United States v. Ramirez-Cortinas

360 F. Supp. 3d 559
CourtDistrict Court, W.D. Texas
DecidedJanuary 29, 2019
DocketCause No. 1:18-CR-226-LY
StatusPublished

This text of 360 F. Supp. 3d 559 (United States v. Ramirez-Cortinas) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, W.D. Texas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
United States v. Ramirez-Cortinas, 360 F. Supp. 3d 559 (W.D. Tex. 2019).

Opinion

LEE YEAKEL, UNITED STATES DISTRICT JUDGE

Before the court in the above-styled and numbered cause are Defendant's Motion to Dismiss the Indictment filed September 11, 2018 (Dkt. No. 20), Government's Response in Opposition to Defendant's Motion to Dismiss the Indictment filed November 2, 2018 (Dkt. No. 27), and Defendant's Reply to Government's Response in Opposition to Defendant's Motion to Dismiss the Indictment filed November 21, 2018 (Dkt. No. 29). Also before the court are Defendant's Motion to Dismiss the Indictment on Independent Grounds due to Defective Notice to Appear filed October 19, 2018 (Dkt. No. 25), Government's Response in Opposition to Defendant's Motion to Dismiss the Indictment filed November 2, 2018 (Dkt. No. 28), and Defendant's Reply to Government's Response in Opposition to Defendant's Motion to Dismiss the Indictment under Pereira filed November 21, 2018 (Dkt. No. 30). On November 30, 2018, the court conducted a hearing at which all parties were represented by counsel. Having considered the motion, response, reply, attached exhibits, supplemental authority, applicable law, and the arguments of counsel, the court will dismiss the indictment for the reasons to follow.

I. BACKGROUND

On June 5, 2018, Ramirez-Cortinas was indicted on one count of illegal reentry into the United States. See 8 U.S.C. § 1326(a). Ramirez-Cortinas is a citizen of Mexico. He came to the United States in 1998, married a United States citizen, and has four children who are United States citizens. On March 29, 2004, Ramirez-Cortinas pleaded guilty to failure to stop and render aid and was sentenced to five years imprisonment, probated for five years. In January 2009, while still serving the terms of his probation, the State of Texas indicted Ramirez-Cortinas on charges of child indecency and aggravated sexual assault of a child. The State moved to revoke his probation based on those charges. Ramirez-Cortinas pleaded not true to the alleged probation violations, and bonded out of state custody while the revocation proceeding was proceeding. On March 23, 2010, the state court found the probation *564violations true, revoked Ramirez-Cortinas's probation and sentenced him to five-years imprisonment. Ramirez-Cortinas did not turn himself into authorities, and he was additionally charged with bail jumping. See TEXAS PENAL CODE ANN. § 38.10. On August 18, 2011, Ramirez-Cortinas pleaded guilty to bail jumping and was sentenced to seven years imprisonment. The State dismissed all charges of indecency and sexual assault.

On July 25, 2012, Ramirez-Cortinas was served by mail with a United States Department of Homeland Security form titled "Notice to Appear." The form notice states that Ramirez-Cortinas is subject to removal because he is "an alien present in the United States who has not been admitted or paroled." The notice alleged, in part, that Ramirez-Cortinas was "convicted in the 413th District Court at Johnson County, Texas, for the offense of Bail Jumping, in violation of Texas Penal Code 38.10(f)" and "you were then sentenced to a term of imprisonment of 7 years." Based on these factual allegations, the notice charges Ramirez-Cortinas as removable because he is "an alien who has been convicted of, or who admits having committed, or who admits committing acts which constitute the essential elements of a crime of moral turpitude." The notice also charges Ramirez-Cortinas with being present in the United States without being admitted or paroled. The notice further states that he would "be advised by the immigration judge ... of any relief from removal for which [he] may appear eligible including the privilege of voluntary departure," and that he would have "a reasonable opportunity to make any such application to the immigration judge."

1. Immigration hearings

Ramirez-Cortinas participated in four hearings before an immigration judge. Removal proceedings commenced on October 15, 2012, when Ramirez-Cortinas appeared before an immigration judge with 13 other men for an "en masse" master calendar hearing. The immigration judge told the men "you have the right to introduce documents or other items into the record as evidence so the Court will consider them during the hearing, and to call witnesses to testify on your behalf." Ramirez-Cortinas requested and was granted a continuance. A second master calendar hearing was held on December 4, 2012. At this hearing, the immigration judge reviewed the charges contained within the notice and reiterated that Ramirez-Cortinas was removable because he was "in the country illegally" and "because you have been convicted of a "crime involving moral turpitude." The immigration judge also asked whether Ramirez-Cortinas feared for his safety if he returned to Mexico. Based on Ramirez-Cortinas's responses, the immigration judge provided him an application for asylum and granted a second continuance. On January 8, 2013, a third master calendar hearing took place, and Ramirez-Cortinas requested another continuance to obtain counsel. The immigration judge scheduled a hearing on Ramirez-Cortinas's asylum application for March 12, 2013.

On March 12, 2013, the merits hearing commenced, and Ramirez-Cortinas sought the following forms of discretionary relief from removal: asylum, withholding of removal, and voluntary departure. The immigration judge concluded that Ramirez-Cortinas was not eligible for asylum, withholding of removal, or voluntary departure because of his bail-jumping conviction. The immigration judge rendered an oral decision, denying Ramirez-Cortinas's application for relief and ordered him removed.

2. Immigration judge's decision

In a written decision rendered on March 12, 2013, the immigration judge found that Ramirez-Cortinas "is subject to removal because he is in the country illegally and *565because he has been convicted of a crime involving moral turpitude." The determination "that he has been convicted of a crime involving moral turpitude relates to respondent's failure to adhere to the societal expectations that he would appear as promised for the conduct of his hearing in criminal proceedings." The decision later, however, for the first time mentions that the bail-jumping conviction is considered an aggravated felony and a particularly serious crime. More specifically, the decision states Ramirez-Cortinas's "conviction for bail jumping was failure to appear ... for a trial related to indecency with a child ... therefore [Ramirez-Cortinas] has been convicted of an aggravated felony , which would make him ineligible for asylum or withholding of removal because the sentence to confinement for seven years make [sic] him convicted of a particularly serious crime as well." The decision concluded that because Ramirez-Cortinas has "been convicted of an aggravated felony, he is ineligible for asylum," and "because his conviction for an aggravated felony resulted in a sentence of confinement of seven years, he would be statutorily ineligible for withholding of removal under the Immigration and Nationality Act" ("the Act").

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Bluebook (online)
360 F. Supp. 3d 559, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-ramirez-cortinas-txwd-2019.