United States v. Ramirez-Yanez

United States Court of Appeals Fifth Circuit F I L E D IN THE UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE FIFTH CIRCUIT October 21, 2004 Charles R. Fulbruge III Clerk No. 04-20138 Conference Calendar UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, Plaintiff-Appellee, versus MOISES RAMIREZ-YANEZ, Defendant-Appellant. -------------------- Appeal from the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas USDC No. H-03-CR-381-1 -------------------- Before JOLLY, JONES, and WIENER, Circuit Judges. PER CURIAM:* Moises Ramirez-Yanez (Ramirez) was convicted of illegal reentry after deportation, and he was sentenced to 29 months’ imprisonment, three years’ supervised release, and a $100 special assessment that was ordered remitted on motion of the Government. Ramirez contends that the district court erred by characterizing his state felony conviction for possession of a controlled substance as an “aggravated felony” for purposes of U.S.S.G. * Pursuant to 5TH CIR. R. 47.5, the court has determined that this opinion should not be published and is not precedent except under the limited circumstances set forth in 5TH CIR. R. 47.5.4. No. 04-20138 -2- § 2L1.2. However, this issue is foreclosed by our precedent. See United States v. Caicedo-Cuero, 312 F.3d 697, 706-11 (5th Cir. 2002), cert. denied, 538 U.S. 1021 (2003); United States v. Hinojosa-Lopez, 130 F.3d 691, 693-94 (5th Cir. 1997). Ramirez also argues that the “felony” and “aggravated felony” provisions of 8 U.S.C. § 1326(a) and (b) are unconstitutional. He acknowledges that his argument is foreclosed, but he seeks to preserve the issue for possible Supreme Court review in light of Apprendi v. New Jersey, 530 U.S. 466 (2000). As Ramirez concedes, this issue is foreclosed. See Almendarez-Torres v. United States, 523 U.S. 224, 247 (1998); United States v. Dabeit, 231 F.3d 979, 984 (5th Cir. 2000). AFFIRMED.