Court Opinion

ID: 9392672
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-05-05 20:00:59.391295+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T17:18:48.239073
License: Public Domain

USCA11 Case: 21-14297    Document: 32-1      Date Filed: 05/05/2023    Page: 1 of 14

                                                    [DO NOT PUBLISH]
                                    In the
                 United States Court of Appeals
                         For the Eleventh Circuit

                          ____________________

                                 No. 21-14297
                           Non-Argument Calendar
                          ____________________

        DERONG WANG,
                                                                Petitioner,
        versus
        U.S. ATTORNEY GENERAL,

                                                               Respondent.

                          ____________________

                    Petition for Review of a Decision of the
                         Board of Immigration Appeals
                           Agency No. A205-038-417
                           ____________________
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        2                      Opinion of the Court                 21-14297

        Before BRANCH, LAGOA, and BRASHER, Circuit Judges.
        PER CURIAM:
               Derong Wang, a native and citizen of China, seeks review of
        the final order of the Board of Immigration Appeals (“BIA”)
        affirming the Immigration Judge’s (“IJ”) denial of his application for
        cancellation of removal under the Immigration and Nationality Act
        (“INA”). Wang argues that the IJ did not sufficiently consider the
        evidence he submitted to show that his children would suffer
        exceptional and extremely unusual hardship (“EEUH”), that the IJ
        erred by finding he had a possible alternative means of obtaining
        status in the United States, and that the BIA failed to give reasoned
        consideration to his claim of hardship. Because we lack jurisdiction
        over some of Wang’s arguments and the rest lack merit, we dismiss
        Wang’s petition for review in part and deny it in part.
                                  I.     Background
               Wang entered the United States without inspection on
        September 15, 1999. In 2012, the Department of Homeland
        Security (“DHS”) served Wang with a notice to appear, charging
        him as removable under 8 U.S.C. § 1182(a)(6)(A)(i), “as an alien
        present in the United States without being admitted or paroled.”
        Wang conceded the charge of removability and applied for
        cancellation of removal under 8 U.S.C. § 1229b(b)(1), claiming that
        his removal would result in EEUH to his children, who are United
        States citizens.
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        21-14297                  Opinion of the Court                              3

               At a hearing on Wang’s application for cancellation of
        removal, Wang testified that he moved to New York after entering
        the United States in 1999. He lived in New York until 2015, when
        he moved to Georgia for his then-girlfriend Xia You. The two had
        met in 2007, and Wang explained that Xia moved to New York for
        a brief period in 2008 but moved back to Georgia later that year.
        From 2008 to 2015, Wang lived in New York while Xia lived in
        Georgia, although they would reunite for visits. During that time,
        Xia worked part-time at a Chinese restaurant. Xia purchased the
        restaurant in 2012. After Wang moved to Georgia, he married Xia
        three years later. Wang testified that he has one biological
        daughter, who was born in May 2008, and one adopted daughter,
        who was born in January 2005. 1 Both of Wang’s daughters were
        born in New York, and they are both United States citizens.
               Now, Wang and Xia operate the restaurant together and are
        the restaurant’s only employees. Wang works as the cook and is
        “mainly responsible for the kitchen in the back,” and Xia receives
        phone calls in the front and takes care of the children. Their
        combined monthly income is about $2,500, and their monthly
        household expenses are around $2,400 to $2,600. At the time of the

        1 Xia is the mother of both of Wang’s daughters. Wang’s adopted daughter
        was born to Xia in 2005 while Xia was in a prior relationship. When Wang
        and Xia lived apart from 2008 to 2015, the children lived in Georgia with Xia.
        Xia cared for the children and worked part-time, and Wang’s primary role was
        to make money to support the family.
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        4                         Opinion of the Court                     21-14297

        hearing, Xia had A-5 status and was applying for permanent
        residence in the United States, but the application process was very
        slow. 2 Xia’s parents and three siblings all live in the United States,
        and they all have green cards except for her sister.
               Wang testified that if he were forced to return to China, the
        restaurant would close and Xia, whose English is limited, would
        have to find other restaurant work. And as the children’s caretaker,
        Xia could work only part-time, which would not be enough “to
        support the children and the house payment.” As for Wang, he
        would make only $200 to $300 per month in China with his limited
        education and skills, which would not be enough to support the
        children. Wang explained that the children primarily speak English
        with minimal Mandarin, that China would bar the children from
        attending public school because they were United States citizens,
        and that the family could not afford private school. The family
        would also have to pay for private medical care for the children if
        they went to China with Wang. Wang testified that Xia’s parents
        were granted political asylum in the United States, which might
        impact the family if they return to China.
              Xia testified next and gave testimony consistent with
        Wang’s. She added that she could not run the restaurant by herself
        because she helped in the front of the restaurant and was not able
        to run the kitchen. She could not afford to hire an employee to

