Opinion ID: 3034983
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Attempted Illegal Reentry

Text: [1] A previously deported alien who “enters, attempts to enter, or is at any time found in, the United States” without the express consent of the Attorney General has violated 8 U.S.C. § 1326(a)(2). However, for the purposes of § 1326, “enter” has a narrower meaning than its colloquial usage. An alien has not entered the United States under § 1326 unless he does so “free from official restraint.” United States v. Gracidas-Ulibarry, 231 F.3d 1188, 1191 n.3 (9th Cir. 2000) (en banc) (citing United States v. Pacheco-Medina, 212 F.3d 1162, 1166 (9th Cir. 2000)); see also United States v. Hernandez-Herrera, 273 F.3d 1213, 1218 (9th Cir. 2001) (“Since 1908, federal courts have recognized that ‘entering’ the United States requires more than physical presence within the country. . . . To ‘enter,’ an alien must cross the United States border free from official restraint.” (citing PachecoMedina, 212 F.3d at 1166)); United States v. Parga-Rosas, 238 F.3d 1209, 1213 (9th Cir. 2001) (discussing the “legal fiction that entry is not accomplished until a person is free from official restraint”). [2] Attempted illegal reentry requires proof of specific intent, Gracidas-Ulibarry, 231 F.3d at 1190, more particularly the specific intent “to reenter without consent.” United States v. Leos-Maldonado, 302 F.3d 1061, 1063 (9th Cir. 2002). Because an alien has not “reentered” unless he has done so free from official restraint, the requirement of specific intent for this attempt crime means that to be found guilty, a defendant must have the specific intent to reenter “free from official restraint.” 15522 UNITED STATES v. LOMBERA-VALDOVINOS