Opinion ID: 763744
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Habeas Corpus Jurisdiction After the Enactment of AEDPA.

Text: 26 Since the exclusive jurisdiction provision of § 1252(g) does not apply to final orders of deportation for aliens falling under the transitional rules of IIRIRA, we look next to whether habeas corpus jurisdiction survives the enactment of AEDPA, as modified by the transitional rules of IIRIRA. 27 As we have noted, a panel of this court held in Richardson that there is no habeas corpus jurisdiction under the permanent rules of IIRIRA. See Richardson, 162 F.3d at 1359. The petitioner in Richardson was attempting to bring a habeas corpus petition challenging the constitutionality of denial of bond pending the outcome of a removal hearing. In contrast, the petitioners in the present case are seeking habeas corpus review of a final order of deportation. For these petitioners, there are no other opportunities for judicial review. Furthermore, Gutierrez-Martinez and Mayers fall under IIRIRA's transitional rules, which, by definition, serve as a bridge between the old and new regimes. The transitional statute states the general proposition that the new rules do not apply to aliens already in proceedings as of April 1, 1997. See IIRIRA § 309(c)(1), set out as note following 8 U.S.C.A. § 1101 (West 1999). The only exception to the general rule for petitioners in the present case is IIRIRA § 309(c)(4)(G) which places certain limitations on a criminal alien's appeal. The term appeal refers to a petition for review in the court of appeals and not a petition for habeas corpus review. See Goncalves, 144 F.3d 110, 117 (1st Cir.1998). 10 28 Since the permanent rules of IIRIRA do not apply in the present case, and petitioners here were unable to obtain any review in the court of appeals, we must now consider whether the INA, as amended by AEDPA and prior to the effective date of the permanent rules of IIRIRA, allows for habeas corpus jurisdiction under these circumstances. As we previously have noted: 29 [p]rior to 1996, INA § 106 set out the judicial-review scheme for deportation and exclusion orders. INA § 106(a)(2) provided for petition of review in the court of appeals. In addition, INA § 106(a)(10) allowed aliens in custody to seek habeas corpus review of final deportation orders under the INA. Aliens also could rely on 28 U.S.C. § 2241 habeas corpus to challenge INS detention or deportation proceedings. 30 Richardson, 162 F.3d at 1353 (footnotes omitted). AEDPA amended the INA to eliminate habeas corpus review under § 106(a)(10). See § 401(e) (a non-codified provision of AEDPA that eliminated the earlier form of INA § 106(a)(10)) and AEDPA § 440(a) (restricting judicial review for criminal aliens) (codified at 8 U.S.C.A. § 1105a(a)(10) (West Supp.1998)). AEDPA did not, however, specifically discuss 28 U.S.C. § 2241. Cf. Richardson, 162 F.3d at 1358 (AEDPA eliminated the specific habeas review granted under former INA § 106(a)(10)); Auguste v. Reno, 152 F.3d 1325, 1329 n. 9 (11th Cir.1998) (AEDPA § 401(e) deprives this court of jurisdiction to hear a petition for habeas corpus under INA § 106.). Neither Richardson nor Auguste discusses the availability of habeas corpus under 28 U.S.C. § 2241 after AEDPA. We must decide, then, whether in immigration cases, habeas corpus jurisdiction under § 2241 implicitly was eliminated by Congress when it enacted AEDPA § 401(e). 11 31 Other circuits have held that habeas corpus jurisdiction under 28 U.S.C. § 2241 survives the enactment of AEDPA. In Goncalves v. Reno, 144 F.3d 110 (1st Cir.1998), the First Circuit held that Congress could not repeal habeas corpus jurisdiction under 28 U.S.C. § 2241 by implication, but only by express command. See 144 F.3d at 119 (citing Felker v. Turpin, 518 U.S. 651, 116 S.Ct. 2333, 135 L.Ed.2d 827 (1996)). The court then determined that throughout the history of immigration statutes, both broad and narrow, habeas corpus review remained available to aliens. Id. at 120 (citing Foti v. INS, 375 U.S. 217, 231, 84 S.Ct. 306, 315, 11 L.Ed.2d 281 (1963) (the vesting of jurisdiction to review orders under the APA exclusively in the court of appeals in no way impairs the ... availability of habeas corpus relief.)). The Goncalves court noted that while AEDPA § 401(e) explicitly repealed old INA § 106(a)(10), which had provided a form of habeas corpus jurisdiction, AEDPA did not expressly amend 28 U.S.C. § 2241. Old INA § 106(a)(10), the court continued, assured aliens of a supplemental collateral remedy, but did not apply to aliens who could not obtain review under the APA judicial review provisions. Id. at 121. 