Dawodu v. INS

USCA1 Opinion




December 9, 1994 [NOT FOR PUBLICATION]
UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS
FOR THE FIRST CIRCUIT



____________________


No. 94-1378

STEPHEN O. DAWODU,

Petitioner,

v.

IMMIGRATION AND NATURALIZATION SERVICE,

Respondent.


____________________

ON PETITION FOR REVIEW OF AN ORDER
OF THE BOARD OF IMMIGRATION APPEALS

____________________

Before

Cyr, Circuit Judge, _____________
Campbell, Senior Circuit Judge, and ____________________
Stahl, Circuit Judge. _____________

____________________

Stephen O. Dawodu on brief pro se. _________________
Frank W. Hunger, Assistant Attorney General, Civil Division, _________________
Nelda C. Reyna and Richard M. Evans, Attorneys, Office of Immigration _______________ ________________
Litigation, Civil Division, on brief for respondent.


____________________


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Per Curiam. Petitioner Stephen Dawodu seeks review __________

of a Board of Immigration Appeals order denying his motion

seeking reconsideration of the Board's dismissal of his

appeal from an immigration judge's denial of his motion to

reopen his deportation proceedings. We deny the petition for

review for the reasons stated by the Board in its decisions

dated February 23, 1994 and April 8, 1994. We add only the

following brief comments.

On appeal, Dawodu suggests that one of the

questions before us is the validity of his deportation order.

We disagree. Since Dawodu failed to file any appeal from

that order, the only issue before us is essentially whether

his motion to reopen was properly denied. See Aiyadurai v. ___ _________

INS, 683 F.2d 1195, 1198-99 (8th Cir. 1982). Dawodu's ___

argument that he should not be deported because he had a

valid, approved visa petition is not relevant to that issue.

Other arguments that Dawodu raises now were not presented to

the Board and thus are deemed waived. See Thomas v. INS, 976 ___ ______ ___

F.2d 786, 789 (1st Cir. 1992). Finally, the plain language

of 8 U.S.C. 1252b(c)(3)(A) forecloses rescission of

deportation orders if a motion to reopen is not timely filed

under the statute. Therefore, to the extent that the

immigration judge may have believed that he had discretion to

consider Dawodu's motion despite the statutory bar, he erred.





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The petition for review is denied. __________________________________



















































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