CRIMINAL ISSUES IN IMMIGRATION LAW Table of Contents

1 January 2019 D-i CRIMINAL ISSUES IN IMMIGRATION LAW Table of Contents I. JUDICIAL REVIEW .. D-1 A. Judicial Review Scheme Before Enactment of the REAL ID Act of 2005 .. D-1 B. The Current Judicial Review Scheme under the REAL ID Act of 2005 .. D-2 1. Expanded Jurisdiction on Direct Review .. D-2 2. Applicability to Former Transitional Rules Cases .. D-5 3. Contraction of Habeas Jurisdiction .. D-6 II. CRIMINAL CONVICTIONS AS GROUNDS FOR INADMISSIBILITY AND REMOVABILITY .. D-7 A. Distinguishing between Inadmissibility and Removability .. D-7 B. Differing Burdens of Proof.

2 D-8 C. Admissions .. D-8 D. What Constitutes a Conviction? .. D-9 1. Final, Reversed and Vacated Convictions .. D-10 2. Expunged Convictions .. D-11 a. Expungement Generally Does Not Eliminate IMMIGRATION Consequences of Conviction .. D-11 b. Exception for Simple Drug Possession Offenses .. D-11 E. Definition of Sentence .. D-14 1. One-Year Sentences .. D-14 2. Recidivist Enhancements .. D-15 3. Misdemeanors .. D-16 4. Wobblers .. D-16 F. Overlap with Other IMMIGRATION and CRIMINAL Sentencing Areas of Law .. D-17 January 2019 D-ii III. METHOD OF ANALYSIS.

3 D-19 A. Standard of Review .. D-19 B. Categorical Approach .. D-20 C. Modified Categorical Approach .. D-24 1. Charging Documents, Abstracts of Judgment, and Minute Orders .. D-28 2. Police Reports and Stipulations .. D-32 3. Probation or Presentence Reports .. D-33 4. Extra-Record Evidence .. D-33 5. Remand .. D-34 IV. CATEGORIES OF CRIMINAL OFFENSES THAT CAN BE GROUNDS OF REMOVABILITY AND/OR INADMISSIBILITY .. D-35 A. Crimes Involving Moral Turpitude ( CIMT ) .. D-35 1. Removability pursuant to 8 1227(a)(2)(A)(i) .. D-35 a. Single Crime Committed within Five Years of Admission.

4 D-35 b. Multiple Offenses at Any Time .. D-36 2. Inadmissibility Pursuant to 8 1182(a)(2)(A)(i)(I) . D-37 3. Definition of Crime Involving Moral Turpitude .. D-38 B. Controlled Substances Offenses .. D-45 1. Deportation Ground 8 1227(a)(2)(B)(i) .. D-45 2. Inadmissibility Grounds 8 1182(a)(2)(A)(i)(II) & 8 1182(a)(2)(C) .. D-48 V. CATEGORIES OF CRIMINAL OFFENSES THAT ARE GROUNDS OF REMOVABILITY ONLY .. D-49 A. Aggravated Felony .. D-49 1. Murder, Rape or Sexual Abuse of a Minor 8 1101(a)(43)(A) .. D-51 a. Rape .. D-51 b. Sexual Abuse of a Minor.

5 D-52 January 2019 D-iii 2. Illicit Trafficking in a Controlled Substance 8 1101(a)(43)(B) .. D-54 3. Illicit Trafficking in Firearms 8 1101(a)(43)(C) .. D-55 4. Money Laundering 8 1101(a)(43)(D) .. D-56 5. Explosives, Firearms and Arson 8 1101(a)(43)(E) .. D-56 6. Crimes of Violence ( COV ) 8 1101(a)(43)(F) .. D-57 a. Negligent and Reckless Conduct Insufficient .. D-58 b. Force Against Another .. D-59 c. Specific Crimes Considered .. D-60 7. Theft or Burglary 8 1101(a)(43)(G) .. D-63 8. Ransom Offenses 8 1101(a)(43)(H).

6 D-65 9. Child Pornography Offenses 8 1101(a)(43)(I) .. D-65 10. RICO Offenses 8 1101(a)(43)(J).. D-66 11. Prostitution and Slavery Offenses 8 1101(a)(43)(K) .. D-66 12. National Defense Offenses 8 1101(a)(43)(L) .. D-67 13. Fraud or Deceit Offenses 8 1101(a)(43)(M) .. D-67 14. Alien Smuggling 8 1101(a)(43)(N) .. D-68 15. Illegal Reentry after Deportation for Aggravated Felony 8 1101(a)(43)(O) .. D-69 16. Passport Forgery 8 1101(a)(43)(P) .. D-69 17. Failure to Appear for Service of Sentence 8 1101(a)(43)(Q).

7 D-70 18. Commercial Bribery and Counterfeiting 8 1101(a)(43)(R) .. D-70 19. Obstruction of Justice 8 1101(a)(43)(S) .. D-70 20. Failure to Appear before a Court 8 1101(a)(43)(T) .. D-71 January 2019 D-iv 21. Attempt or Conspiracy to Commit an Aggravated Felony 8 1101(a)(43)(U) .. D-71 22. Particularly Serious Crimes .. D-71 B. Domestic Violence and Child Abuse Offenses .. D-74 1. General D-74 2. Cases Considering Domestic Violence Convictions .. D-76 3. Cases Considering Child Abuse Convictions .. D-77 C. Firearms D-78 D. Miscellaneous Removable Offenses.

8 D-79 VI. ELIGIBILITY FOR RELIEF DESPITE CRIMINAL CONVICTIONS . D-79 January 2019 D-1 CRIMINAL ISSUES IN IMMIGRATION LAW I. JUDICIAL REVIEW A. Judicial Review Scheme Before Enactment of the REAL ID Act of 2005 In 1996, Congress passed the Illegal IMMIGRATION Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act ( IIRIRA ), which limited petition-for-review jurisdiction for individuals removable based on enumerated crimes. See 8 1252(a)(2)(C) (permanent rules); IIRIRA section 309(c)(4)(G) (transitional rules). For 1252(a)(2)(C) s jurisdiction-stripping provision to apply, its language requires that the agency determine that the petitioner is actually removable and order the petitioner removed on a basis specified in that section.

9 See Alvarez-Santos v. INS, 332 1245, 1250 53 (9th Cir. 2003); see also Unuakhaulu v. Ashcroft, 416 931, 936 37 (9th Cir. 2005) (exercising jurisdiction because while agency found applicant removable based on aggravated felony conviction, removal was not ordered on that basis and alternate grounds of removal were charged). Under the IIRIRA provisions, if the court determined that the petitioner was ordered removed or ineligible for relief from removal based on a conviction for an enumerated crime, it lacked direct judicial review over the petition for review.

10 Cf. Unuakhaulu, 416 at 937; Alvarez-Santos, 332 at 1253. However, the court retained jurisdiction to determine its own jurisdiction, Ye v. INS, 214 1128, 1131 (9th Cir. 2000), and to decide three threshold ISSUES : whether the petitioner was [1] an alien, [2] removable, and [3] removable because of a conviction for a qualifying crime, see Zavaleta-Gallegos v. INS, 261 951, 954 (9th Cir. 2001) (internal quotation marks, alteration, and emphasis omitted). Where direct judicial review was unavailable over a final order of deportation or removal, a petitioner could file a petition for writ of habeas corpus in district court under 28 2241.