The California Supreme Court has published guidance on how to establish prejudice for a motion to vacate under section 1473.7 of the California Penal Code.
The Court started by evaluating whether Espinoza Espinoza lacked a meaningful understanding of the consequences of his plea, and looked to the fact that he traveled abroad as evidence that he did. “[H]e took an international commercial flight to the United States, which predictably required subjecting himself to the scrutiny of United States immigration officials, which is not consistent with the behavior of a person who understood that his convictions effectively ended his lawful resident status.”
Turning to prejudice, the Court noted that a totality of the circumstances analysis must be applied. “Factors particularly relevant to this inquiry include the defendant’s ties to the United States, the importance the defendant placed on avoiding deportation, the defendant’s priorities in seeking a plea bargain, and whether the defendant had reason to believe an immigration-neutral negotiated disposition was possible. Also relevant are the defendant’s probability of obtaining a more favorable outcome if he had rejected the plea, as well as the difference between the bargained-for term and the likely term if he were convicted at trial. These factors are not exhaustive, and no single type of evidence is a prerequisite to relief. A defendant must provide ‘objective evidence’ to corroborate factual assertions. Objective evidence includes facts provided by declarations, contemporaneous documentation of the defendant’s immigration concerns or interactions with counsel, and evidence of the charges the defendant faced.”
The Court acknowledged that ties to the United States are probative evidence of a defendant’s immigration priorities. Long-standing residency and strong family ties demonstrate that the prospect of deportation may be an integral (or even the most important) part of the calculus when accepting a plea. “Community ties may be established by length of residence; immigration status; lack of connection to the country of origin; connections to family, friends, or the community; work history or financial ties; or other forms of attachment. Objective evidence of a defendant’s community ties includes facts provided by a defendant’s declaration or declarations from family members, friends, colleagues, community members, or other acquaintances.”
“After Espinoza accepted the plea and served jail time, he returned home to care for his family and community. He became the caregiver for his elderly parents who suffer from severe medical conditions. He ran his own business to provide for his family. He volunteered, went to church, and took part in numerous community organizations. These facts lend credence to Espinoza’s assertion that his community ties were important to him at the time of his plea.”
“Another consideration is whether alternative, immigration-safe dispositions were available at the time of the defendant’s plea. Factors relevant to this inquiry include the defendant’s criminal record, the strength of the prosecution’s case, the seriousness of the charges or whether the crimes involved sophistication, the district attorney’s charging policies with respect to immigration consequences, and the existence of comparable offenses without immigration consequences.”
“Espinoza had no prior criminal history at the time of his plea. This fact is relevant because a defendant without an extensive criminal record may persuasively contend that the prosecutor might have been willing to offer an alternative plea without immigration consequences. Additionally, Espinoza presented evidence from an immigration attorney that there were alternatives the prosecution could have offered that would not have resulted in mandatory deportation.” “Espinoza’s lack of a criminal record, combined with the declaration of the immigration attorney, support his assertion that he had reason to expect or hope for a plea bargain without immigration consequences.”
The Court made several other valuable observations. First, a defendant is not required to have expressed contemporaneous confusion about immigration consequences at the time of the plea. Second, a defendant is not required to obtain a statement from defense counsel.
The full text of People v. Espinoza can be found here: