Patel v. Attorney General

264 F. App'x 206
Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit·Decided February 11, 2008·No. 06-3893·Unpublished

Opinion

OPINION OF THE COURT

FISHER, Circuit Judge.

Ritabahen Ghanshyambhai Patel seeks review of an order of the Board of Immigration Appeals (“BIA”) affirming the Immigration Judge’s (“U’s”) denial of her request for asylum, withholding of removal, and relief under the Convention Against Torture (“CAT”). In addition, she claims that she is entitled to relief because of ineffective assistance of counsel. For the reasons that follow, we will deny the petition.

I.

We write exclusively for the parties, who are familiar with the factual context and legal history of this case. Therefore, we *208 will set forth only those facts necessary to our analysis.

Patel, a native and citizen of India, entered the United States on June 6, 2003, using her passport that contained a “fake green card stamp.” The fake stamp was placed in her passport by a person referred to as an “agent” or “smuggler.” Her stated motivation for coming to the United States was to be with Atul Kumar Patel (“Atul”), who is now her husband (they were not married at the time of her arrival). After Patel’s arrival, the authorities acted on a tip from the couple to arrest and prosecute the smuggler who brought her to this country. Subsequent to the smuggler’s arrest, an unidentified individual began making threatening phone calls to Atul, and at least one of the calls threatened harm to Patel. On December 18, 2003, the Department of Homeland Security notified Patel that removal proceedings had been instituted against her.

At her immigration hearing, Patel asserted that the threats made indirectly to her supported a finding that she qualified for asylum, protection under the CAT, and/or withholding of removal. With her attorney, Jonathan Saint-Preux, Patel argued that the threats against her and her husband supported a finding that she would be subject to harm at the hands of the alleged smuggling ring if she returned to India. Therefore, she argued that she had demonstrated a well-founded fear of future persecution.

The IJ denied asylum, finding that Patel failed to satisfy the requirements. The IJ stated that Patel failed to present evidence that the threat she faced was from an individual whom the government of India was unable or unwilling to control. Additionally, the IJ found that Patel presented no evidence that she was being targeted on account of her race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion.

The IJ also denied her application for withholding of removal and protection under the CAT. Withholding of removal was denied because the IJ concluded that the evidence of phone calls from an unknown source did not establish a well-founded fear of future persecution. The IJ denied her CAT claims because Patel did not identify any fear of harm that would come at the hands of public officials in India or from someone acting with the consent or acquiescence of public officials.

Patel, assisted by new counsel, appealed the Id’s decision to the BIA. In addition to arguing that she merited the relief she sought, she made a claim of ineffective assistance of counsel. She stated that her husband, Atul, was prepared to testify before the IJ, but her attorney failed to call him as a witness for reasons she does not understand. The hearing transcript reveals that the IJ expressed doubt as to the benefit of such testimony, and Patel’s counsel agreed that Atul would not provide any new information. Patel argues that Atul’s testimony would have been helpful. In her appeal, Patel attached an affidavit from Atul, which states that Atul and Patel informed the U.S. government about the smugglers, and that Atul believes the smugglers have been deported and are in Gujarat, where the Indian government is unable and unwilling to control them.

The BIA affirmed the decision of the IJ on all grounds, rejecting Patel’s claim of ineffective assistance of counsel because she failed to satisfy the procedural requirements laid out in Matter of Lozada, 19 I. & N. Dec. 637 (BIA 1988). The BIA further concluded that even if she had fulfilled Lozada’s procedural requirements, there was no evidence that she suffered prejudice as a result of her attorney’s con *209 duct. Patel filed a timely petition for review.

II.

We have jurisdiction under 8 U.S.C. § 1252(a)(1). In cases where the BIA both adopts the findings of the IJ and discusses some of the bases for the IJ’s decision, the Court reviews the decisions of both the IJ and the BIA. Chen v. Ashcroft, 376 F.3d 215, 222 (3d Cir.2004). We review the IJ’s decision and the BIA’s affirmance under the deferential “substantial evidence” standard. Dia v. Ashcroft, 353 F.3d 228, 249 (3d Cir.2003) (en banc). A finding is not supported by substantial evidence only where “no reasonable fact finder could make that finding on the administrative record.” Id.

In order to qualify for asylum, an individual must prove that she has “a well-founded fear of persecution on account of race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion.” 8 U.S.C § 1101(a)(42)(A). However, “any claim of persecution, violence or other harm ... does not constitute persecution unless such acts are committed by the government or forces the government is either ‘unable or unwilling’ to control.” Lie v. Ashcroft, 396 F.3d 530, 537 (3d Cir.2005) (quoting Abdulrahman v. Ashcroft, 330 F.3d 587, 592 (3d Cir.2003)). In order to qualify for withholding of removal, the applicant must demonstrate a “clear probability” that persecution will result if the applicant is removed to a particular country. I.N.S. v. Stevic, 467 U.S. 407, 413, 104 S.Ct. 2489, 81 L.Ed.2d 321 (1984).

In order to qualify for relief under the CAT, the applicant must present evidence establishing “that it is more likely than not that he or she would be tortured if removed to the proposed country of removal.” 8 C.F.R. § 208.16(c)(2). An act is not considered torture if it is not “inflicted by or at the instigation of or with the consent or acquiescence of a public official or other person acting in an official capacity.” Id. § 208.18.

The parties dispute whether Patel effectively made a motion to reopen and remand before the BIA when she asserted an ineffectiveness of counsel claim.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Patel v. Attorney General, 264 F. App'x 206 (3d Cir. 2008).

264 F. App'x 206 (Patel v. Attorney General) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

Related