Opinion ID: 725554
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Scope and Construction of Section 1255a(a)(3)(B)

Text: 18 Turning to the merits, we must first determine whether § 1255a(a)(3)(B)' § brief, casual, and innocent language applies to legalization applicants stopped at the border. By use of the phrase brief, casual, and innocent, it is uncontested that Congress intended to extend the Fleuti doctrine to the legalization application process. See Mendoza v. INS, 16 F.3d 335, 337 (9th Cir.1994) (Barring a congressional mandate, such as 8 U.S.C. §§ 1254(b)(2) and 1255a(a)(3)(B), the Fleuti doctrine applies only to lawful permanent resident aliens.) (emphasis added); Catholic Social Serv., Inc. v. Meese, 685 F.Supp. 1149, 1153-54 (E.D.Cal.1988) (CSS I ) (Fleuti doctrine applies to legalization applicants), aff'd, 956 F.2d 914 (9th Cir.1992), vacated and remanded on jurisdictional grounds, 509 U.S. 43, 113 S.Ct. 2485, 125 L.Ed.2d 38 (1993). What is less clear, however, is the function Congress intended the Fleuti doctrine to serve in the legalization application process. 19 Espinoza argues that the Fleuti doctrine applies to legalization applicants stopped at the border. Thus, according to Espinoza, he should have been entitled to be readmitted to the United States, provided his trip was brief, casual, and innocent. The INS, on the other hand, argues that § 1255a(a)(3)(B) applies not at the border, but in legalization offices. That is, subsection (B)'s only purpose is to preclude a denial of temporary lawful status based on short absences from the country. Because the LAU did not deny Espinoza temporary lawful status because of his trip to Guadalajara, the INS contends that § 1255a(a)(3)(B) is irrelevant to a discussion of Espinoza's legal rights. The district court agreed with the INS's interpretation of the statute and, therefore, denied the writ. We review the decision to grant or deny a petition for habeas corpus de novo. Singh v. Ilchert, 63 F.3d 1501, 1506 (9th Cir.1995). 20 In deciding the scope of § 1255a(a)(3)(B), we must consider two questions. First, we must decide whether Congress has directly addressed the precise issue at hand. Chevron, U.S.A., Inc. v. Natural Resources Defense Council, Inc., 467 U.S. 837, 842-43, 104 S.Ct. 2778, 2781-82, 81 L.Ed.2d 694 (1984). If we conclude that Congress expressed an intention, then we must give effect to congressional intent without deferring to agency interpretation. Id. If, on the other hand, we conclude that Congress has not directly addressed the issue at hand, we must first look to the INS's own construction of the statute. Id. at 843, 104 S.Ct. at 2782. If the INS's answer is based on a permissible construction of the statute, we must defer to the agency, as it is charged with the administration and implementation of immigration laws. Id.; accord Barrera-Echavarria v. Rison, 44 F.3d 1441, 1444-45 (9th Cir.) (en banc), cert. denied, --- U.S. ----, 116 S.Ct. 479, 133 L.Ed.2d 407 (1995). 21
22 First, we consider whether Congress clearly and unambiguously defined the scope of § 1255a(a)(3)(B). We conclude that it did not. 23 On its face, subsection (B) qualifies the continuous physical presence requirement of 8 U.S.C. § 1255a(a)(3)(A). It does not, either expressly or implicitly, indicate whether or not it is to be applied as a border-crossing mechanism. 24 The INS argues, however, that by reference to other statutes, it becomes clear that Congress did not intend subsection (B) to extend to the border. First, the INS relies on § 1255a(a)(3)(C), which provides: 25 Nothing in this section shall be construed as authorizing an alien to apply for admission to, or to be admitted to, the United States in order to apply for adjustment of status under this subsection. 26 8 U.S.C. § 1255a(a)(3)(C). According to the INS, this subsection clarifies that subsection (B) cannot be used as an admission ticket to the United States. The INS reads this subsection far too broadly. 27 Subsection (C) only precludes admission into the United States in order to apply for adjustment of status. 8 U.S.C. § 1255a(a)(3)(C) (emphasis added). Espinoza, however, had already applied for legalization, and thus was not seeking to enter the country to apply for legalization. Accordingly, by its plain terms, subsection (C) is inapplicable to Espinoza. 28 The INS also makes much of the fact that once a legalization applicant is granted temporary lawful status, Congress expressly authorized travel abroad. 29 The Attorney General shall, in accordance with regulations, permit the alien to return to the United States after such brief and casual trips abroad as reflect an intention on the part of the alien to adjust to lawful permanent resident status ... and after brief temporary trips abroad occasioned by a family obligation involving an occurrence such as the illness or death of a close relative or other family need. 30 8 U.S.C. § 1255a(b)(3)(A). This section expressly applies to border-crossings. It also applies only to those aliens who have already received temporary lawful status. According to the INS, this section evinces Congress's ability to carve out special entry procedures for aliens subject to IRCA. Congress's failure to provide a similar section for legalization applicants suggests to the INS that Congress intended to deny legalization applicants border-crossing privileges. See Russello v. United States, 464 U.S. 16, 23, 104 S.Ct. 296, 300-01, 78 L.Ed.2d 17 (1983) ([W]here Congress includes particular language in one section of a statute but omits it in another ..., it is generally presumed that Congress acts intentionally and purposely in the disparate inclusion or exclusion). 