Opinion ID: 765432
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Alienage of Material Witnesses

Text: 34 Appellant Barajas challenges her alien smuggling convictions by arguing that the government has not presented sufficient evidence that the persons being smuggled were illegal aliens. In making this argument, Barajas relies on United States v. Ortiz-Lopez, 24 F.3d 53 (9th Cir. 1994), which held that no reasonable jury could find that defendant was an illegal alien when the only evidence offered was prior deportation orders which issued under the clear and convincing evidence standard. Id. at 56. The court reasoned that the difference in burdens of proof between the two proceedings made it improper to rely on the finding at the deportation hearing in a later criminal matter. Further, allowing the jury to conclude that such evidence alone established alienage would effectively shift the burden of proof to the defendant, rather than requiring the government to prove an essential element of their case beyond a reasonable doubt. Id . 35 Ortiz-Lopez is clearly distinguishable from the instant case. No testimony was offered regarding prior orders of deportation of the material witnesses. Instead, the government demonstrated their alienage in a number of ways. First, the material witnesses testified to their surreptitious trips across the border. These witnesses testified to the locations of their hometowns in Mexico. The testimony of the precautions taken to avoid detection when crossing the border and moving through the United States, as well as of the fee involved in this transportation, also provides circumstantial evidence that the material witnesses were entering the United States illegally. Further, Agent Sheehan testified that on the night of the arrest, there were twenty-two undocumented aliens in the vehicles, and after interviews with all these individuals, six material witnesses were detained from this group. Similarly, Agent Roberts testified that the material witnesses were drawn from the group of undocumented aliens who were questioned on that night. Finally, Ms. Sampela, the sister of two of the material witnesses, testified that she knew it was a crime to help assist someone entering the United States illegally, and that she was sorry for doing so to try to help her brothers. 36 Such evidence does not implicate the burden-shifting or standards of proof problems of Ortiz-Lopez. Instead, the circumstantial evidence in the instant case is of the sort used routinely in criminal matters. Viewing this evidence in the light most favorable to the government, a reasonable juror could certainly conclude that the material witnesses were in fact illegal aliens. We therefore affirm Barajas's convictions on this ground.