Court Opinion

ID: 2964560
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2015-09-21 21:27:28.750236+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T12:10:15.571940
License: Public Domain

USCA1 Opinion

	

                            UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS
                            UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS

                                FOR THE FIRST CIRCUIT
                                FOR THE FIRST CIRCUIT

                                 ____________________

        No. 96-1855

                              UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,

                                      Appellee,

                                          v.

                                  ELIEZER LARA SOTO,

                                      Appellant.

                                 ____________________

                     APPEAL FROM THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

                          FOR THE DISTRICT OF NEW HAMPSHIRE

                   [Hon. Steven J. McAuliffe, U.S. District Judge]
                                              ___________________

                                 ____________________

                                        Before

                                 Stahl, Circuit Judge,
                                        _____________

                     Aldrich and Campbell, Senior Circuit Judges.
                                           _____________________

                                 ____________________

            Richard N. Foley for appellant.
            ________________
            Jean B. Weld, Assistant United States  Attorney, with whom Paul M.
            ____________                                               _______
        Gagnon, United States Attorney, was on brief for appellee.
        ______  ______________________

                                 ____________________

                                  February 12, 1997
                                 ____________________

                      ALDRICH, Senior Circuit  Judge.  Defendant  Eliezer
                               _____________________

            Lara Soto (hereinafter defendant), a citizen of the Dominican

            Republic, unlawfully entered the  United States in 1986.   He

            was deported in  November 1993.   He subsequently obtained  a

            visa and reentered in August 1994 without having obtained the

            necessary permission of the  Attorney General, a violation of

            8  U.S.C.   1326.1  After  a three day  jury trial, defendant

            was found guilty.

                                          I.

                      Prior to trial, defendant moved to quash or dismiss

            the  indictment by  attacking  the earlier  deportation order

            entered after a hearing in his absence, on the ground of lack

                                
            ____________________

            1.  Title 8  U.S.C.   1326  provides that an  offense against
            the United States occurs when:

                      (a) [A]ny alien who--

                           (1)   has  been   arrested  and
                           deported   or    excluded   and
                           deported, and thereafter 

                           (2) enters,  attempts to enter,
                           or is at any time found in, the
                           United States, unless (A) prior
                           to his reembarkation at a place
                           outside  the  United States  or
                           his  application for  admission
                           from     foreign     contiguous
                           territory, the Attorney General
                           has expressly consented to such
                           alien's      reapplying     for
                           admission; or  (B) with respect
                           to an alien previously excluded
                           and deported, unless such alien
                           shall establish that he was not
                           required to obtain such advance
                           consent  under this  chapter or
                           any prior Act . . . .

                                         -2-

            of  notice.  According to the defendant, he failed to receive

            either   of  two   letters  sent   by  the   Immigration  and

            Naturalization  Service  ordering  him  to  appear  first  on

            December  1, 1992 and  again on January  5, 1993.   The court

            denied  the motion,  finding that  certified mail  notice had

            been  given to  defendant's  proper address  with the  return

            receipt bearing his signature, which the court found genuine.

            Nor would  he have had any  defense on the merits.   We agree

            that the deportation order was valid.

                                         II.

                      Defendant's  only  other  defense  to  the  present

            prosecution was  his testimony that he entered in good faith,

            believing that  his visa constituted the required permission.

            The court instructed the jury that it  was not, and that good

            faith was not a defense.  

                      The district  court noted that of  all the circuits

            considering this statute, only  the Seventh Circuit in United
                                                                   ______

            States  v. Anton, 683 F.2d  1011, 1014 (7th  Cir. 1982) (2-1)
            ______     _____

            required the government to show specific intent.  We are more

            impressed  with dissenting  Judge Posner's  thinking  that an

            alien who  has broken our laws  once should not  be given the

            benefit of the doubt.  See id. at 1019-22 (collecting cases).
                                   ___ ___

            It  is  appropriate that  the reentry  law  have teeth.   The

            appeal is without merit.

                      Affirmed.
                      ________

                                         -3-