Viewing entries tagged
withholding only proceedings

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Supreme Court Discusses Timing for PFR in Withholding Only Cases

The Supreme Court has determined that the 30-day petition for review deadline is not jurisdictional, but rather, a claims processing rule. In cases involving administrative removal orders (and likely also reinstatement orders), the 30 day timeliness is measured from the issuance of the ICE order, rather than from any dismissal of withholding and CAT applications by the Board of Immigration Appeals. “An order denying relief under the CAT is not a final order of removal and does not affect the validity of a previously issued order of removal or render that order non-final.”

In terms of how a non-citizen will be able to get review of the denial of withholding and CAT, the Supreme Court suggested the following: “the Government can inform aliens of the need to file a petition within 30 days after the issuance of a FARO, and it can alert the court of appeals to the pendency of a withholding-only proceeding so that review there can wait until that issue is decided. And if requests for withholding of removal in cases like Riley’s are decided expeditiously—and that was the whole point of the supposedly streamlined procedure adopted by Congress to effect the quick removal of dangerous aliens—petitions for review of removal orders should not linger long on a court of appeals docket before the withholding issue is ready for review. Finally, if Government makes a general practice of what it has done in Riley’s case, i.e., declining to press for enforcement of the 30-day filing rule, aliens who are mistaken about when a petition for review must be filed will not be hurt.”

The full text of Riley v. Bondi can be found here:

https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/24pdf/23-1270_new_3dq3.pdf

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Third Circuit Finds that PFR Filing Deadline is Claims Processing Rule

The Third Circuit has determined that the 30-day deadline to file a petition for review of a final removal order is a claims processing rule, not a jurisdictional rule. The court also determined that a reinstatement order is not administratively final until a final agency decision is issued on the applicant’s withholding of removal and CAT applications.

The full text of Inestroza-Tosta v. Attorney General can be found here:

https://www2.ca3.uscourts.gov/opinarch/221667p.pdf

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Fourth Circuit Denies As Applied Challenge to Detention Scheme

The Fourth Circuit has affirmed the denial of habeas relief to a non-citizen subject to on-going withholding-only proceedings, finding that his removal was still reasonably foreseeable, despite the length of his detention. The court also found that due process did not require the immigration court to provide him with another bond hearing.

The full text of Vasquez Castaneda v. Garland can be found here:

https://www.ca4.uscourts.gov/opinions/227365.P.pdf

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Fifth Circuit Reverses Course, Finds Jurisdiction over Denied Withholding/CAT

The Fifth Circuit has reversed its prior decision and determined that it has jurisdiction to review the agency’s denial of withholding of removal and protection under the Convention against Torture to a non-citizen subject to a reinstatement order, so long as the petition for review is filed within 30 days of the Board of Immigration Appeals’ decision. The opinion also contains an excellent analysis of when threats rise to the level of persecution, and how to articulate sufficient nexus in a “mixed motives” analysis.

The full text of Argueta-Hernandez v. Garland can be found here: https://www.ca5.uscourts.gov/opinions/pub/22/22-60307-CV1.pdf

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Ninth Circuit Finds PFR Filing Deadline is Non-Jurisidictional; Clarifies Deadline for Filing PFR of Reinstatement Order

The Ninth Circuit has determined that the 30-day deadline to file a petition for review of a removal order is not jurisdictional. The court has further determined that a petition for review filed within 30 days of the completion of reasonable fear proceedings (rather than the issuance of a reinstatement order) is timely.

The full text of Alonso-Juarez v. Garland can be found here:

https://cdn.ca9.uscourts.gov/datastore/opinions/2023/09/08/15-72821.pdf

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Sixth Circuit Reaffirms that Denial of Withholding and CAT is Appealable within 30 Days

The Sixth Circuit has reaffirmed that an individual subject to a reinstated removal order files a timely petition for review if it is filed within 30 days of the agency’s dismissal of his withholding of removal and protection under the Convention Against Torture claims.

The full text of Kolov v. Garland can be found here:

https://www.opn.ca6.uscourts.gov/opinions.pdf/23a0186p-06.pdf

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Seventh Circuit Finds Deported Petitioner's Appeal Moot

The Seventh Circuit has determined that a petitioner’s appeal of his deferral of removal application in withholding-only proceedings was mooted by his removal from the country, since there was no direct challenge to the underlying removal order before the court, but rather, only an appeal of the denial of deferral of removal. “Garcia Marin is inadmissible by virtue of his unchallenged removal order and his criminal record. So even if we were to find an error in the BIA’s decision reversing the immigration judge, the action that Garcia Marin sought to prevent has already taken place, and there are no possible collateral legal consequences.”

The full text if Garcia Marin v. Garland can be found here:

http://media.ca7.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/rssExec.pl?Submit=Display&Path=Y2022/D07-29/C:20-3393:J:Sykes:aut:T:fnOp:N:2910359:S:0

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Second Circuit Eliminates Judicial Review of Withholding-Only Proceedings

The Second Circuit has determined that a non-citizen subject to a reinstated removal order can only seek judicial review within 30 days of the reinstatement determination. The non-citizen cannot seek judicial review of any subsequent decision in a withholding-only proceeding.

The full text of Bhaktibhai-Patel v. Garland can be found here:

https://www.ca2.uscourts.gov/decisions/isysquery/7ab57bdb-b5b8-4eea-80f6-61f7193bf77f/8/doc/19-2565_opn.pdf#xml=https://www.ca2.uscourts.gov/decisions/isysquery/7ab57bdb-b5b8-4eea-80f6-61f7193bf77f/8/hilite/

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Ninth Circuit Rejects Jurisdictional Challenge to Withholding Only Proceedings

The Ninth Circuit has determined that a Notice of Referral to Immigration Judge missing the time and date of a first withholding only hearing does not affect the immigration court’s jurisdiction over the withholding only case.

The full text of Tzompantzi-Salazar v. Garland can be found here:

https://cdn.ca9.uscourts.gov/datastore/opinions/2022/02/09/20-71514.pdf

A slightly amended version of the opinion can be found here:

https://cdn.ca9.uscourts.gov/datastore/opinions/2022/04/21/20-71514.pdf

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Third Circuit Finds that Notice of Referral to Immigration Judge Need Not Contact Time and Date of First Hearing

The Third Circuit has determined that a Notice of Referral to Immigration Judge that does not contain the time and date of the first removal hearing is not jurisdictionally defective because the regulations do not require that such information be in the Notice.

The full text of Mejia Romero v. Attorney General can be found here:

https://www2.ca3.uscourts.gov/opinarch/193705p.pdf

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