Zhu Jiao Jiang v. Holder

10-4769-ag Jiang v. Holder BIA A077 317 739 UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE SECOND CIRCUIT SUMMARY ORDER RULINGS BY SUMMARY ORDER DO NOT HAVE PRECEDENTIAL EFFECT. CITATION TO A SUMMARY ORDER FILED ON OR AFTER JANUARY 1, 2007, IS PERMITTED AND IS GOVERNED BY FEDERAL RULE OF APPELLATE PROCEDURE 32.1 AND THIS COURT’S LOCAL RULE 32.1.1. WHEN CITING A SUMMARY ORDER IN A DOCUMENT FILED WITH THIS COURT, A PARTY MUST CITE EITHER THE FEDERAL APPENDIX OR AN ELECTRONIC DATABASE (WITH THE NOTATION “SUMMARY ORDER”). A PARTY CITING A SUMMARY ORDER MUST SERVE A COPY OF IT ON ANY PARTY NOT REPRESENTED BY COUNSEL. 1 At a stated term of the United States Court of Appeals 2 for the Second Circuit, held at the Daniel Patrick Moynihan 3 United States Courthouse, 500 Pearl Street, in the City of 4 New York, on the 3rd day of May, two thousand twelve. 5 6 PRESENT: 7 ROSEMARY S. POOLER, 8 RICHARD C. WESLEY, 9 RAYMOND J. LOHIER, JR., 10 Circuit Judges. 11 _______________________________________ 12 13 ZHU JIAO JIANG, 14 Petitioner, 15 16 v. 10-4769-ag 17 NAC 18 ERIC H. HOLDER, JR., UNITED STATES 19 ATTORNEY GENERAL, 20 Respondent. 21 _______________________________________ 22 23 FOR PETITIONER: Gary J. Yerman, Yerman & Associates, 24 New York, New York. 25 26 FOR RESPONDENT: Tony West, Assistant Attorney 27 General; Mark C. Walters, Senior 28 Litigation Counsel; Glen T. Jaeger, 29 Trial Attorney, Office of 30 Immigration Litigation, United 31 States Department of Justice, 32 Washington, D.C. 1 UPON DUE CONSIDERATION of this petition for review of a 2 decision of the Board of Immigration Appeals (“BIA”), it is 3 hereby ORDERED, ADJUDGED, AND DECREED, that the petition for 4 review is DENIED. 5 Zhu Jiao Jiang, a native and citizen of the People’s 6 Republic of China, seeks review of an October 27, 2010, 7 decision of the BIA denying her motion to reopen. In re Zhu 8 Jiao Jiang, No. A077 317 739 (B.I.A. Oct. 27, 2010). We 9 assume the parties’ familiarity with the underlying facts 10 and procedural history of this case. 11 We review the BIA’s denial of Jiang’s motion to reopen 12 for abuse of discretion. Ali v. Gonzales, 448 F.3d 515, 517 13 (2d Cir. 2006). When, as here, the BIA considers relevant 14 evidence of country conditions in evaluating a motion to 15 reopen, we review the BIA’s factual findings under the 16 substantial evidence standard. See Jian Hui Shao v. 17 Mukasey, 546 F.3d 138, 169 (2d Cir. 2008). 18 An alien may file only one motion to reopen and must do 19 so within 90 days of the agency’s final administrative 20 decision. 8 U.S.C. § 1229a(c)(7); 8 C.F.R. § 1003.2(c)(2). 21 Jiang’s motion was indisputably untimely and number-barred 22 because it was filed almost seven years after the agency’s 23 final order of deportation and it was her second motion to 2 1 reopen. See 8 U.S.C. § 1229a(c)(7)(A),(C)(i), there are no 2 time limitations for filing a motion to reopen if it is 3 “based on changed country conditions arising in the country 4 of nationality or the country to which removal has been 5 ordered, if such evidence is material and was not available 6 and would not have been discovered or presented at the 7 previous proceeding.” 8 U.S.C. § 1229a(c)(7)(C)(ii); see 8 also 8 C.F.R. § 1003.2(c)(3)(ii). 9 The BIA did not abuse its discretion in finding that 10 Jiang’s newly commenced practice of Christianity constituted 11 a change in her personal circumstances, rather than a change 12 in country conditions sufficient to excuse the untimely 13 filing of her motion to reopen. See Li Yong Zheng v. U.S. 14 Dep’t of Justice, 416 F.3d 129, 130-31 (2d Cir. 2005). 15 Moreover, the BIA reasonably concluded that the evidence 16 that Jiang submitted in support of her motion did not 17 demonstrate a material change in conditions excusing the 18 untimely and number-barred filing of her motion because the 19 evidence showed only that, since Jiang’s 2002 removal 20 proceedings, the Chinese government had continually 21 repressed the practice of Christianity in certain areas. 22 See 8 U.S.C. § 1229a(c)(7)(C)(ii); see also 8 C.F.R. 23 § 1003.2(c)(3)(ii). 3 1 Furthermore, although the Chinese government may have 2 intensified its repression of unregistered religious groups 3 in certain regions leading up to the 2008 Olympics, that 4 intensification was not material to Jiang, as she was from a 5 province not mentioned with respect to the intensification, 6 and she filed her motion more than one year after the 7 Olympics had concluded. See 8 U.S.C. § 1229a(c)(7)(C)(ii); 8 see also Jian Hui Shao, 546 F.3d at 169. Accordingly, the 9 BIA did not abuse its discretion in denying Jiang’s motion 10 to reopen as untimely and number-barred. See 8 U.S.C. § 11 1229a(c)(7); see also 8 C.F.R. § 1003.2(c)(2). 12 For the foregoing reasons, the petition for review is 13 DENIED. As we have completed our review, the pending motion 14 for a stay of removal in this petition is DISMISSED as moot. 15 FOR THE COURT: 16 Catherine O’Hagan Wolfe, Clerk 17 18 4