Opinion ID: 2973261
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Failure to Exhaust Administrative Remdies

Text: Plaintiffs’ failure to exhaust their administrative remedies does not deprive this court of subject matter jurisdiction over Plaintiffs’ APA claims. The law governing the exhaustion of APA claims differs from that governing exhaustion in other contexts. It is governed by 5 U.S.C. § 704; Darby v. Cisneros, 509 U.S. 137, 146-47 (1993). Section 704 only requires a plaintiff to exhaust his or her administrative remedies where a statute or agency rule makes the remedies mandatory. Id.; see also Dixie Fuel Co., 171 F.3d at1059. Where an intra-agency appeal is optional, however, the APA does not require a plaintiff to appeal prior to filing suit in federal court. Darby, 509 U.S. at 147 (“Section [704] explicitly requires exhaustion of all intra-agency appeals mandated either by statute or by agency rule; it would be inconsistent with the plain language of § [704] for courts to require litigants to exhaust optional appeals as well.”) In this case, it is undisputed that the INA and its implementing regulations do not require Plaintiffs to exhaust their administrative remedies before seeking review in federal court. 8 C.F.R. § 103.3(a)(ii) (providing that a party “may” appeal to the BIA). This is because Plaintiffs do not appeal an order of removal but the denial of spousal immigration petition. In contrast to orders of removal, the INA does not require aliens to appeal denials of spousal immigration petitions to the BIA before seeking relief in federal court. Compare id. with 8 U.S.C. § 1252(d)(1) (requiring aliens to appeal to BIA before appealing an order of removal in federal court). Therefore, this Court does not have the authority to require Plaintiffs to appeal to the BIA before bringing their claims under the APA in federal court. 3 Nonetheless, this Court can address Plaintiffs’ failure to state a claim because this Court may uphold a district court’s order on any ground supported by the record. City Mgmt. Corp. v. U.S. Chemical Corp., 43 F.3d 244, 251 (6th Cir. 1994). No. 04-3531 Bangura, et al. v. Hansen, et al. Page 9