Opinion ID: 181682
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 6

Heading: Denial of Application for Voluntary Departure

Text: Finally, Puc-Ruiz argues that the IJ's denial of his request for voluntary departure violated his constitutional rights under the Fifth Amendment's guarantees of equal protection and due process. This Court lacks jurisdiction to review the discretionary denial of voluntary departure under 8 U.S.C. § 1229c, 8 U.S.C. § 1252(a)(2)(B)(i), unless the denial raises a colorable constitutional claim or question of law. Garcia-Aguillon v. Mukasey, 524 F.3d 848, 849 (8th Cir.2008). We must keep[ ] in mind that a petitioner may not create jurisdiction by cloaking an abuse of discretion argument in constitutional or legal garb. Id. (internal quotations omitted). If the constitutional claim concerns due process, then the petitioner must also demonstrate that the violation resulted in actual prejudice, defined as whether an alternate result may well have resulted without the violation. Al Khouri v. Ashcroft, 362 F.3d 461, 466 (8th Cir. 2004). Puc-Ruiz argues that the IJ denied him both due process and equal protection of the law by issuing the denial as a punitive reaction to Puc-Ruiz's exercise of his right to remain silent during the deportation hearing. Puc-Ruiz relies on the IJ's statement that [s]omeone that comes into my court and won't admit alienage is not going to be entitled to voluntary departure as a matter of my discretion. This statement was made in denying a request for voluntary departure made by Isai Garcia-Torres, another illegal immigrant who had been arrested along with Puc-Ruiz and whose case was adjudicated prior to Puc-Ruiz's, during the same deportation hearing. Puc-Ruiz contends that this statement indicates that the IJ intended to punish anyone who exercised their right to silence in order to preserve their claims on appeal. However, the IJ's arguably objectionable statement was made with reference to Garcia-Torres, and not Puc-Ruiz. In denying Puc-Ruiz's request for voluntary departure, the IJ explained that he denied the request based on Puc-Ruiz's presence in the United States after having previously been granted voluntary departure. Additionally, in his written decision, the IJ explicitly acknowledged the necessity of Puc-Ruiz's silence in order to preserve for appeal his constitutional suppression claim. Consequently, there is substantial evidence in the record to support the BIA's finding that the IJ based his decision on the fact that Puc-Ruiz had previously been granted voluntary departure, and not on Puc-Ruiz's choice to remain silent at his hearing. Because Puc-Ruiz's argument amounts to nothing more than a challenge to the IJ's discretionary and fact-finding exercise, it must be dismissed for lack of jurisdiction. Garcia-Aguillon, 524 F.3d at 850; Garcia-Mateo v. Keisler, 503 F.3d 698, 700 (8th Cir.2007). Next, Puc-Ruiz contends that the IJ violated Puc-Ruiz's due process rights and denied him a fundamentally fair hearing by refusing to hear case-specific evidence and instead denying Puc-Ruiz's request for voluntary departure based upon a categorical rule. Again, Puc-Ruiz relies on the arguably objectionable statement made by the IJ in denying Isai Garcia-Torres's request for voluntary departure, arguing that the IJ had pre-decided Puc-Ruiz's case even before he took the stand based on an anticipated exercise of his right to silence. Alternatively, Puc-Ruiz asserts that if the IJ denied the request based on the fact that Puc-Ruiz had previously been granted voluntary departure, the IJ still demonstrated an impermissible degree of pre-decision by failing to inquire into any countervailing discretionary factors. Puc-Ruiz contends that this error was prejudicial because it resulted in an underdeveloped record. Even if Puc-Ruiz had raised a colorable due process claim on this ground, however, he has failed to demonstrate prejudice. Neither in his appeal to the BIA nor in his instant appeal has Puc-Ruiz presented a single favorable factor or any countervailing equities that might have weighed against the IJ's decision to deny his present request for voluntary departure on the basis of Puc-Ruiz's presence in the United States after having previously been granted voluntary departure.