NOT FOR PUBLICATION FILED UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS MAY 21 2020 MOLLY C. DWYER, CLERK U.S. COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE NINTH CIRCUIT
MIGUEL CONTRERAS-MARIN, AKA No. 17-73231 Miguel Contreras-Martin, Agency No. A206-548-362 Petitioner,
v. MEMORANDUM*
WILLIAM P. BARR, Attorney General,
Respondent.
On Petition for Review of an Order of the Board of Immigration Appeals
Argued and Submitted March 4, 2020 Portland, Oregon
Before: FERNANDEZ and PAEZ, Circuit Judges, and BURGESS,** District Judge.
Miguel Contreras-Marin (“Contreras-Marin”), a native and citizen of
Mexico, petitions for review of the Board of Immigration Appeals’s (“BIA”) final
order of removal. The Department of Homeland Security charged him as
* This disposition is not appropriate for publication and is not precedent except as provided by Ninth Circuit Rule 36-3. ** The Honorable Timothy M. Burgess, United States Chief District Judge for the District of Alaska, sitting by designation. removeable from the United States in November 2013. He subsequently filed for
cancellation of removal, arguing that the hardship caused by his deportation to his
family would be exceptional and extremely unusual. The Immigration Judge (“IJ”)
denied his petition because Contreras-Marin had failed to establish the requisite
level of hardship.
Contreras-Marin appealed to the BIA. He argued that the IJ had erred in the
hardship finding and filed a motion to remand because his attorney had provided
ineffective assistance of counsel in the removal proceeding. The BIA affirmed the
IJ’s denial of cancellation of removal and denied the motion to remand because
Contreras-Marin had failed to identify how his counsel’s deficient performance
had impacted the result of his hearing. We grant the petition in part, deny it in
part, and remand.
1. Contreras-Marin argues that the IJ and BIA did not have jurisdiction over
his case because the Notice to Appear he received was defective. This argument is
foreclosed by Karingithi v. Whitaker, 913 F.3d 1158 (9th Cir. 2019). He received
a later notice that contained the time and date of his hearing, which is sufficient for
jurisdiction to vest. See id. at 1159–60.
2. A migrant charged with removability from the United States may petition
for cancellation of removal if he demonstrates, among other things, that removal
“would result in exceptional and extremely unusual hardship to the alien’s spouse,
2 parent, or child, who is a citizen of the United States or an alien lawfully admitted
for permanent residence.” 8 U.S.C. § 1229b(b)(1)(D). Contreras-Marin has five
relatives who qualify for consideration under the exceptional-and-extremely
unusual hardship determination: three children under the age of twenty-one (U.S.
citizens), his father (U.S. citizen), and his mother (lawful permanent resident). In
affirming and adopting the IJ’s denial of Contreras-Marin’s application for
cancellation-of-removal petition, the BIA stated:
Contrary to [Contreras-Marin’s] assertions on appeal, the hardship to each qualifying relative cannot be combined to meet the exceptional and extremely unusual standard. The analysis is only cumulative inasmuch as all hardships of a qualifying relative are aggregated to determine whether that relative would experience hardship that is exceptional and extremely unusual in nature. See section 240A(b)(1)(D) of the Act (requiring that an applicant establish that his or her removal would result in exceptional and extremely unusual hardship “to the alien’s spouse, parent, or child, who is a citizen of the United States or an alien lawfully admitted for permanent residence.” (emphasis added)).
(internal brief citations omitted).
The BIA erred in its statement of the law.1 When evaluating whether
qualifying relatives have suffered “exceptional and extremely unusual hardship”
1 The IJ’s and BIA’s fact-intensive exceptional-and-unusual hardship determination is a “subjective, discretionary judgment that has been carved out of our appellate jurisdiction.” Romero-Torres v. Ashcroft, 327 F.3d 887, 888 (9th Cir. 2003). But “[w]hether the Board applied the correct legal standard is a question of law” over which we have jurisdiction. Gasparyan v. Holder, 707 F.3d 1130, 1134 (9th Cir. 2013); see also Arteaga-De Alvarez v. Holder, 704 F.3d 730, 737 (9th Cir. 2012) (concluding that the petitioner raised a question of law where she
3 under section 1229b(b)(1), Matter of Recinas, 23 I. & N. Dec. 467 (BIA 2002),
requires the BIA and IJ to evaluate cumulatively the hardship suffered by all
qualifying relatives. It does not, as the BIA stated, limit the cumulative analysis to
each qualifying relative.
In Recinas, the BIA stated that “[p]art of that [hardship] analysis requires the
assessment of hardship factors in their totality, often termed a ‘cumulative’
analysis.” 23 I. & N. Dec. at 472. In applying the cumulative analysis, the BIA
aggregated the harm suffered by the petitioner, her four children, and her mother.
Id. The petitioner did not receive any support from her children’s father, her
children were largely unfamiliar with the Spanish language, she had little to no
family in Mexico, and her family in the United States had lawful status. Id.