        2 Xia’s A-5 status refers to her status as an asylee: Xia’s father was granted
        asylum, and Xia was granted derivative asylee status through her father.
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        21-14297                Opinion of the Court                           5

        help. She testified that she did “not have sufficient education and
        skill” to find another job and explained that if she had to work full
        time, she would not be able to take care of their children. She did
        not know when she would be eligible for permanent residence, but
        she had to reapply for her A-5 card each year.
               The IJ asked counsel when Xia’s visa would be current so
        she could be eligible to become a permanent resident. DHS
        informed the IJ that Xia had filed an I-485 application for
        adjustment of status, which was denied in 2005, and filed another
        I-485 in 2007, but it was unknown whether that second application
        had been adjudicated.
                The IJ issued an oral decision denying Wang’s application
        for cancellation of removal. Although the IJ found that Wang and
        Xia were “credible witnesses” and that Wang met three of the four
        requirements for cancellation, the IJ ultimately found that Wang
        failed to meet “his burden to show [EEUH] to his two qualifying
        relative children for two primary reasons.” First, the IJ found that
        neither Wang nor Xia had provided “sufficient evidence to show
        that [Xia] is ineligible to adjust her status, whereby [Wang] would
        be also eligible to adjust his status by an alternative means.” The IJ
        explained that “the BIA has long-found that if a Respondent has an
        alternative means of adjusting his status in the United States, it
        diminishes any hardship to his qualifying relatives.” Consequently,
        because Wang failed to provide concrete evidence that Xia “would
        be ineligible to adjust her status . . . , Wang ha[d] thus failed to show
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        6                      Opinion of the Court                21-14297

        that the hardship to his qualifying relatives would rise to the level
        of exceptional and extremely unusual.”
                Second, the IJ found that, even if Xia were not eligible to
        adjust her status to become a permanent resident, Wang still failed
        to meet his burden of showing EEUH to his children. Specifically,
        the IJ found that if Wang’s children remained in the United States
        after Wang’s departure, they would “suffer the same hardship
        commonly seen in these types of cases,” rather than EEUH. The IJ
        noted that Xia had owned and operated the restaurant for several
        years while Wang lived out of state, and despite the testimony that
        they could not afford to hire an employee, there was no testimony
        indicating that family members would not be able to help Xia run
        the restaurant in Wang’s absence and no evidence “to verify that
        the restaurant [would] be inoperable” without Wang. But even if
        the restaurant closed, the IJ found that Xia had transferable skills,
        no physical or mental impediments to working full-time, and
        family in the United States who had helped her in the past with the
        restaurant and her children. Moreover, the IJ stated that the
        evidence showed that education and healthcare for the children
        would only be more expensive in China—not unavailable—and
        that Wang and Xia’s testimony about diminished economic
        prospects did not rise to the level of EEUH.
               Wang appealed to the BIA, challenging the determination
        that he failed to demonstrate EEUH and that Xia’s A-5 status
        constituted an available alternative means of adjusting his status
        that diminished Wang’s hardship claim. Wang argued that he
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        21-14297               Opinion of the Court                         7

