for a Section 212(K) waiver because she believed that she was not married at the time of her attempted entry into the United States. 26 The BIA ignored Judge Bryant's grant of a Section 212(k) waiver. We do not find anywhere in the BIA's opinion where it addresses this issue. The BIA must address the discretion given to the immigration judge by way of the statute. It must also explain why it disagrees with Judge Bryant's conclusions surrounding the Section 212(k) waiver. The BIA must give reasons for finding that Mayo knowingly misrepresented her marital status. We believe that Judge Bryant properly exercised his discretion in granting Mayo a Section 212(k) waiver. It was not unreasonable for Judge Bryant to conclude that Mayo believed she was not married when she entered the country.