Opinion ID: 795417
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Overview: Voluntary Departure

Text: 12 The existence of voluntary departure enables aliens identified by the government as being illegally present in the United States to leave the country of their own accord without being forcibly removed by the government. The statute provides for two types of voluntary departure, one available in lieu of removal proceedings or before the conclusion of removal proceedings, see 8 U.S.C. § 1229c(a), and the second available after removal proceedings have been completed, see 8 U.S.C. § 1229c(b). 13 Almost any alien — with the exception of those who have been convicted of an aggravated felony and those who have engaged in terrorist activities or are associated with terrorist organizations — is eligible for the first type of voluntary departure. 8 U.S.C. § 1229c(a)(1). Qualifying aliens may receive a grant of voluntary departure from the Attorney General for a period of up to 120 days, although in certain circumstances an alien may obtain a waiver from this time frame for medical treatment. 8 U.S.C. § 1229c(a)(2). The Attorney General may but need not require the alien to post a voluntary departure bond that will be returned after proof that the alien has left the United States within the required time frame. 8 U.S.C. § 1229c(a)(3). 14 The second type of voluntary departure is more restrictive. In order for an alien to obtain voluntary departure in lieu of removal at the conclusion of removal proceedings, an IJ must find that (1) the alien was physically present in the United States for at least a year before the Notice to Appear was served; (2) the alien is and has been a person of good moral character for the five years leading up to the alien's application for voluntary departure; (3) the alien is not subject to deportation for having been convicted of an aggravated felony or for engagement in terrorist activities or association with terrorist organizations; and (4) the alien has established by clear and convincing evidence that he or she has both the means and the intention to depart the United States within the time specified. 8 U.S.C. § 1229c(b)(1). Grants of voluntary departure under this subsection are valid for up to only sixty days, instead of the 120 days for voluntary departure granted before the completion of removal proceedings. 8 U.S.C. § 1229c(b)(2). Unlike the discretionary standard for voluntary departure bonds under the previous subsection, the alien is always required to post a voluntary departure bond in order to obtain voluntary departure under this subsection. 8 U.S.C. § 1229c(b)(3). Thapa's grant of voluntary departure was of this second type. 15 Voluntary departure under either subsection benefits both the government and the alien who obtains it. The government need not expend resources removing the alien from the United States; moreover, an alien subject to a voluntary departure order is likely to leave the country more quickly than the government would execute an order of removal. See, e.g., Rife v. Ashcroft, 374 F.3d 606, 614 (8th Cir.2004). In turn, aliens benefit from voluntary departure because 16 it allows them to choose their own destination points, to put their affairs in order without fear of being taken into custody at any time, to avoid the stigma and various penalties associated with forced removals (including extended detention while the government procures the necessary travel documents and ineligibility for readmission for a period of five or ten years, see 8 U.S.C. § 1182(a)(9)(A)), and it facilitates the possibility of return to the United States, for example, by adjustment of status. 17 Lopez-Chavez v. Ashcroft, 383 F.3d 650, 651 (7th Cir.2004). Thus, both the government and an alien can benefit when an alien leaves the country via a voluntary departure rather than a forcible removal. 18 At the same time, it is important to recognize that, for an alien, serious consequences result from either noncompliance or compliance with a voluntary departure order. On the one hand, failing to depart voluntarily within the specified time period results in a civil penalty of between $1,000 and $5,000 as well as ineligibility for a period of ten years for most immigration benefits, including cancellation of removal, adjustment of status, and change of nonimmigrant classification. 8 U.S.C. § 1229c(d). On the other hand, an alien who departs voluntarily is barred from admission to the United States for a period of either three years (for aliens who had been present in the United States for more than 180 days but less than one year) or ten years (for aliens who had been present in the United States for more than one year), regardless of what legal avenues for a change of immigration status might otherwise be available to him or her. 8 U.S.C. § 1182(a)(9)(B). Additionally, while the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 (IIRIRA) revised the INA to permit aliens to appeal adverse decisions of the BIA even after leaving the United States, see Rife, 374 F.3d at 615, such a long-distance appeal is logistically difficult. Moreover, for those aliens who have sought asylum, withholding of removal, or relief under the Convention Against Torture and who may find it difficult as a practical matter to depart to any other country than the one they wish to flee, departing may present real danger. See id. Thus, as the Seventh Circuit has explained, aliens who are granted voluntary departure face a difficult choice: either follow the rules, depart voluntarily, and obtain a few benefits, at the price of serious or fatal difficulty in pursuing relief and exposure to intolerable conditions in the country of destination; or break the rules by failing to leave, accept the penalties associated with that failure, and continue to press any appeals. Lopez-Chavez, 383 F.3d at 651. 19