Filed: Sep. 29, 2009
Latest Update: Feb. 21, 2020
Summary: FILED United States Court of Appeals Tenth Circuit September 29, 2009 UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS Elisabeth A. Shumaker Clerk of Court FOR THE TENTH CIRCUIT NORMA LETICIA GALINDO-GONZALEZ, Petitioner, v. No. 09-9507 (Petition for Review) ERIC H. HOLDER, JR., United States Attorney General, Respondent. ORDER AND JUDGMENT * Before HENRY, Chief Judge, BRORBY, Senior Circuit Judge, and HARTZ, Circuit Judge. Norma Leticia Galindo-Gonzalez petitions for review of an order of the Board of Immigratio
Summary: FILED United States Court of Appeals Tenth Circuit September 29, 2009 UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS Elisabeth A. Shumaker Clerk of Court FOR THE TENTH CIRCUIT NORMA LETICIA GALINDO-GONZALEZ, Petitioner, v. No. 09-9507 (Petition for Review) ERIC H. HOLDER, JR., United States Attorney General, Respondent. ORDER AND JUDGMENT * Before HENRY, Chief Judge, BRORBY, Senior Circuit Judge, and HARTZ, Circuit Judge. Norma Leticia Galindo-Gonzalez petitions for review of an order of the Board of Immigration..
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FILED
United States Court of Appeals
Tenth Circuit
September 29, 2009
UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS
Elisabeth A. Shumaker
Clerk of Court
FOR THE TENTH CIRCUIT
NORMA LETICIA
GALINDO-GONZALEZ,
Petitioner,
v. No. 09-9507
(Petition for Review)
ERIC H. HOLDER, JR.,
United States Attorney General,
Respondent.
ORDER AND JUDGMENT *
Before HENRY, Chief Judge, BRORBY, Senior Circuit Judge, and HARTZ,
Circuit Judge.
Norma Leticia Galindo-Gonzalez petitions for review of an order of the
Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) affirming the immigration judge’s (IJ)
denial of her application for cancellation of removal, pursuant to 8 U.S.C.
*
After examining the briefs and appellate record, this panel has determined
unanimously to grant the parties’ request for a decision on the briefs without oral
argument. See Fed. R. App. P. 34(f); 10th Cir. R. 34.1(G). The case is therefore
ordered submitted without oral argument. This order and judgment is not binding
precedent, except under the doctrines of law of the case, res judicata, and
collateral estoppel. It may be cited, however, for its persuasive value consistent
with Fed. R. App. P. 32.1 and 10th Cir. R. 32.1.
§ 1229b(b). Respondent asserts that 8 U.S.C. § 1252(a)(2)(B) deprives this court
of jurisdiction to review the agency’s determination. We agree and therefore we
must dismiss the appeal.
Background
Ms. Galindo-Gonzalez is a native and citizen of Mexico who entered the
United States without inspection in 1991. She conceded that she is a removable
alien, but requested the relief of cancellation of removal for nonpermanent
residents under 8 U.S.C. § 1229b(b). Under that section, the Attorney General
may cancel removal of an alien who is inadmissible or deportable from the United
States if the alien satisfies four criteria: (1) she has been physically present in the
United States for a continuous period of not less than ten years immediately
preceding the date of her application; (2) she has been a person of good moral
character during that period; (3) she has not been convicted of certain offenses;
and (4) “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.” 8 U.S.C. § 1229b(b)(1).
The IJ concluded that Ms. Galindo-Gonzalez met the first three criteria.
Ms. Galindo-Gonzalez asserted that she also met the fourth, because her removal
to Mexico would result in exceptional and extremely unusual hardship to her two
minor sons, both of whom are United States citizens. The children, aged 15 and 9,
are qualifying relatives under § 1229b(b)(1)(D). The IJ determined that although
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the children would endure hardship if they relocated to Mexico, the hardship did
not rise to the level required by the statute. Consequently, the IJ denied the
application for cancellation of removal.
On administrative appeal, the BIA found no reason to reverse the IJ’s
decision on the hardship issue. It also rejected Ms. Galindo-Gonzalez’s claim that
her return to Mexico would result in family separation because she had not
sufficiently substantiated this claim. Accordingly, the BIA dismissed the appeal.
Ms. Galindo-Gonzalez now appeals to this court, contending that the agency
erred as a matter of law because it failed to follow its own case law and because it
ignored the testimony of her expert witness, an anthropologist who testified about
the difficult conditions existing in Ms. Galindo-Gonzalez’s home town.
Analysis
The threshold issue is whether this court has jurisdiction to review the
BIA’s decision to deny Ms. Galindo-Gonzalez’s application for cancellation of
removal. See Sabido Valdivia v. Gonzales,
423 F.3d 1144, 1147 (10th Cir. 2005).
The Immigration and Nationality Act provides that “no court shall have
jurisdiction to review . . . any judgment regarding the granting of relief under
section . . . 1229b.” 8 U.S.C. § 1252(a)(2)(B). The term “judgment” as used in
this subsection is construed “as referring to the discretionary aspects of a decision
concerning cancellation of removal.” Arambula-Medina v. Holder,
572 F.3d 824,
828 (10th Cir. 2009); accord Sabido
Valdivia, 423 F.3d at 1148 (holding that
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§ 1252(a)(2)(B)(i) bars appellate review of the discretionary aspects of a BIA
decision concerning cancellation of removal). “[T]he hardship issue is a matter of
discretion.” Morales Ventura v. Ashcroft,
348 F.3d 1259, 1262 (10th Cir. 2003).
In contrast, this court has jurisdiction to review “constitutional claims” and
“questions of law.”
Arambula-Medina, 572 F.3d at 828 (quoting 8 U.S.C.
§ 1252(a)(2)(D)).
Ms. Galindo-Gonzalez has framed her appellate issues as errors of law,
contending that the BIA failed to follow its own case law and ignored the
anthropologist’s testimony. In Arambula-Medina, this court rejected the
petitioner’s attempt to characterize as a constitutional claim his “assertion that the
IJ and BIA failed to apply what he characterizes as controlling BIA precedent and
regulations.”
Id. at 829. Similarly, Ms. Galindo-Gonzalez’s claim that the BIA
failed to following its controlling precedent is not a constitutional or legal claim
giving rise to appellate jurisdiction.
We turn to Ms. Galindo-Gonzalez’s argument that the agency committed an
error of law by ignoring the anthropologist’s evidence. The IJ considered and
credited this evidence. See Admin. R. at 61-62. Ms. Galindo-Gonzalez disagrees
with the IJ’s determination that the anthropologist’s testimony was insufficient to
demonstrate the requisite hardship to her children. A disagreement over a factual
finding is insufficient to invoke this court’s jurisdiction. See
Arambula-Medina,
572 F.3d at 828 (“Recasting challenges to factual determinations as due process or
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other constitutional claims . . . is clearly insufficient to give this Court jurisdiction
under § 1252(a)(2)(D).” (quotations and alteration omitted)).
Conclusion
Because this court lacks jurisdiction over the issues presented, the appeal is
DISMISSED.
Entered for the Court
Wade Brorby
Senior Circuit Judge
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