Opinion ID: 2994812
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: The Legality of the Sentence Modification

Text: To demonstrate to the Immigration Judge that Sandoval fell within the category of deportable aliens, the INS relied on the charging information and the original statement of conviction. The subsequent events in state court, however, should have been taken into account. Sandoval’s motion under the Illinois Post- Conviction Act constituted a collateral attack, see People v. Towns, 696 N.E.2d 1128, 1133 (Ill. 1998), which is defined as an attack on a judgment . . . whose very purpose is to impeach or overturn the judgment. Black’s Law Dictionary 261 (6th ed. 1990). The involuntary entering of a guilty plea that results from the ineffective assistance of counsel is a constitutional violation that merits attention under the Act. See People v. Correa, 485 N.E.2d 307, 309-12 (Ill. 1985); People v. Luna, 570 N.E.2d 404, 406- 07 (Ill. App. Ct. 1991). When a court finds that a motion under the Act is meritorious, the court is authorized to enter an appropriate order with respect to the judgment or sentence in the former proceedings and such supplemental orders . . . as may be necessary and proper. Ill. Rev. Stat. ch. 38, para. 122-6 (1991), now codified as 725 Ill. Comp. Stat. Ann. 5/122-6 (West 1992). The Illinois judge was thus acting under authority of state law when he granted Sandoval’s motion for post- conviction relief and modified Sandoval’s sentence. The INS argues that the judge did not vacate Sandoval’s conviction, and therefore Sandoval remained convicted of possession of more than thirty grams of marijuana. If we accept this assertion, we would have to conclude that the state court judge violated Illinois criminal procedure when he gave Sandoval probation under section 710. In other words, if Sandoval’s original conviction under section 704(d) had not been vacated, and the underlying conviction remained, then the judge could not legally have sentenced Sandoval to section 710 probation. As noted earlier, that sentence is available only when the defendant was convicted under section 704(a), (b), or (c), or other provisions not relevant to this case. The INS bears the burden of proving that the judge was acting contrary to Illinois law. See Matter of Kaneda, 16 I.&N. Dec. at 680. Rather than proving that the judge acted illegally, however, the INS maintained that it was possible for the judge to have legally modified Sandoval’s sentence and for Sandoval to still fall within the category of aliens deportable under section 241(a)(2)(B)(i). This would be the case, the INS alleged, if the conviction of December 1991 was Sandoval’s second conviction for possession of cannabis. Under 704(c), if any offense under this subsection (c) is a subsequent offense, the offender shall be guilty of a Class 4 felony. Ill. Rev. Stat. ch. 56 , para. 704(c) (1991), now codified as 720 Ill. Comp. Stat. Ann. 550/4(c) (West Supp. 2000). Thus, the judge could have downgraded the sentence from 704(d) to 704(c), yet if it was Sandoval’s second offense, he would not be saved from deportation because he had more than a single offense involving possession for one’s own use of 30 grams or less of marijuana. 8 U.S.C. sec. 1251(a)(2)(B)(i) (current version at 8 U.S.C. sec. 1227(a)(2)(B)(i)). The INS alleges further that a misdemeanor requires a sentence of less than one year, and because the judge sentenced Sandoval to two years probation, Sandoval must have been convicted of a felony. These arguments appear insufficient to carry the INS’s burden. First, there is nothing in the record to indicate that Sandoval has a prior conviction. The logical assumption from this record is that none exists, and the INS presented no evidence to the contrary. We will not assume facts that have no support in the record to attempt to help the INS satisfy its burden. Second, section 710 probation is only available to first time offenders. See Ill. Rev. Stat. ch. 56 , para. 710(a), now codified as 720 Ill. Comp. Stat. Ann. 550/10(a) (West Supp. 2000). If Sandoval had previously been convicted of, or placed on probation or court supervision for, any offense . . . relating to cannabis he would not have been eligible for 710 probation. Id. Thus, the judge’s modification of the sentence would still have been illegal under Illinois law. Third, the INS’s assertion that a misdemeanor requires a sentence of less than one year is incorrect. A misdemeanor conviction requires that any imprisonment be less than one year, see Ill. Rev. Stat. ch. 38, para. 1005-1-14 (1991), now codified as 730 Ill. Comp. Stat. Ann. 5/5-1-14 (West 1997), but a judge is authorized to sentence a defendant to probation for up to two years. See id. para. 1005-6- 2(b)(3), now codified as 730 Ill. Comp. Stat. Ann. 5/5-6-2 (West Supp. 2000). The INS did not prove that the Illinois judge exceeded his authority under state law when he modified Sandoval’s sentence. We now turn to the argument that Sandoval’s original conviction remains a conviction for immigration purposes.