Opinion ID: 2995295
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Burglary Offense Under the INA

Text: Initially we note that Garcia’s 1988 burglary conviction, in spite of the title given to the crime, does not fulfill the elements of a burglary offense as set forth in the INA under our recent decision in Solorzano-Patlan v. INS, 207 F.3d 869, 874 (7th Cir. 2000), in which we held that burglary in its generic sense requires unlawful entry into a building or structure, and does not encompass unlawful entry into a motor vehicle. Garcia’s burglary conviction, like Solorzano-Patlan’s, involved unlawful entry into a motor vehicle, not a building or structure, and therefore cannot qualify as a burglary offense under the INA. However, in this case the trial court, after considering and referring to our decision in Solorzano-Patlan, properly held that Garcia’s 1988 conviction was an attempt to commit a theft offense, not a burglary offense or an attempt to commit a burglary offense.