Opinion ID: 779067
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Overt Act Towards Reentry

Text: 7 First, Leos argues that he could not have taken a substantial step towards reentry because he was under official restraint (the surveillance cameras) that prevented him from completing an entry into the United States. Assuming without deciding that Leos was under official restraint to a sufficient degree as to preclude an entry, see Pacheco-Medina, 212 F.3d at 1162, any such restraint does not also ipso facto defeat a conviction based on attempted reentry. The mere fact that an alien is under official restraint does not make substantial steps toward entry impossible. See, e.g., Gracidas-Ulibarry, 231 F.3d at 1191-92, 1197-98 (finding alien guilty of attempted entry—even though under conspicuous restraint by government inspectors — when alien caught lying to authorities about his citizenship). It matters not whether the defendant's overt act takes the form of a surreptitious border crossing or a misrepresentation of legal status. To the extent that Leos argues that § 1326 requires the government to prove deception at the port of entry to support an attempt conviction, we reject his contention. See United States v. Barnes, 244 F.3d 331, 333-34 (2d Cir.2001). 8 Attempted entry occurs when a previously deported alien `makes an effort' or `tries' to reenter the United States. United States v. Corrales-Beltran, 192 F.3d 1311, 1319 (9th Cir.1999), cert. denied, 531 U.S. 830, 121 S.Ct. 82, 148 L.Ed.2d 44 (2000). It is the act of crossing the boundary line into the United States. Id. It is clear that Leos crossed the border. The evidence shows that he scaled the international border wall, crouching down to avoid detection after landing on American soil. He then traveled toward the hills for approximately ten minutes before finding a place to hide from the view of immigration trucks. Nothing in the statute or our cases suggests that such actions do not constitute an attempt to enter. Leos's efforts to convince us otherwise are without merit. 9