Filed: Apr. 10, 2012
Latest Update: Feb. 22, 2020
Summary: [DO NOT PUBLISH] IN THE UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE ELEVENTH CIRCUIT FILED _ U.S. COURT OF APPEALS ELEVENTH CIRCUIT APRIL 10, 2012 No. 11-13539 Non-Argument Calendar JOHN LEY CLERK _ Agency No. A073-115-414 ROMULO JOSE ALVARADO MARTINEZ, llllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllPetitioner, versus U.S. ATTORNEY GENERAL, llllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllRespondent. _ Petition for Review of a Decision of the Board of Immigration Appeals _ (April 10, 2012) Before DUBINA, Chief Judge
Summary: [DO NOT PUBLISH] IN THE UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE ELEVENTH CIRCUIT FILED _ U.S. COURT OF APPEALS ELEVENTH CIRCUIT APRIL 10, 2012 No. 11-13539 Non-Argument Calendar JOHN LEY CLERK _ Agency No. A073-115-414 ROMULO JOSE ALVARADO MARTINEZ, llllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllPetitioner, versus U.S. ATTORNEY GENERAL, llllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllRespondent. _ Petition for Review of a Decision of the Board of Immigration Appeals _ (April 10, 2012) Before DUBINA, Chief Judge,..
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[DO NOT PUBLISH]
IN THE UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS
FOR THE ELEVENTH CIRCUIT FILED
________________________ U.S. COURT OF APPEALS
ELEVENTH CIRCUIT
APRIL 10, 2012
No. 11-13539
Non-Argument Calendar JOHN LEY
CLERK
________________________
Agency No. A073-115-414
ROMULO JOSE ALVARADO MARTINEZ,
llllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllPetitioner,
versus
U.S. ATTORNEY GENERAL,
llllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllRespondent.
________________________
Petition for Review of a Decision of the
Board of Immigration Appeals
________________________
(April 10, 2012)
Before DUBINA, Chief Judge, MARCUS and BLACK, Circuit Judges.
PER CURIAM:
Petitioner Romulo Jose Alvarado Martinez, a native and citizen of Peru, pro
se petitions for review the Board of Immigration Appeal’s (“BIA”) order denying
his motion to reopen his removal proceedings. In his petition, Martinez argues
that the BIA erred by denying his motion to reopen, by failing to consider the facts
that (1) he is the father of three U.S. citizen children; (2) a petition made on his
behalf by his U.S. citizen wife had been approved by the U.S. Citizenship and
Immigration Services (“USCIS”), and he is now prima facie eligible to adjust
status as a permanent resident under the Immigration and Nationality Act (“INA”)
§ 245(a), 8 U.S.C. § 1255(a); (3) he is not subject to any time bars; (4) he has
affected a good moral behavior while living in the United States and is not the
subject of any pending criminal proceedings under the INA; and, (5) if his motion
to reopen were granted, he would be eligible for prosecutorial discretion pursuant
to a presidential order to reopen the proceedings of aliens who have been ordered
deported but who have never been the subject of criminal proceedings.
“We review the [BIA’s] denial of a motion to reopen removal proceedings
for abuse of discretion.” Zhang v. U.S. Att’y Gen.,
572 F.3d 1316, 1319 (11th Cir.
2009) (internal quotation marks omitted). An alien subject to a final order of
removal must move to reopen the proceedings within 90 days of the date on which
the removal order became final. Id.; INA § 240(c)(7)(C)(i), 8 U.S.C.
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§ 1229a(c)(7)(C)(i). The 90-day time limit does not apply, inter alia, “if the alien
can demonstrate changed country conditions arising in the country of nationality
or the country to which removal has been ordered, if such evidence is material and
was not available and would not have been discovered or presented at the previous
proceeding.”
Id. (quoting 8 U.S.C. § 1229a(c)(7)(C)(ii)). “An alien cannot
circumvent the requirement of changed country conditions by demonstrating only
a change in h[is] personal circumstances.”
Id. The BIA need not address every
claim or piece of evidence proferred by the petitioner. Ayala v. U.S. Att’y Gen.,
605 F.3d 941, 948 (11th Cir. 2010).
The BIA has the discretion to reopen a case sua sponte, but it reserves this
power as an extraordinary remedy for “exceptional situations.” In re G-D-,
22 I. & N. Dec. 1132, 1133-34 (BIA 1999); 8 C.F.R. § 1003.2(a).
We conclude from the record that the BIA did not abuse its discretion in
denying Martinez’s motion to reopen as untimely, as Martinez filed his motion to
reopen on May 2, 2011, more than ten years after the final administrative order in
his deportation proceedings was issued on December 30, 1996, and he did not
present evidence of changed country conditions in Peru or satisfy any other
regulatory exception to the time bar. INA § 240(c)(7)(C), 8 U.S.C.
§ 1229a(c)(7)(C). Because his motion was filed more than 90 days after the final
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administrative order of removal, the motion was untimely. Furthermore,
Martinez’s personal circumstances, such as his family situation and lack of
criminal behavior, did not satisfy any of the regulatory exceptions to the time bar
or justify granting the motion.
Zhang, 572 F.3d at 1319.
While Martinez contends that he would be eligible for prosecutorial
discretion if his motion to reopen were granted, and he makes vague references to
a presidential order about reopening the cases of aliens who were ordered deported
but not subject to criminal proceedings, he fails to provide a clear legal basis for
why we should overturn the BIA’s discretionary denial of his motion to reopen.
Finally, regardless of whether Martinez qualifies for an adjustment of status,
the BIA has held that a pending adjudication of a status adjustment application by
the USCIS does not warrant the sua sponte reopening of deportation proceedings,
and even if it did, we lack jurisdiction to review the BIA’s refusal to exercise its
sua sponte powers to reopen a proceeding. Matter of Yauri, 25 I. & N. Dec. 103,
110-11 (BIA 2009); Lenis v. U.S. Att’y Gen.,
525 F.3d 1291, 1294 (11th Cir.
2008). Accordingly, we deny Martinez’s petition for review.
PETITION DENIED.
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