Together, the court concluded that the “cumulative factors present” created
hardship circumstances that were “indeed unusual” and “well beyond that which is
normally experienced in most cases of removal.” Id. at 472–73. Recinas did not,
as the BIA suggested in Contreras-Marin’s case, aggregate the hardships suffered
by each qualifying individual to determine whether any single relative would suffer
exceptional and extremely unusual hardship upon the petitioner’s removal.
alleged the BIA’s hardship determination was made on an erroneous legal standard).
4 In light of this legal error, we vacate the denial of Contreras-Marin’s
cancellation-of-removal claim and remand for further proceedings consistent with
this disposition.
3. Contreras-Marin contends that the BIA abused its discretion in denying
the motion to remand because of ineffective assistance of his counsel. A petitioner
claiming ineffective assistance of counsel in a removal proceeding must
demonstrate that (1) his attorney failed to perform with sufficient competence and
(2) he was prejudiced by the attorney’s performance. Mohammed v. Gonzales, 400
F.3d 785, 793 (9th Cir. 2005). The BIA concluded Contreras-Marin failed to
establish the second prong of the substantive ineffective-assistance-of-counsel
analysis.
Contreras-Marin argues that his attorney was unconstitutionally ineffective
because he failed to provide sufficient translation services at his office, submit
evidence of emotional or mental hardship from his qualifying relatives, submit
evidence of country conditions in Mexico, provide Contreras-Marin’s criminal
record, or explain who could serve as a witness.
Even if these alleged deficiencies constitute ineffective assistance of
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NOT FOR PUBLICATION FILED UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS MAY 21 2020 MOLLY C. DWYER, CLERK U.S. COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE NINTH CIRCUIT
MIGUEL CONTRERAS-MARIN, AKA No. 17-73231 Miguel Contreras-Martin, Agency No. A206-548-362 Petitioner,
v. MEMORANDUM*
WILLIAM P. BARR, Attorney General,
Respondent.
On Petition for Review of an Order of the Board of Immigration Appeals
Argued and Submitted March 4, 2020 Portland, Oregon
Before: FERNANDEZ and PAEZ, Circuit Judges, and BURGESS,** District Judge.
Miguel Contreras-Marin (“Contreras-Marin”), a native and citizen of
Mexico, petitions for review of the Board of Immigration Appeals’s (“BIA”) final
order of removal. The Department of Homeland Security charged him as
* This disposition is not appropriate for publication and is not precedent except as provided by Ninth Circuit Rule 36-3. ** The Honorable Timothy M. Burgess, United States Chief District Judge for the District of Alaska, sitting by designation. removeable from the United States in November 2013. He subsequently filed for
cancellation of removal, arguing that the hardship caused by his deportation to his
family would be exceptional and extremely unusual. The Immigration Judge (“IJ”)
denied his petition because Contreras-Marin had failed to establish the requisite
level of hardship.
Contreras-Marin appealed to the BIA. He argued that the IJ had erred in the
hardship finding and filed a motion to remand because his attorney had provided
ineffective assistance of counsel in the removal proceeding. The BIA affirmed the
IJ’s denial of cancellation of removal and denied the motion to remand because
Contreras-Marin had failed to identify how his counsel’s deficient performance
had impacted the result of his hearing. We grant the petition in part, deny it in
part, and remand.
1. Contreras-Marin argues that the IJ and BIA did not have jurisdiction over
his case because the Notice to Appear he received was defective. This argument is
foreclosed by Karingithi v. Whitaker, 913 F.3d 1158 (9th Cir. 2019). He received
a later notice that contained the time and date of his hearing, which is sufficient for
jurisdiction to vest. See id. at 1159–60.
2. A migrant charged with removability from the United States may petition
for cancellation of removal if he demonstrates, among other things, that removal
“would result in exceptional and extremely unusual hardship to the alien’s spouse,
2 parent, or child, who is a citizen of the United States or an alien lawfully admitted
for permanent residence.” 8 U.S.C. § 1229b(b)(1)(D). Contreras-Marin has five
relatives who qualify for consideration under the exceptional-and-extremely
unusual hardship determination: three children under the age of twenty-one (U.S.
citizens), his father (U.S. citizen), and his mother (lawful permanent resident). In
affirming and adopting the IJ’s denial of Contreras-Marin’s application for
cancellation-of-removal petition, the BIA stated:
Contrary to [Contreras-Marin’s] assertions on appeal, the hardship to each qualifying relative cannot be combined to meet the exceptional and extremely unusual standard. The analysis is only cumulative inasmuch as all hardships of a qualifying relative are aggregated to determine whether that relative would experience hardship that is exceptional and extremely unusual in nature. See section 240A(b)(1)(D) of the Act (requiring that an applicant establish that his or her removal would result in exceptional and extremely unusual hardship “to the alien’s spouse, parent, or child, who is a citizen of the United States or an alien lawfully admitted for permanent residence.” (emphasis added)).
(internal brief citations omitted).
