Opinion ID: 787177
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: the bia's denial of lin's motion to reopen

Text: 110 We need not reiterate here the specific ways in which counsel both ineffectively assisted Lin and delayed the process of adjudicating his claim. But we must note that her behavior was not the sole cause of the deprivation of Lin's due process rights that confronts us here. Rather, Lin's claim was prejudiced when, despite counsel's obvious lack of preparation of Lin's case, the IJ nevertheless allowed — or perhaps compelled — her to argue it almost extemporaneously. 111 The transcript does not make us party to the off-the-record discussion that must have taken place between Lin's counsel and the IJ after the call to Guajardo's office and prior to the resumption of the hearing. But, given counsel's prior understanding that she would not be presenting the case, and her evident lack of preparation to do so, we doubt that she was other than reluctant. Thus, the IJ shares with counsel responsibility for the denial of Lin's due process right. He should well have known what sort of representation Lin would receive. 112 It is clear from the record that until the day of the hearing the IJ was properly managing the case. A solitary 14-year-old was being held in government detention, and the IJ did what he could to expedite the hearing and assure that he was represented. He set a short, two-week deadline for Lin to obtain counsel as early as February 6, and on March 6 he expressed concern about the length of time Lin had been in custody. He prodded, cajoled, badgered, and ultimately threatened counsel with a firm deadline, set much further into the future than he thought appropriate. But on the hearing date, when it became clear that Guajardo would not be representing Lin, it should have been clear that, even after almost six months in custody and despite the good faith efforts of his relatives to obtain counsel as was his right by law, Lin was still without adequate representation on hand. 113 At this point the IJ's options were limited. Under certain circumstances, a petitioner may be forced to proceed without counsel. This might be warranted if the petitioner were not a minor and had explicitly waived his right to counsel, or delayed the hearing in bad faith, or sat on his right to obtain counsel. See Colindres-Aguilar v. INS, 819 F.2d 259 (9th Cir.1987) (finding due process violation where without questioning him IJ deemed alien who had received previous continuance to obtain counsel to be proceeding pro se when he showed up at reconvened hearing without his new counsel); Castro-Nuno v. INS, 577 F.2d 577, 579 (9th Cir.1978) (finding abuse of discretion and noting absence of indication that alien was delaying hearing in bad faith in not yet having obtained counsel); cf. Vides-Vides v. INS, 783 F.2d 1463, 1470 (9th Cir.1986) (finding no due process violation where adult alien's failure to obtain counsel after four months and two continuances makes apparent that he simply was unable to secure counsel at his own expense.). 114 These circumstances do not apply to Lin's case. While a minor can waive the right to counsel in a deportation hearing, that waiver must be knowing, intelligent and voluntary. See Murgia-Melendrez v. U.S. INS, 407 F.2d 207, 209 (9th Cir.1969). This determination should take into account the minor's age, intelligence, education, information, and understanding and ability to comprehend. See De Souza v. Barber, 263 F.2d 470, 477 (9th Cir.1959). Lin's case is not even a close call: The record offers no evidence for a finding that Lin knowingly and intelligently waived his Fifth Amendment right to counsel, particularly in light of the added protections he is due as a minor. Nor is there any suggestion of undue delay or bad faith. Counsel's unpreparedness was not the fault of Lin or of his family, who had a good-faith basis to believe that they had obtained counsel able and willing to serve. 115 Given the near-certain prospect that Lin would be unable to present his case fully and fairly if unrepresented, the IJ could not let Lin's hearing proceed without counsel. The IJ could have capitulated and again postponed the hearing. The cost of this course was obvious: leaving Lin in detention for an even longer time while giving him and his relatives another opportunity to obtain competent counsel or himself to seek pro bono counsel for Lin. Doing so would impose a cost not only upon Lin, but upon the INS, which bore the costs of Lin's care and upkeep. 116 Instead, the IJ chose to proceed with the long-delayed hearing by insisting that an obviously unprepared counsel, who by her own assertion had not expected to argue this case, represent Lin. He erred in doing so. See Rios-Berrios v. INS, 776 F.2d 859, 862-63 (9th Cir.1985) (holding that where alien was in custody, spoke only Spanish, had limited education, [and] was unfamiliar with this country and its legal procedures, in light of his failure to obtain counsel despite his efforts the immigration judge, sua sponte if necessary, should have continued the hearing so as to provide the petitioner a reasonable time to locate counsel, and permit counsel to prepare for the hearing.). 117 Notwithstanding his previous pledge that the hearing would take place that day without fail, the IJ was not compelled to proceed with Lin's hearing. Given that minors are entitled to trained legal assistance so their rights may be fully protected, Johns, 114 F.3d at 877 (citation omitted), upon recognizing that New York counsel was in no position to provide effective assistance, as he must have, the IJ had the obligation to suspend the hearing and give Lin a new opportunity to retain competent counsel or sua sponte take steps to procure competent counsel to represent Lin. See id. 118 What happened here instead was at best a simulation of justice in which counsel went through the motions of representing Lin and the IJ accepted that a fair hearing was had. To have counsel represent Lin under these conditions not only invited ineffective assistance of counsel, it flirted with denial of counsel altogether. It remains unsettled in this circuit whether a showing of prejudice must be made where the right to counsel has effectively been denied a respondent in a deportation hearing. United States v. Ahumada-Aguilar, 295 F.3d 943, 950 (9th Cir.2002) (citations omitted). Because we do find prejudice, we need not reach this issue. 119 We understand and appreciate that the IJ may have hoped that due process might somehow be served in such a situation, and — we don't know the content of their off-the-record conversation — may even have been assured by counsel that she could give what she would later say she thought was a weak case all the effort it deserved. But someone dropped the ball here: An arrangement to proceed in determining the fate of a minor — who did not speak English and did not understand the process unfolding around him — resulted in a denial of due process. 120 It was fortuitous indeed that Lin was able to obtain pro bono counsel in time to stay his removal to China one day before it was scheduled. We emphasize here that Rios-Berrios applies even in what may appear to be a weak case: The due process right to effective assistance of retained counsel in the full and fair presentation of an asylum claim must not be vitiated. This is especially so when the applicant is a minor. Immigration judges must refuse to allow a hearing to go forward if a minor's counsel is obviously unprepared. Absent a minor's knowing, intelligent, and voluntary waiver of the right to counsel, the IJ may have to take an affirmative role in securing representation by competent counsel. 121 Counsel's ineffective assistance at the hearing denied Lin a full and fair opportunity to present his case before the IJ, and thus violated his Fifth Amendment right to due process. The BIA's conclusion that counsel's ineffective assistance was not prejudicial is error, predicated in part on its abuse of discretion in not giving due consideration to the expanded record on appeal, and in part on its misreading of 8 U.S.C. § 1101(a)(42). In denying Lin's motion to reopen, the BIA abused its discretion.