        demonstrated EEUH through testimony that, if he were removed
        and his family stayed in the United States, Xia would have to close
        the restaurant because she could not operate it alone; that Xia
        would not be able to find suitable employment to provide for two
        children and pay for the family’s living and home expenses; and
        that Wang’s two teenage daughters were emotionally dependent
        on him and would suffer emotional hardship if he left the United
        States. Wang also argued that, if the whole family returned to
        China, they would have to pay for private medical care and private
        school for the children, which they could not afford, and that the
        children were familiar only with the United States. Additionally,
        Wang argued that the IJ erred in finding that Xia’s status
        constituted an available alternative means for Wang to adjust his
        status, which diminished his hardship claim, because even if Xia
        adjusted her status to become a permanent resident, it would not
        improve Wang’s ability to obtain legal status.
                The BIA affirmed the IJ’s decision and dismissed Wang’s
        appeal. The BIA acknowledged Wang’s arguments that the IJ erred
        by finding (1) that Wang had not established the requisite EEUH
        based on financial difficulty (including not being able to operate
        their restaurant), emotional hardship, and hardship to the children
        if they went to China and (2) that Xia’s status created an alternative
        means of immigration and diminished Wang’s hardship claim. As
        to the latter argument, the BIA explained that the IJ did not find
        that Xia’s status would directly result in immigration benefits for
        Wang, but instead merely “noted the possibility that” Xia could
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        8                          Opinion of the Court                  21-14297

        become a permanent resident and file a visa petition on Wang’s
        behalf, which would provide Wang an “alternative means of
        obtaining” legal status. The BIA then noted that the IJ had
        alternatively found that, even if Wang could not obtain status
        through his wife, he had not established EEUH to his children.
                The BIA concluded that, “[u]pon de novo review, [Wang
        did] not qualify for cancellation of removal because he did not
        show that his removal would result in [EEUH] to his [children].”
        The BIA recognized that Wang’s family would experience hardship
        if Wang were removed but concluded that the hardship did not rise
        to the level of EEUH. The BIA ruled that the IJ properly considered
        the evidence of hardship, including the children’s health, ages, and
        lack of special educational needs; economic and financial issues;
        and family separation. “In this case, when all factors are considered
        in the aggregate,” the BIA explained, “[Wang] did not establish the
        requisite hardship.” Accordingly, the BIA upheld the IJ’s decision
        and dismissed Wang’s appeal.
                Wang timely appealed.
                      II.     Standard of Review and Applicable Law
             The INA provides that the Attorney General may cancel the
        removal of an alien who meets the four statutory requirements
        enumerated in 8 U.S.C. § 1229b(b)(1). 3 The last of the four

        3 In full, 8 U.S.C. § 1229b(b)(1) provides:
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        21-14297                Opinion of the Court                                  9

        criteria—and the one at issue in this case—requires an alien to
        establish “that removal would result in exceptional and extremely
        unusual hardship to the alien’s spouse, parent, or child, who is a
        citizen of the United States or an alien lawfully admitted for
        permanent residence.” 8 U.S.C. § 1229b(b)(1)(D).
              When the BIA issues a decision regarding the cancellation of
        removal, “we review only that decision, except to the extent that
        the BIA expressly adopts the IJ’s decision.” Rodriguez v. U.S. Att’y
        Gen., 735 F.3d 1302, 1308 (11th Cir. 2013); Gonzalez v. U.S. Att’y
        Gen., 820 F.3d 399, 403 (11th Cir. 2016) (explaining that “[w]here
        the BIA agrees with the IJ’s reasoning, we review the decisions of

              The Attorney General may cancel removal of, and adjust to
              the status of an alien lawfully admitted for permanent
              residence, an alien who is inadmissible or deportable from the
              United States if the alien—
                     (A) has been physically present in the United States for
                     a continuous period of not less than 10 years
                     immediately preceding the date of such application;
                     (B) has been a person of good moral character during
                     such period;
                     (C) has not been convicted of an offense under section
                     1182(a)(2), 1227(a)(2), or 1227(a)(3) of this title, subject
                     to paragraph (5); and
                     (D) establishes that removal would result in
                     exceptional and extremely unusual hardship to the
                     alien’s spouse, parent, or child, who is a citizen of the
                     United States or an alien lawfully admitted for
                     permanent residence.
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        10                      Opinion of the Court                 21-14297