The BIA erred in its statement of the law.1 When evaluating whether
qualifying relatives have suffered “exceptional and extremely unusual hardship”
1 The IJ’s and BIA’s fact-intensive exceptional-and-unusual hardship determination is a “subjective, discretionary judgment that has been carved out of our appellate jurisdiction.” Romero-Torres v. Ashcroft, 327 F.3d 887, 888 (9th Cir. 2003). But “[w]hether the Board applied the correct legal standard is a question of law” over which we have jurisdiction. Gasparyan v. Holder, 707 F.3d 1130, 1134 (9th Cir. 2013); see also Arteaga-De Alvarez v. Holder, 704 F.3d 730, 737 (9th Cir. 2012) (concluding that the petitioner raised a question of law where she
3 under section 1229b(b)(1), Matter of Recinas, 23 I. & N. Dec. 467 (BIA 2002),
requires the BIA and IJ to evaluate cumulatively the hardship suffered by all
qualifying relatives. It does not, as the BIA stated, limit the cumulative analysis to
each qualifying relative.
In Recinas, the BIA stated that “[p]art of that [hardship] analysis requires the
assessment of hardship factors in their totality, often termed a ‘cumulative’
analysis.” 23 I. & N. Dec. at 472. In applying the cumulative analysis, the BIA
aggregated the harm suffered by the petitioner, her four children, and her mother.
Id. The petitioner did not receive any support from her children’s father, her
children were largely unfamiliar with the Spanish language, she had little to no
family in Mexico, and her family in the United States had lawful status. Id.
Together, the court concluded that the “cumulative factors present” created
hardship circumstances that were “indeed unusual” and “well beyond that which is
normally experienced in most cases of removal.” Id. at 472–73. Recinas did not,
as the BIA suggested in Contreras-Marin’s case, aggregate the hardships suffered
by each qualifying individual to determine whether any single relative would suffer
exceptional and extremely unusual hardship upon the petitioner’s removal.
alleged the BIA’s hardship determination was made on an erroneous legal standard).
4 In light of this legal error, we vacate the denial of Contreras-Marin’s
cancellation-of-removal claim and remand for further proceedings consistent with
this disposition.
3. Contreras-Marin contends that the BIA abused its discretion in denying
the motion to remand because of ineffective assistance of his counsel. A petitioner
claiming ineffective assistance of counsel in a removal proceeding must
demonstrate that (1) his attorney failed to perform with sufficient competence and
(2) he was prejudiced by the attorney’s performance. Mohammed v. Gonzales, 400
F.3d 785, 793 (9th Cir. 2005). The BIA concluded Contreras-Marin failed to
establish the second prong of the substantive ineffective-assistance-of-counsel
analysis.
Contreras-Marin argues that his attorney was unconstitutionally ineffective
because he failed to provide sufficient translation services at his office, submit
evidence of emotional or mental hardship from his qualifying relatives, submit
evidence of country conditions in Mexico, provide Contreras-Marin’s criminal
record, or explain who could serve as a witness.
Even if these alleged deficiencies constitute ineffective assistance of
counsel, Contreras-Marin has not demonstrated how they adversely impacted his
cancellation-of-removal application. On appeal to the BIA, he submitted
additional evidence, including letters from friends and relatives in support of his
5 application, detailed medical histories of his parents, and affidavits from qualifying
relatives. But he fails to point to specific pieces of evidence contained in these
documents that—had they been presented to the IJ—may have impacted the
outcome of the IJ’s decision. See id. at 793–94.
Because Contreras-Marin failed to establish he was unconstitutionally
prejudiced by his attorney’s assistance, the BIA did not abuse its discretion when it
denied his motion to remand.
The petition is GRANTED in part, DENIED in part, and REMANDED for
further proceedings consistent with this disposition. The parties shall bear their
own costs on appeal.
6 FILED Contreras-Marin v. Barr, No. 17-73231 MAY 21 2020 FERNANDEZ, Circuit Judge, concurring: MOLLY C. DWYER, CLERK U.S. COURT OF APPEALS
I agree with the BIA’s statement in this case that in deciding whether there is
“exceptional and extremely unusual hardship to the alien’s spouse, parent, or
child,”1 we should not simply combine lesser common hardships to a number of
individuals in order to reach that level. That is, if a number of qualifying
individuals are subjected to some unexceptional hardship, one should not just add
those lesser hardships together in order to make an exceptional hardship for each of
them. However, I agree with the majority that In re Gonzalez Recinas, 23 I. & N.
Dec. 467, 472–73 (BIA 2002) (en banc) appears to reach a different conclusion.
And, while in that case the BIA did state that the case before it presented “a close
question2 and met the required “level of hardship, by a close margin,”3 the rule it
stated there is not the one stated by the BIA in this case. Thus, I respectfully
concur.
1 8 U.S.C. § 1229(b)(1)(D). 2 Gonzalez Recinas, 23 I. & N. Dec. at 470. 3 Id. at 471.