Philander Salviejo-Fernandez, AKA Philander Salviejo v. Alberto R. Gonzales, Attorney General

455 F.3d 1063, 2006 U.S. App. LEXIS 19166, 2006 WL 2109533
CourtCourt of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
DecidedJuly 31, 2006
Docket04-76383
StatusPublished
Cited by43 cases

This text of 455 F.3d 1063 (Philander Salviejo-Fernandez, AKA Philander Salviejo v. Alberto R. Gonzales, Attorney General) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Philander Salviejo-Fernandez, AKA Philander Salviejo v. Alberto R. Gonzales, Attorney General, 455 F.3d 1063, 2006 U.S. App. LEXIS 19166, 2006 WL 2109533 (9th Cir. 2006).

Opinions

LEAVY, Circuit Judge:

Philander Salviejo-Fernandez (Salviejo), a native and citizen of the Philippines, petitions pro se for review of the Board of Immigration Appeals’ (BIA) dismissal of his appeal of the immigration judge’s (IJ) decision finding him ineligible for cancellation of removal. The BIA held that Sal-viejo’s conviction under Cal. Health and Safety Code § 11366 for opening or maintaining a place for the purpose of unlawfully selling a controlled substance was an aggravated felony barring the relief of cancellation of removal under 8 U.S.C. § 1229b(a)(3). We have jurisdiction under 8 U.S.C. § 1252 and, after de novo review, we deny the petition.

FACTS AND PRIOR PROCEEDINGS

Salviejo was admitted to the United States as a legal permanent resident on August 20, 1969. On March 24, 2001, he was convicted of maintaining a place for selling or using controlled substances in violation of Cal. Health & Safety Code § 11366, and, on March 7, 2002, he pled guilty to possession of a controlled substance in violation of Cal. Health & Safety Code § 11377.

On April 13, 2003, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) issued a Notice to Appear (NTA), charging Salviejo with being removable under 8 U.S.C. § 1227(a)(2) based on his § 11377 conviction. The NTA alleged that this conviction constituted an aggravated felony under 8 U.S.C. § 1227(a)(2)(A)(iii) and a conviction relating to a controlled substance under 8 U.S.C. § 1227(a)(2)(B)(i).

Salviejo applied for cancellation of removal. A hearing was held on the charge of removeability and the application for cancellation of removal. At the hearing, the government sought to introduce Exhibit 4, which was an abstract of judgment [1065]*1065showing both the § 11377 and the § 11366 convictions. Salviejo objected on the grounds that the § 11366 conviction was not mentioned in the NTA. The IJ stated, “Yes, that’s not relevant to anything here today.”

In his oral decision the IJ noted,

Counsel pointed out that the 11366 was not being charged or dealt with in the NTA, and he didn’t want it to have an adverse affect on his client for purposes of relief, because he was asserting it was not an aggravated felony.
The Court held that the Court was not taking the 11366 conviction set forth in Exhibit 4 into consideration for any purpose as it related to the allegations charged against the respondent in [the NTA], or on the grounds of deportability as it related to those set forth in [the NTA].
The Court pointed out the way the Court bifurcates the hearings, that if the Service is going to assert that it’s an aggravated felony, that would bar relief depending on how the Court rules whether this conviction for 11377 ... is an aggravated felony or not. We would deal with it at that time.

The IJ then found that Salviejo was (1) removable because the § 11377 conviction was both an aggravated felony and a controlled substance conviction1 and (2) ineligible for cancellation of removal because it was an aggravated felony conviction. Sal-viejo appealed the IJ’s decision to the BIA. The BIA sustained the appeal and reversed the IJ, concluding that Salviejo’s conviction under § 11377 was not an aggravated felony because it was not an “illicit trafficking” offense within the meaning of the 8 U.S.C. § 1101(a)(43)(B) and remanded for the IJ to consider whether Salviejo was eligible for cancellation of removal.

At the second hearing, DHS asserted and the IJ agreed that Salviejo’s § 11366 conviction constituted an aggravated felony barring cancellation of removal. Sal-viejo appealed to the BIA. The BIA held that the § 11366 conviction was analogous to a federal conviction under 21 U.S.C. § 856 and, therefore, an aggravated felony under 8 U.S.C. § 1101(a)(43)(B). Therefore, the BIA dismissed the appeal.

Salviejo timely petitioned for review.

JURISDICTION

We have jurisdiction to review the petition under 8 U.S.C. § 1252 as amended by § 106(a) of the REAL ID Act of 2005, Pub.L. No. 109-13, Div. B., § 106(a)(l)(A)(iii), 119 Stat. 231, 310 (2005). See Notash v. Gonzales, 427 F.3d 693, 695-96 (9th Cir.2005). While we have no jurisdiction to review “any final order of removal against an alien who is removable by reason of having committed a criminal offense,” including a conviction relating to a controlled substance, 8 U.S.C. §§ 1252(a)(2)(C) and 1227(a)(2)(B), we are not barred from hearing the constitutional claims or questions of law raised in Salvie-jo’s petition. 8 U.S.C. § 1252(a)(2)(D).

ANALYSIS

A. Due Process

Salviejo contends that his due process rights were violated when the BIA found him ineligible for cancellation of removal based on his § 11366 conviction because it was not alleged in the NTA. We [1066]*1066review due process claims de novo. See Cano-Merida v. INS, 311 F.3d 960, 964 (9th Cir.2002). The NTA served on an alien in removal proceedings must contain “the nature of the proceedings against the alien,” the “legal authority under which the proceedings are conducted,” the “acts or conduct alleged to be in violation of the law,” and the “charges against the alien and the statutory provisions alleged to have been violated.” 8 U.S.C. § 1229(a)(1); see also 8 C.F.R. § 1003.15(b) & (c). At anytime during the removal proceedings “additional or substituted charges of inadmissibility and/or de-portability and/or factual allegations may be lodged by the [INS] in writing” and must be served on the alien. 8 C.F.R. § 1240.10. Although the government bears the burden of proof with respect to any conviction that supports a charge of re-movability, 8 U.S.C. § 1229a

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Bluebook (online)
455 F.3d 1063, 2006 U.S. App. LEXIS 19166, 2006 WL 2109533, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/philander-salviejo-fernandez-aka-philander-salviejo-v-alberto-r-ca9-2006.