        both the BIA and the IJ to the extent of the agreement” and where
        “the BIA [does] not expressly adopt the IJ’s decision or rely on its
        reasoning, we . . . review only the BIA decision”). We do not
        consider issues or findings from the IJ that were not reached by the
        BIA. See Gonzalez, 820 F.3d at 403. Moreover, we review
        jurisdictional questions, constitutional claims, and questions and
        conclusions of law de novo, and we review factual determinations
        under the substantial evidence test. Id.; Rivas v. U.S. Att’y Gen.,
        765 F.3d 1324, 1328 (11th Cir. 2014).
                Under the INA’s discretionary decision bar, we lack
        jurisdiction to review “any judgment regarding the granting of”
        cancellation of removal, except to the extent that a petitioner raises
        a constitutional claim or question of law.                  8 U.S.C.
        § 1252(a)(2)(B)(i), (D); see Patel v. Garland, 142 S. Ct. 1614, 1627
        (2022) (holding that “[f]ederal courts lack jurisdiction to review
        facts found as part of discretionary-relief proceedings under . . . the
        . . . provisions enumerated in § 1252(a)(2)(B)(i),” one of which is
        cancellation of removal). “[A] party may not dress up a claim with
        legal or constitutional clothing to invoke our jurisdiction.” Mutua
        v. U.S. Att’y Gen., 22 F.4th 963, 968 (11th Cir. 2022) (quotation
        omitted). Thus, “[a]n argument couched as a legal question that
        essentially challenges the agency’s weighing of evidence is a
        garden-variety abuse of discretion argument that does not state a
        legal or constitutional claim.” Id. (quotation omitted).
              Nevertheless, we have jurisdiction to determine whether
        the BIA gave reasoned consideration to an alien’s claim because
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        21-14297                Opinion of the Court                        11

        that raises a question of law. Perez-Guerrero v. U.S. Att’y Gen.,
        717 F.3d 1224, 1231 (11th Cir. 2013); Farah v. U.S. Att’y Gen., 12
        F.4th 1312, 1327 (11th Cir. 2021). “A reasoned-consideration
        examination does not look to whether the agency’s decision is
        supported by substantial evidence.” Jeune v. U.S. Att’y Gen., 810
        F.3d 792, 803 (11th Cir. 2016). “Rather, it looks to see whether the
        agency has ‘consider[ed] the issues raised and announce[ed] its
        decision in terms sufficient to enable a reviewing court to perceive
        that it has heard and thought and not merely reacted.’” Id. (quoting
        Seck v. U.S. Att’y Gen., 663 F.3d 1356, 1364 (11th Cir. 2011)). The
        BIA must consider, but need not discuss, all the evidence submitted
        to it. Ali v. U.S. Att’y Gen., 931 F.3d 1327, 1333–34 (11th Cir. 2019).
                                   III.    Discussion
               On appeal, Wang argues that (1) the IJ failed to correctly
        analyze the cumulative effect of the hardship factors on Wang’s
        children; (2) the IJ erred by finding that Wang had an alternative
        means of adjusting his status in the United States; and (3) the BIA
        failed to provide reasoned consideration of Wang’s claim. We
        deny Wang’s petition because we either lack jurisdiction to
        consider his arguments or because his enumeration of error lacks
        merit.
               First, Wang argues that the IJ did not provide an “adequate
        analysis of the cumulative effect of [the hardship] factors on [his]
        daughters.” But because the BIA issued a decision regarding the
        cancellation of removal in this case, “we review only [the BIA’s]
        decision, except to the extent that the BIA expressly adopts the IJ’s
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        12                         Opinion of the Court                        21-14297

        decision.” Rodriguez, 735 F.3d at 1308. Here, the BIA engaged in
        a de novo review of whether Wang met the EEUH requirement
        and did not expressly adopt the IJ’s analysis. Accordingly, Wang’s
        argument that the IJ did not properly analyze the hardship factors
        is not properly before us. 4 See Gonzalez, 820 F.3d at 403; Malu v.
        U.S. Att’y Gen., 764 F.3d 1282, 1289 (11th Cir. 2014).
                Second, Wang’s argument that the IJ erred by finding that
        Wang’s hardship claim was diminished because he had a possible
        alternative means to obtaining status in the United States fails for
        the same reason. Wang again challenges the decision of the IJ—
        not the BIA. Because the BIA never expressly adopted or relied on
        the IJ’s alternative-means finding, that finding is not properly
        before us for review. 5 See Gonzalez, 820 F.3d at 403 (reviewing

