Opinion ID: 588832
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: The Application for Withholding of Deportation

Text: 11 Martins alleges that the BIA erred in not allowing him to apply for a withholding of deportation under 8 U.S.C. § 1253(h)(2) for two reasons: first because the INS did not show that his crime was particularly serious and second, because there was no separate findings to show that he was a danger to the community. 9 12 Martins contends that the IJ must examine the underlying facts and circumstances of the conviction to determine if the crime is particularly serious. Section 1253(h)(2) was amended by the 1990 Immigration Act to provide that an alien who has been convicted of an aggravated felony shall be considered to have committed a particularly serious crime. Immigration Act of 1990, Pub.L. No. 101-649 § 515(a)(2), 104 Stat. 4978, 5053 (1990). This amendment also applies to convictions for aggravated felonies entered before, on or after the date of the act (November 29, 1990). Id. Therefore, Martins' aggravated felony conviction constitutes a conviction for a particularly serious crime, as defined in the statute. 13 Martins' second contention is that under the wording of 8 U.S.C. § 1253(h)(2)(B), the INS is required to show that an alien has both committed a particularly serious crime and is a danger to the community. This Circuit has not yet confronted this question. However, both the Ninth and Eleventh Circuits have ruled that the statute does not require this dual showing. 10 14 The Eleventh Circuit based its decision on Congressional intent and the plain language of the statute. The statute does not connect its two clauses with a conjunction, rather the statute set[s] forth a cause and effect relationship: the fact that the alien has committed a particularly serious crime makes the alien dangerous within the meaning of the statute. Arauz v. Rivkind, 845 F.2d 271 (11th Cir.1988), citing Crespo-Gomez v. Richard, 780 F.2d 932 (11th Cir.1986); see also, Zardui-Quintana v. Richard, 768 F.2d 1213, 1222 (11th Cir.1985) (Vance, J., concurring in result). Therefore, the Eleventh Circuit holds that the only finding required by section 1253(h)(2)(B) is that the alien has been convicted of a 'particularly serious crime'. Arauz, 845 F.2d at 275, citing Crespo-Gomez, 780 F.2d at 934-35. Furthermore, the Arauz court said that since the narcotics conviction was in the record, the Immigration Judge did not have to consider additional information concerning Arauz's request for deportation, because no amount of evidence would have negated the fact of Arauz's statutory ineligibility for withholding of deportation. Arauz, 845 F.2d at 275. 15 In connection with the wording of § 1253(h)(2)(B), the Ninth Circuit has stated, the participle phrase 'having been convicted by a final judgment of a particularly serious crime,' modifies the word 'alien' and thus limits those aliens who may be determined to be a danger to those who have been finally convicted of serious crimes. Ramirez-Ramos v. I.N.S., 814 F.2d 1394, 1397 (9th Cir.1987). The court also holds that the statute only requires the factual finding of conviction of a particularly serious crime to support the determination of danger to the community. Id. 16 Martins bases his contention on two factors first, on the intent of Congress and second, on principles of grammar. Martins' congressional intent argument is based on a letter to the INS from Senator Edward Kennedy, Chairman of the Senate Subcommittee on Immigration and Refugee Affairs. The letter suggests that Congress intended to require the INS to make a dual showing of a conviction for an aggravated felony and a danger to the community. However, this interpretation is in direct conflict with the legislative history accompanying the Refugee Act. 11 The House Judiciary Committee Report clearly states that the act intended to make those aliens, who have been convicted of a particularly serious crime which makes them a danger to the community, ineligible for a withholding of deportation. H.R.Rep. No. 608, 96th Cong., 1st Sess. 18 (1979), cited in Zardui-Quintana, 768 F.2d at 1222 (Vance, J., concurring in result). Although the Senate version of the Refugee Act was passed, the final version incorporated the House provisions on Asylum and Withholding of Deportation. Zardui-Quintana, 768 F.2d at 1222 (Vance, J., concurring in result), citing S.Conf.Rep., No. 590, 96th Cong., 2d Sess. 20 (1980), U.S.Code Cong. & Admin.News 1980, p. 141. 17 In his concurring opinion in Zardui-Quintana, Judge Vance discusses the practical problems which would result from a dual findings requirement. A separate determination of an alien's potential dangerousness would require a prediction as to an alien's potential for recidivism and would lead to extensive, drawn-out hearings complete with psychological evaluations and expert testimony. Zardui-Quintana, 768 F.2d at 1222-23 (Vance J., concurring in result). The fact that Congress did not address these potential problems indicates that it did not intend to burden the INS with these complexities. Id. at 1223. 18 Martins also argues that basic principles of grammar dictate that participle modifiers set off by commas are not essential to the principal thought of the sentence and therefore, the wording of section 1253(h)(2)(B) requires a separate showing of a danger to the community. However, even accepting this principle arguendo, it does not further Martins' claim. The statute requires a showing of a danger to the community, and Congress clearly intended that a conviction of a particularly serious crime is sufficient to show a danger to the community. See, Zardui-Quintana, 768 F.2d at 1222, and Ramirez-Ramos, 814 F.2d at 1397. 19 In summary, based on the rationale of these prior decisions and the intent of Congress, we now join the Ninth and Eleventh Circuits in holding that 8 U.S.C. § 1253(h)(2)(B) requires only a showing that the defendant was convicted of a particularly serious crime. We hold, therefore, that the BIA's decision to deny the withholding of deportation is supported by substantial evidence. Zamora-Morel v. I.N.S., 905 F.2d 833, 838 (5th Cir.1990) (review of BIA's conclusion on withholding is subject to substantial evidence standard of review).