Opinion ID: 793141
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Wu's Entry into the United States and Immigration Court Proceedings

Text: 3 Wu entered the United States illegally through Puerto Rico on January 26, 1994. On his original arrival-departure record, he indicated his U.S. address was 5485 8th Avenue, Brooklyn, New York. Petitioner applied for asylum on February 8, 1994 and his attorney filed a bond reduction request that listed Wu's address as 5405 8th Avenue, Brooklyn, New York. An IJ granted the request and petitioner was released from custody in March 1994. Wu's attorney listed the 5405 address on a subsequent motion for a change of venue to New York City, which an IJ granted on March 21, 1995. 4 On August 7, 1995 the immigration court in New York City sent notice by certified mail to Wu's attorney of record, Renrong Pan, that a master calendar hearing in Wu's case was scheduled for October 20, 1995. A person in Pan's office acknowledged receipt of the certified mailing on August 9, 1995. The court also sent notice by certified mail to Wu at 5405 8th Avenue, Brooklyn, New York, but that mailing was returned as unclaimed, apparently because Wu's actual address was 5485 8th Avenue. Petitioner asserts his attorney did not notify him of the pending hearing. On October 20, 1995 Wu failed to appear at his asylum hearing and the IJ, Judge Videla, ordered Wu deported in absentia. 5 Petitioner asserts that at the time he did not know of these developments. Rather, he contends, after hearing nothing from his attorneys regarding his asylum application, he obtained new counsel and submitted a second asylum application to the INS on April 14, 1994. An INS hearing officer referred Wu's case to the immigration court on October 31, 1995, and a hearing on the merits was scheduled for August 28, 1997 before Immigration Judge Lamb. On that date, Judge Lamb learned that Wu was subject to the outstanding order of deportation issued by Judge Videla and terminated this second proceeding. 6 Wu filed a motion to reopen on June 22, 1998 stating he was not aware he had been ordered deported by Judge Videla. He indicated his asylum claim was based upon persecution by family planning officials in China and urged that the deportation order be rescinded. This motion, though addressed to Judge Lamb, was redirected by court administrators to Judge Videla's docket. 7 On September 2, 1998 Judge Videla denied Wu's motion on the basis of Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) § 242B(c)(3), 8 U.S.C. § 1252b(c)(3) (1994) (repealed, effective 1997, and recodified, as amended, without material change, at 8 U.S.C. § 1229a(b)(5)(C) (2005)). This section of the INA states that in absentia orders of deportation may only be rescinded if the alien files a motion to reopen within 180 days of the order of deportation and exceptional circumstances explain his failure to appear, or if the alien did not receive proper notice of the deportation hearing. Judge Videla concluded that Wu received proper notice because notice was sent to Wu's attorney of record by certified mail. He also found that Wu did not file the motion within 180 days of the in absentia order of deportation, and was therefore barred from asserting exceptional circumstances justifying his failure to appear. Wu appealed Judge Videla's order to the BIA.