31 A countervailing principle of statutory construction, however, undermines the INS's position. Section 1255a(a)(3)(B) does include the brief, casual, and innocent language of Fleuti. Historically, this language has been viewed as a border-crossing mechanism. See Mendoza, 16 F.3d at 337 (indicating the Fleuti doctrine is a mechanism to avoid the entry doctrine). When Congress adopts language from case law into statutes, there is a strong presumption that Congress intended the language to have the same purpose in the statute, as it did in the common law. CSS I, 685 F.Supp. at 1154 (citing Lorillard v. Pons, 434 U.S. 575, 583, 98 S.Ct. 866, 871, 55 L.Ed.2d 40 (1978)). Accordingly, in this instance, the more explicit language of § 1255a(b) does not evince Congress's intent to limit the scope of § 1255a(a)(3)(B). As § 1255a(a)(3)(B) expressly includes the language of the Fleuti doctrine, we cannot, merely by reference to § 1255a(b), conclude that Congress did not intend § 1255a(a)(3)(B) to operate as a border-crossing mechanism. 32 Finally, the INS argues by analogy to 8 U.S.C. § 1160, a separate legalization framework for seasonal agricultural workers (SAW). Under § 1160(d)(2), SAW applicants cannot be excluded or deported during the pendency of their applications. By contrast, IRCA legalization applicants are only protected against deportation, not exclusion. See 8 U.S.C. § 1255a(e)(2) (providing that legalization applicant presenting prima facie application for lawful status may not be deported). The INS argues that the difference in the statutory schemes reflects Congress's intention to deny admission to IRCA legalization applicants stopped at the border. 33 We disagree. SAW has no bearing on whether Espinoza can reenter the United States after his trip to Guadalajara. SAW does not have a continuous physical presence requirement. Because SAW applicants are not required to prove continuous physical presence, there was no need for Congress to carve out a brief, casual, and innocent exception under SAW. Thus, SAW does not help us to determine the scope of § 1255a(a)(3)(B). 34 In sum, none of the arguments presented by the INS convinces us that Congress intended § 1255a(a)(3)(B) to apply only in the context of legalization decisions. By the same token, nothing in § 1255a expressly indicates that subsection (B) was intended to apply at the border. Accordingly, we conclude that Congress has not clearly and unambiguously defined the scope of § 1255a(a)(3)(B).
35 As the statute itself does not define the scope of the Fleuti doctrine as applied to legalization applicants, we must look beyond the statute to find the answer. In so doing, we first turn to the INS's own construction of the statute. Chevron, 467 U.S. at 843, 104 S.Ct. at 2782. 36
37 The INS argues that § 1255a(a)(3)(B) is not intended to act as a border-crossing mechanism. In practice, however, the INS developed the advance parole regulations to monitor legalization applicants' departure from and readmission into this country. See 8 C.F.R. §§ 245a.2(m)(1) & (n)(2). From what source does the INS derive its authority to permit legalization applicants to cross and re-cross the border? It is, of course, § 1255a(a)(3)(B)'s brief, casual, and innocent language. 38 8 C.F.R. § 245a.2(l) provides guidance on § 1255a(a)(3)'s continuous physical presence requirement. Subsection (2) of that regulation provides in pertinent part: A brief, casual and innocent absence means a departure authorized by the Service (advance parole). 8 C.F.R. § 245a.2(l)(2) (emphasis added). This regulation unambiguously and clearly reveals that the INS interprets the brief, casual, and innocent language of § 1255a(a)(3)(B) as a border-crossing mechanism. The very existence of the contested regulation belies the INS's argument. Through the authority derived from subsection (B), the INS created admission procedures entitling legalization applicants to be readmitted to the country. Thus, contrary to its argument, the INS has construed subsection (B) as a border-crossing mechanism. 39
40 We next must decide whether the INS's construction of the statute is permissible. That is, is it permissible to construe subsection (B) as a border-crossing mechanism? We conclude that it is. 41 The Fleuti doctrine itself is a border-crossing mechanism, whereby lawful resident aliens are not deemed to have entered the country if an absence was not intended meaningfully to disrupt permanent residency in the United States. 374 U.S. at 462, 83 S.Ct. at 1812. Given the historical function of the Fleuti doctrine, the INS was perfectly justified in concluding that Congress intended § 1255a(a)(3)(B) to extend to the border. See Lorillard, 434 U.S. at 583, 98 S.Ct. at 871-72 (presumption that Congress intends statutory phrases adopted from common law to have the same well-known meaning of common law). 42 Moreover, the legislative history confirms that Congress was well aware of the historical meaning of the Fleuti doctrine when it enacted § 1255a(a)(3)(B). De Oliveira v. United States INS, 873 F.Supp. 338, 343 (C.D.Cal.1994) (citing H.R.Rep. No. 682(I), 99th Cong., 2d Sess. 116 (1986), reprinted in 1986 U.S.C.C.A.N. 5649, 5720). 3 Accordingly, because the agency's construction of the statute conforms with congressional intent, we hold that the INS's construction of § 1255a(a)(3)(B) as a border-control mechanism is a permissible construction of the statute. 43