12 32 We are persuaded by the reasoning in Goncalves, holding that habeas corpus jurisdiction under 28 U.S.C. § 2241 survived the enactment of AEDPA. 13 In Felker v. Turpin, 518 U.S. 651, 116 S.Ct. 2333, 135 L.Ed.2d 827 (1996), the Supreme Court held that when Congress intends to repeal or restrict habeas jurisdiction under § 2241, it generally must do so explicitly. See id. at 660, 116 S.Ct. at 2338-39. AEDPA does not explicitly eliminate habeas corpus jurisdiction under § 2241, although Congress was explicit in eliminating habeas review under old INA § 106(a)(10). See Goncalves, 144 F.3d at 121. Generally, repeal of jurisdictional provisions by implication is disfavored. See Felker, 518 U.S. at 659-63, 116 S.Ct. at 2338-39. 14 In sum, while AEDPA eliminated the habeas corpus jurisdiction available under the old INA § 106(a)(10), it did not explicitly repeal the habeas corpus jurisdiction traditionally available to aliens under 28 U.S.C. § 2241. 33 We further note that the petitioners' challenge to the Attorney General's retroactive application of AEDPA § 440(d) is a matter appropriate for the court, rather than the BIA or the Attorney General, to decide. The Supreme Court has noted that the Due Process Clause also protects the interests in fair notice and repose that may be compromised by retroactive legislation; a justification sufficient to validate a statute's prospective application under the Clause 'may not suffice' to warrant its retroactive application. Landgraf v. USI Film Prods., 511 U.S. 244, 266, 114 S.Ct. 1483, 1497, 128 L.Ed.2d 229 (1994) (citation omitted). Furthermore, in immigration cases, the Supreme Court has held that a review of statutory questions implicates due process of law. See, e.g., Brownell v. We Shung, 352 U.S. 180, 182 n. 1, 77 S.Ct. 252, 255 n. 1, 1 L.Ed.2d 225 (1956) (due process includes conformity to statutory grounds); United States ex rel. Accardi v. Shaughnessy, 347 U.S. 260, 265, 268, 74 S.Ct. 499, 502, 504, 98 L.Ed. 681 (1954) (using habeas to ensure the due process required by the regulations because the crucial question is whether the alleged conduct of the Attorney General deprived petitioner of any of the rights guaranteed him by the statute or by the regulation issued pursuant thereto.). 34 The Supreme Court also permitted habeas corpus review of issues similar to petitioners' here concerning the authority to grant discretionary relief. See, e.g., United States ex rel. Hintopoulos v. Shaughnessy, 353 U.S. 72, 78, 77 S.Ct. 618, 621, 1 L.Ed.2d 652 (1957) (reviewing by habeas corpus and finding no abuse of discretion in denial of suspension of deportation); Accardi, 347 U.S. at 268, 74 S.Ct. at 504 (reviewing by habeas corpus and finding failure to exercise discretion in accordance with regulations concerning the suspension of deportation). 15 The Supreme Court permitted these statutory reviews through the mechanism of habeas corpus during the period when, according to Heikkila v. Barber, judicial review in immigration cases was limited to the minimum required by the Constitution. See 345 U.S. at 234-35, 73 S.Ct. at 605-06. Finally, the pure issue of law, of whether Congress intended to make a particular provision of a statute retroactive, is of a type traditionally resolved by the courts. Goncalves, 144 F.3d at 113. See also LaGuerre, 164 F.3d at 1041 (it seems unlikely that Congress would have wanted the [BIA] to have the final word on so pure and fundamental a question of law as to when [§ 440(d) ] went into effect.). As a result, we exercise habeas corpus over the claims of petitioners here on the question of whether AEDPA § 440(d) applies to pending cases to deprive petitioners of the ability to apply for a waiver of deportation under § 212(c).