Filed: Apr. 09, 2019
Latest Update: Mar. 03, 2020
Summary: NOT PRECEDENTIAL UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE THIRD CIRCUIT _ No. 17-3529 _ JUNIOR J. AUGUSTUS, a/k/a James Augustus, Petitioner v. ATTORNEY GENERAL OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, Respondent _ On Petition for Review of an Order of the Board of Immigration Appeals (Agency No. A037-590-270 ) Immigration Judge: Honorable Mirlande Tadal _ Submitted Pursuant to Third Circuit LAR 34.1(a) February 19, 2019 Before: GREENAWAY, JR., RESTREPO and FUENTES, Circuit Judges (Opinion filed: April 9,
Summary: NOT PRECEDENTIAL UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE THIRD CIRCUIT _ No. 17-3529 _ JUNIOR J. AUGUSTUS, a/k/a James Augustus, Petitioner v. ATTORNEY GENERAL OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, Respondent _ On Petition for Review of an Order of the Board of Immigration Appeals (Agency No. A037-590-270 ) Immigration Judge: Honorable Mirlande Tadal _ Submitted Pursuant to Third Circuit LAR 34.1(a) February 19, 2019 Before: GREENAWAY, JR., RESTREPO and FUENTES, Circuit Judges (Opinion filed: April 9, ..
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NOT PRECEDENTIAL
UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS
FOR THE THIRD CIRCUIT
___________
No. 17-3529
___________
JUNIOR J. AUGUSTUS,
a/k/a James Augustus,
Petitioner
v.
ATTORNEY GENERAL OF THE
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,
Respondent
____________________________________
On Petition for Review of an Order of the
Board of Immigration Appeals
(Agency No. A037-590-270 )
Immigration Judge: Honorable Mirlande Tadal
____________________________________
Submitted Pursuant to Third Circuit LAR 34.1(a)
February 19, 2019
Before: GREENAWAY, JR., RESTREPO and FUENTES, Circuit Judges
(Opinion filed: April 9, 2019)
___________
OPINION *
___________
PER CURIAM
*
This disposition is not an opinion of the full Court and pursuant to I.O.P. 5.7 does not
constitute binding precedent.
Junior J. Augustus is a citizen of Grenada who was admitted to the United States
as a lawful permanent resident in 1985. In January 2015, the Department of Homeland
Security (DHS) charged him with removability under 8 U.S.C. § 1227(a)(2)(A)(iii)
(aggravated felony) and (a)(2)(B)(i) (controlled substance offense) based on his two
controlled-substance convictions under New Jersey law. Augustus conceded the removal
charges against him but sought deferral of removal under the Convention Against Torture
(CAT). Following a hearing, an Immigration Judge (IJ) concluded that Augustus had
failed to demonstrate that it was more likely than not that he would be tortured if forced
to return to Grenada and denied relief. Augustus appealed to the Board of Immigration
Appeals (BIA), but, by order dated June 19, 2017, the BIA dismissed the appeal.
Augustus then moved the BIA for reconsideration. He asked the Board to revisit his
CAT claim and also to take his mental and physical health into account before sending
him back to Grenada. The BIA denied the motion on October 4, 2017. On October 10,
2017, Augustus filed this petition for review.
We have jurisdiction pursuant to 8 U.S.C. § 1252(a). Our jurisdiction is limited to
constitutional claims and questions of law because Augustus was convicted of an
aggravated felony. See 8 U.S.C. §§ 1252(a)(2)(C), (D); Desai v. Att’y Gen.,
695 F.3d
267, 269 (3d Cir. 2012). Our jurisdiction is also limited to review of the BIA’s denial of
the motion to reconsider. See Stone v. INS,
514 U.S. 386, 398-99 (1995) (holding that
the filing of a motion to reconsider does not toll the thirty-day period for petitioning for
review of the earlier merits decision).
2
Augustus’s sole argument on appeal is that his New Jersey controlled-substance
convictions do not qualify as “aggravated felonies” rendering him ineligible for
cancellation of removal under 8 U.S.C. § 1229b. Because Augustus did not apply for
cancellation of removal, we understand him instead to be challenging the BIA’s decision
that he was removable under § 1227(a)(2)(A)(iii) for having been convicted of an
aggravated felony. We may not review that decision, however, because our jurisdiction
is limited to review of the BIA’s subsequent decision denying Augustus’s motion for
reconsideration, which did not challenge his removability on this basis. See
Stone, 514
U.S. at 398-99; see also 8 U.S.C. § 1252(d)(1) (“A court may review a final order of
removal only if—the alien has exhausted all administrative remedies available to the
alien as of right”).
Accordingly, we will dismiss the petition for review. 1
1
Petitioner’s “motion to continue” is granted. Petitioner’s motion to withdraw his
petition for review is dismissed as moot. Respondent’s motion to dismiss is dismissed as
moot.
3