FILED
United States Court of Appeals
Tenth Circuit
July 29, 2010
UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS
Elisabeth A. Shumaker
Clerk of Court
TENTH CIRCUIT
ALEJANDRO TORRES-PACHECO,
Petitioner,
v. No. 10-9510
ERIC H. HOLDER, JR., United States
Attorney General,
Respondent.
ORDER AND JUDGMENT *
Before HARTZ, ANDERSON, and TYMKOVICH, Circuit Judges.
Alejandro Torres-Pacheco 1 petitions for review of a Board of Immigration
Appeals (BIA) order dismissing his appeal of the denial by an immigration judge
(IJ) of his application for cancellation of removal. Exercising jurisdiction under
8 U.S.C. § 1252 to review his legal claims, we deny them. We dismiss for lack of
jurisdiction his other claims with respect to the BIA’s denial of cancellation.
*
After examining the briefs and appellate record, this panel has determined
unanimously to honor 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 This order and judgment is not binding
precedent except under the doctrines of law of the case, res judicata, and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.
1
Because the parties refer to him as Mr. Torres, we do the same.
I. BACKGROUND
Mr. Torres, a Mexican citizen, illegally entered the United States in 1992 or
1993. He and his wife have two children, both of whom were born in the United
States.
On July 24, 2007, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) commenced
removal proceedings against Mr. Torres. He conceded removability, but
requested cancellation of removal under 8 U.S.C. § 1229b(1). An alien is eligible
for cancellation if he:
(A) has been physically present in the United States for a continuous
period of not less than 10 years immediately preceding the date of
such application;
(B) has been a person of good moral character during such period;
(C) has not been convicted of [certain cross-referenced offenses,] and
(D) establishes that 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(1). The decisive issue before the IJ was whether Mr. Torres
had satisfied requirement (D). He contended that his removal would result in
exceptional and extremely unusual hardship to his child Alexa, who was born in
2007.
At the removal hearing Mr. Torres testified that Alexa suffered from a
number of ailments. First, she was born with a misshapen head. Her treatment
was to wear a helmet that gradually molded her head into the proper shape. The
treatment was nearing its completion by the date of the hearing. In addition, she
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suffered bouts of conjunctivitis and bronchiolitis in 2008, although both were
successfully treated. Also in 2008, she suffered a seizure, which was diagnosed
as caused by fever from a urinary-tract infection. Finally, she was diagnosed with
iron-deficiency anemia, treated with iron and Vitamin C supplements.
Mr. Torres testified that he would bring his family with him to Mexico if he
were deported. He feared, however, that his daughter would not receive adequate
medical care in Mexico because he would not be able to afford the care there.
The IJ ruled that Mr. Torres had failed to establish that his removal would
result in exceptional and extremely unusual hardship to Alexa. He said that some
economic hardship was expected in most removal cases, and Mr. Torres’s
situation was not exceptional or unusual. Addressing Alexa’s specific medical
issues, the IJ found that her conjunctivitis, bronchiolitis, and urinary-tract
infection appeared to be singular events, and that there was no evidence that the
seizure she suffered was part of a recurring problem. Further, the IJ observed that
her helmet was about to be removed after having successfully reformed her
misshapen head. The IJ determined that nothing in the record demonstrated that
she would be unable to obtain adequate medical care in Mexico.
Mr. Torres appealed the IJ’s decision to the BIA. The BIA dismissed the
appeal, agreeing with the IJ that Mr. Torres had failed to establish that Alexa
would suffer exceptional and extremely unusual hardship if he were removed.
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Mr. Torres petitions this court for review, claiming that the IJ used the
incorrect legal standard and that the BIA misperceived the evidence and
misapplied the facts to the law. The Attorney General contends that 8 U.S.C.
§ 1252(a)(2)(B)(i) deprives this court of jurisdiction to review the BIA’s decision
and asks for dismissal of Mr. Torres’s petition.
II. DISCUSSION
“The Immigration and Nationality Act provides that ‘no court shall have
jurisdiction to review any judgment regarding the granting of relief under section
1229b.’” Arambula-Medina v. Holder, 572 F.3d 824, 828 (10th Cir. 2009)
(quoting 8 U.S.C. § 1252(a)(2)(B)(i)) (ellipses omitted). We have construed this
jurisdictional bar to encompass “discretionary aspects of a decision concerning
cancellation of removal,” including underlying factual determinations and
determinations of whether removal would result in sufficient hardship under
8 U.S.C. § 1229b(b)(1)(D). Id. Thus, to the extent that Mr. Torres argues that
the evidence was incorrectly weighed, was insufficiently considered, or supports a
different outcome, we do not have jurisdiction over his claims. See Alzainati v.
Holder, 568 F.3d 844, 850 (10th Cir. 2009). In particular, we cannot review the
issues raised in Part II of Mr. Torres’s brief, which relate to alleged “erroneous
factual determinations.” Pet’r Br. at 22.
Mr. Torres attempts to avoid the jurisdictional bar, however, by
characterizing some claims as alleging “legal error”—namely, the IJ’s use of
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incorrect standards in reviewing his request for cancellation. Id. at 18. He relies
on the exception to the jurisdictional bar for “questions of law.” 8 U.S.C.
§ 1252(a)(2)(D). We are not persuaded.
Mr. Torres’s first “legal” claim is that the IJ improperly required him to
show that his removal would be “unconscionable.” Pet’r Br. at 17. But both the
IJ and the BIA stated the proper governing standard—“exceptional and extremely
unusual hardship.” Cert. Admin. R. at 2, 107. At no point did either indicate that
he was required to show that removal would be “unconscionable.”
Second, Mr. Torres claims that the IJ improperly required him to show that
Alexa had a “propensity to becoming ill.” Pet’r Br. at 17 (internal quotation
marks omitted). But the IJ was not inventing a new legal standard. Rather, he
was assessing Alexa’s medical history in order to determine whether she would
suffer “exceptional and extremely unusual hardship” if she accompanied
Mr. Torres to Mexico. A propensity to illness could be a factor in showing
exceptional circumstances that would otherwise be absent.
Third, Mr. Torres asserts that the IJ stated that he “‘would merit relief in
the exercise of discretion,’” id. at 18 (quoting Cert. Admin. R. at 108), yet did not
afford him relief. But discretion can be exercised only if the alien is eligible for
cancellation of removal.
Fourth, Mr. Torres claims that the IJ failed to evaluate the future hardship
that Mr. Torres’s daughter would suffer if Mr. Torres was removed. See 8 U.S.C.
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§ 1229b(b)(1)(D) (stating that the alien must “establish[] that removal would
result in exceptional and extremely unusual hardship to the alien’s . . . child”
(emphasis added)); Figueroa v. Mukasey, 543 F.3d 487, 497 (9th Cir. 2008). But
the IJ did evaluate the evidence of Alexa’s future medical condition. The IJ
properly went on to analyze whether her condition would pose an exceptional and
extremely unusual hardship for her in Mexico.
Finally, Mr. Torres has not shown that the rulings of the BIA and IJ were
so inconsistent with BIA or court precedent as to constitute errors of law.
III. CONCLUSION
The petition for review of the cancellation order is DENIED with respect to
Mr. Torres’s “legal” arguments. We DISMISS for lack of jurisdiction his
remaining arguments with respect to the BIA’s hardship determination. We
GRANT Mr. Torres’s motion to proceed in forma pauperis.
ENTERED FOR THE COURT
Harris L Hartz
Circuit Judge
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