Court Opinion

ID: 8408317
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2022-11-02 16:41:57.973227+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T16:47:33.771989
License: Public Domain

REAVLEY, Circuit Judge,
dissenting:
I agree that we have jurisdiction but dissent from the judgment, and would reverse, because I read 8 U.S.C. § 1231(b) differently. I see subparagraph E as a broad authorization of removal, separate from the prior subparagraphs and without the limitation of acceptance of the alien by the removal country.
The only prior authority is the Eighth Circuit decision in Jama v. Immigration and Naturalization Service, 329 F.3d 630 (8th Cir.2003), with which I agree. Opinions applying § 1253, the law prior to 1996, follow a statute quite different from the current § 1231. The prior statute did condition willing acceptance for all countries to which aliens could be deported. Congress sought fit to change that aspect of the law, and that resolves the case for me.