Xiu Lin v. Eric Holder, Jr.

CourtCourt of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit
DecidedOctober 2, 2013
Docket12-4410
StatusUnpublished

This text of Xiu Lin v. Eric Holder, Jr. (Xiu Lin v. Eric Holder, Jr.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

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Xiu Lin v. Eric Holder, Jr., (6th Cir. 2013).

Opinion

NOT RECOMMENDED FOR FULL-TEXT PUBLICATION File Name: 13a0857n.06

Nos. 12-4408, 12-4410 FILED Oct 02, 2013 UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS DEBORAH S. HUNT, Clerk FOR THE SIXTH CIRCUIT

XIANG CAN LIN and ) XIU RONG LIN, ) ) ON PETITION FOR REVIEW Petitioners, ) OF AN ORDER OF THE ) BOARD OF IMMIGRATION v. ) APPEALS ) ERIC H. HOLDER, JR., Attorney ) General, ) OPINION ) Respondent. ) ______________________________ _________)

Before: MOORE and McKEAGUE, Circuit Judges; HELMICK, District Judge.*

KAREN NELSON MOORE, Circuit Judge. Petitioners, Xiang Can Lin and Xiu Rong

Lin, ask this court to review the Board of Immigration Appeals (“BIA”) denial of their motion to

reopen removal proceedings. Based on changed conditions in the People’s Republic of China

(“PRC”), they seek asylum. The Lins argue that the BIA abused its discretion in excluding certain

documents from its consideration and failing to find that they had demonstrated a well-founded fear

of persecution. For the reasons stated below, we DENY the Lins’ petition for review.

* The Honorable Jeffrey J. Helmick, United States District Judge for the Northern District of Ohio, sitting by designation. Nos. 12-4408, 12-4410 Xiang Can Lin et al. v. Holder

I. BACKGROUND

Mr. and Ms. Lin, citizens of the PRC, entered the United States without permission or proper

documentation on October 10, 1992 and October 1, 1993, respectively. Administrative Record

(“A.R.”) at 237–38 (2009 Form I-589 at 1–2). In 1997, petitioners married in Georgia, id. at 260

(Marriage License), and they have three daughters born on April 17, 1998, September 28, 2003, and

July 18, 2006, id. at 261–63 (Birth Certificates). Their daughters are American citizens. Id.

Petitioners each filed an application for asylum within a year of arriving in the United States.

Id. at 1367–68 (2004 Immigration Judge (“IJ”) Oral Decision (“Dec.”) at 2–3); see 8 U.S.C.

§ 1158(a)(2)(B) (imposing a one-year time limit). On April 3, 1996, the Immigration and

Naturalization Service1 (“INS”) issued an Order to Show Cause, charging Ms. Lin with deportability

under § 241(a)(1)(A) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (“INA”), codified at 8 U.S.C.

§ 1227(a)(1)(A).2 A.R. at 3802 (Form I-221). The INS issued Mr. Lin a Notice to Appear on

September 21, 1998, charging removability under § 237(a)(1)(A), codified at 8 U.S.C.

§ 1227(a)(1)(A), and § 212(a)(7)(A)(i)(I) of the INA, codified at 8 U.S.C. § 1182(a)(7)(A)(i)(I).

A.R. at 2254–55 (Form I-862). Ms. and Mr. Lin admitted the facts charged, and they conceded

deportability and removability, respectively. Id. at 1089 (Dec. 10, 1996 Hr’g Tr. at 2:15–17) (Ms.

1 The Homeland Security Act of 2002, Pub. L. No. 107-296, 116 Stat. 2135, dissolved the INS and transferred its functions to the Department of Homeland Security. 2 The Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996, Pub. L. No. 104- 208, § 305(a)(2), 110 Stat. 3009–546, redesignated § 241 of the INA as § 237 and codified the section at 8 U.S.C. § 1227.

2 Nos. 12-4408, 12-4410 Xiang Can Lin et al. v. Holder

Lin); id. at 1107 (Oct. 20, 1998 Hr’g Tr. at 17:17–21) (Mr. Lin). The INS consolidated the

petitioners’ proceedings in March 1999. Id. at 1115 (Mar. 23, 1999 Hr’g Tr. at 23).

