Opinion ID: 8129302
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Jarvin Lopez’s Story

Text: Lopez is a citizen of El Salvador who entered the United States without authorization in 2001. He conceded removability when the Department of Homeland Security (“DHS”) initiated removal in 2009, but he applied for relief under NACARA. While removal proceedings continued, Lopez was charged with possession of marijuana. Following a guilty plea in 2015, DHS added a charge of removability under the INA, 8 U.S.C. § 1182(a)(2)(A)(i)(II), applicable to aliens who committed a controlled substance offense. That triggered a limiting provision in NACARA that bumps the requirement of continuous presence in the United States from seven to ten years, and restarts the clock from commission of the controlled substance offense. NACARA § 203(b). Lopez agrees that his 2015 drug conviction makes him ineligible for relief under NACARA. So he looked to the waiver provision in INA § 212(h) to excuse that added charge. On a second look,1 the Board of Immigration Appeals (“BIA”) denied Lopez relief, holding that a § 212(h) waiver 1 After Lopez’s request under NACARA was denied, we remanded to the BIA to consider the “interplay among NACARA, [§] 212(h) waiver, the related regulations, and the reasoning of Matter of Y-N-P-[, 26 I. & N. Dec. 10 (BIA 2012) (holding that § 212(h) waivers are not available concurrently with applications for cancellation of removal and adjustment of status brought under INA § 240A’s general cancellation of 4 may not be used with an application for NACARA cancellation of removal. Lopez filed this petition for review and, reading the law as the BIA did, we will deny the petition.2