Opinion ID: 771084
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: The Availability of Motions to Reopen Under Prior Law

Text: 24 Before the promulgation of the 1996 regulations, an alien in deportation proceedings could submit an unlimited number of motions to reopen or reconsider at any time after a decision by an IJ or the BIA. See 8 C.F.R. § 3.2 (1995). In practice, this generous policy permitted an alien who had clearly disobeyed a deportation or voluntary departure order of the Immigration Court thereafter to remain in the United States illegally, and later to reopen proceedings to take advantage of some form of relief for which the alien had not previously been eligible. See, e.g. Stepehen H. Legomsky, Immigration Law and Policy 528 (1992) (stating that motions to reopen had been viewed by the INS and BIA as procedural devices calculated primarily to buy aliens additional time in the United States); Richard D. Steel, Steel on Immigration Law § 14:57 at 468 (1985) (noting the prior availability of motions to reopen after the entry of an initial or subsequent order of deportation . . . involv[ing] a request for relief that was not previously relevant or available). 25