The Lins amended their applications for asylum, claiming that they had violated the PRC’s

“family planning policy” and that they feared being sterilized as a result. Id. at 2251–52 (Am. to

1998 Form I-589). On January 7, 2004, the IJ denied the Lins’ applications without allowing oral

testimony. Id. at 1373 (2004 IJ Oral Dec. at 8). The Lins appealed to the BIA, arguing that the IJ

“denied [them] due process” by preventing them from testifying. Id. at 1327 (2005 BIA Op. at 1).

The BIA agreed, vacated the IJ’s decision, and remanded for further proceedings. Id.

On remand, the Lins focused again on their fears of returning to the PRC in violation of the

country’s family-planning policies. See id. at 1077–80 (2006 IJ Op. at 2–5). Ms. Lin—pregnant

with the Lins’ third daughter—testified that she understood the policies to require the implantation

of an intrauterine device after a woman’s first child and sterilization after the second one. See id.

at 1077 (2006 IJ Op. at 2). The Lins submitted information supporting this understanding, including

reports from the Department of State. Id. at 1079 (2006 IJ Op. at 4). The government introduced

exhibits showing that officials in Fujian Province enforced the family-planning policies through fines

and other economic penalties—not forced sterilization. Id. at 1080 (2006 IJ Op. at 5). Furthermore,

the government showed that the Lins willingly sent their children to live with family in the PRC for

significant time. Id. at 1081 (2006 IJ Op. at 6). After considering this evidence, the IJ found Ms.

Lin to be credible, but he concluded that the Lins had “not shown a well-founded fear of

3 Nos. 12-4408, 12-4410 Xiang Can Lin et al. v. Holder

persecution.” Id. Thus, the IJ denied their applications and ordered them removed and deported.

Id. at 1085 (2006 IJ Op. at 10).

The Lins appealed once more to the BIA, alleging that the IJ “failed to fully consider all

evidence,” that the IJ “erred in determining that [the Lins’] decision to send their first two United

States-born children to [the PRC] . . . undermined their claim that they had a well-founded fear of

returning to [the PRC],” and that “the record establishe[d] that they ha[d] a well-founded fear of

being sterilized.” Id. at 783–84 (2007 BIA Op. at 1–2). The BIA disagreed and affirmed the IJ’s

conclusions. This court, then, denied the Lins’ petition for review. Xiu Rong Lin v. Mukasey, No.

08-3022 (6th Cir. Dec. 9, 2008) (unpublished order); see also A.R. at 101–03 (same).

On June 22, 2009, the Lins filed a motion to reopen removal proceedings with the BIA. See

A.R. at 270 (2009 Mot. to Reopen at 1). Motions to reopen have strict filing requirements. See 8

U.S.C. § 1229a(c)(7)(C)(ii); 8 C.F.R. § 1003.2(c)(2). The BIA found that the Lins’ motion was

untimely because it was filed more than two years after the regulation’s deadline. A.R. at 91 (2010

BIA Op. at 1). It denied the motion because the Lins failed to introduce new evidence showing

“changed county conditions” and, thus, to qualify for an exception to the filing requirements. Id. at

91 (2010 BIA Op. at 1) (quoting § 240(c)(7)(C)(ii) of the INA, codified at 8 U.S.C.

§ 1229a(c)(7)(C)(ii) and 8 C.F.R. § 1003.2(c)(3)(ii)). The Lins did not seek review of the BIA’s

decision.

The Lins filed their second motion to reopen removal proceedings and remand on April 5,

2012 pursuant to 8 C.F.R. § 1003.2(c). See A.R. at 17 (2012 Mot. to Reopen at 1). This motion also

4 Nos. 12-4408, 12-4410 Xiang Can Lin et al. v. Holder

failed to comply with the timing and number requirements. Id. at 3 (2012 BIA Op. at 1). And again,

the Lins attempted to qualify for an exception by demonstrating changed country conditions, and

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