        4 Additionally, to the extent Wang argues that the IJ applied the wrong legal
        standard, we lack jurisdiction to consider his claim because he failed to raise it
        before the BIA. Amaya-Artunduaga v. U.S. Att’y Gen., 463 F.3d 1247, 1250
        (11th Cir. 2006) (explaining that, “absent a cognizable excuse or exception, we
        lack jurisdiction to consider claims that have not been raised before the BIA”
        (quotation omitted)). And to the extent Wang challenges the IJ’s or the BIA’s
        weighing of the hardship factors, we lack jurisdiction over such claims.
        Martinez v. U.S. Att’y Gen., 446 F.3d 1219, 1222 (11th Cir. 2006) (explaining
        that we lack jurisdiction to review the BIA’s EEUH determinations); Flores-
        Alonso v. U.S. Att’y Gen., 36 F.4th 1095, 1099–100 (11th Cir. 2022).
        5 As a reminder, although the BIA summarized the IJ’s findings—including the
        IJ’s alternative finding that Xia may provide Wang with an alternative pathway
        to status—the BIA conducted a de novo review and concluded that Wang
        failed to demonstrate EEUH without relying on any alternative-means
        finding.
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        21-14297                Opinion of the Court                         13

        “only the BIA decision” where the “BIA did not expressly adopt the
        IJ’s decision or rely on its reasoning”).
               Third, Wang’s argument that the BIA failed to provide
        reasoned consideration of his claim lacks merit. Unlike his other
        two enumerations of error, Wang’s third argument is properly
        before us because he contends that the BIA did not reasonably
        consider his claim—which is a question of law that we can review.
        8 U.S.C. § 1252(a)(2)(D); Perez-Guerrero, 717 F.3d at 1231. We
        have explained that “the [BIA] does not need to do much” to
        reasonably consider a petitioner’s claim. Ali, 931 F.3d at 1333. “We
        just need to be left with the conviction that the [BIA] has heard and
        thought about the case and not merely reacted.” Id. (quotation
        omitted) (alterations adopted); Farah, 12 F.4th at 1327 (“To
        determine whether the [BIA] gave reasoned consideration to a
        petition, we inquire only whether the [BIA] considered the issues
        raised and announced its decision in terms sufficient to enable a
        reviewing court to perceive that it has heard and thought and not
        merely reacted.” (quotation omitted)). We have held that the BIA’s
        analysis was sufficient to show reasoned consideration when it
        listed the basic facts of the case, referred to relevant statutory and
        regulatory authority, and accepted several grounds on which the IJ
        denied the petitioner’s request for relief. Bing Quan Lin v. U.S.
        Att’y Gen., 881 F.3d 860, 874–75 (11th Cir. 2018). On the other
        hand, the BIA fails to give reasoned consideration to a claim when
        it “misstates the contents of the record, fails to adequately explain
        its rejection of logical conclusions, or provides justifications for its
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        14                     Opinion of the Court               21-14297

        decision which are unreasonable and which do not respond to any
        arguments in the record.” Id. at 874 (quotation omitted).
               Here, Wang argues that the BIA did not reasonably consider
        his claim because “the BIA’s conclusion as to whether [Wang’s
        children] would suffer the requisite hardship consisted of two short
        and conclusory paragraphs.” We disagree and conclude that the
        BIA’s discussion was sufficient to show that the BIA heard and
        thought about Wang’s arguments and the evidence in his case.
        The BIA acknowledged Wang’s arguments about various hardship
        factors, explicitly noting his arguments about being unable to
        operate the restaurant, financial difficulties, and the emotional
        hardship that the children would suffer if they accompanied Wang
        to China. It then cited the applicable statutory and regulatory
        authority and relevant BIA decisions and concluded that Wang’s
        asserted hardship factors, when considered in the aggregate, did
        not meet the EEUH standard. In other words, the BIA’s discussion
        showed that the BIA gave reasoned consideration to Wang’s claim.
        See Bing Quan Lin, 881 F.3d at 874–75.
                                  IV.    Conclusion
               For the foregoing reasons, we dismiss in part Wang’s
        petition because Wang’s first two arguments are not properly
        before us, and we deny in part Wang’s petition because the BIA
        gave reasoned consideration to Wang’s claim.
             PETITION DISMISSED IN PART AND DENIED IN
        PART.