Trejo v. Garland

• Decision Date: 02 July 2021
• Docket Number: No. 20-60353,20-60353
• Citation: 3 F.4th 760
• Parties: Jose Felipe Guerrero TREJO, also known as Jose Felipe Guerrero, Petitioner, v. Merrick GARLAND, U.S. Attorney General, Respondent.
• Court: U.S. Court of Appeals — Fifth Circuit

3 F.4th 760

Jose Felipe Guerrero TREJO, also known as Jose Felipe Guerrero, Petitioner,

v.Merrick GARLAND, U.S. Attorney General, Respondent.

No. 20-60353

United States Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit.

FILED July 2, 2021

Salvador Colon, Law Office of Salvador Colon, Houston, TX, for Petitioner

Sharon Michele Clay, Esq., Trial Attorney, U.S. Department of Justice Civil Division/OIL, Washington, DC, U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Immigration Litigation, Washington, DC, Andrew Jacob Oliveira, U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Immigration Litigation, Washington, DC

Before King, Dennis, and Ho, Circuit Judges.

James L. Dennis, Circuit Judge:

An immigration judge ("IJ") found that Jose Felipe Guerrero Trejo was a removable alien. Guerrero sought to have his removal cancelled, but the IJ denied his application, determining that Guerrero could not be considered for that discretionary relief because he had not shown his removal would result in "exceptional and extremely unusual hardship" to his U.S.citizen children. The Board of Immigration Appeals ("BIA") adopted and affirmed the IJ's assessment, and Guerrero now petitions this court for review.

We hold that we have jurisdiction to review the IJ and BIA's determination. Although 8 U.S.C. § 1252(a)(2)(B) deprives us of jurisdiction to review the discretionary decision of whether to actually grant cancellation of removal, recent Supreme Court precedent makes clear that applying a legal standard to established facts in order to determine whether an alien is eligible for discretionary relief is a question of law, not a discretionary decision. Thus, we may review the IJ's determination that the events that would befall Guerrero's children if he were removed would not amount to "exceptional and extremely unusual hardship" as Congress intended the phrase. Because we find no error in the IJ's conclusion that they would not, Guerrero's petition for review is DENIED.

I. Background and Procedural History

Jose Felipe Guerrero Trejo is a native and citizen of Mexico. On April 2, 2012, immigration authorities served Guerrero¹ with a notice to appear alleging that he was removable because he was present in the United States without having been admitted. During his hearing, Guerrero conceded removability, and the IJ accordingly sustained the charge and designated Mexico as Guerrero's country of removal. Guerrero then applied for cancellation of removal under 8 U.S.C. § 1229b(b)(1), which grants the IJ and BIA discretion to cancel an alien's removal if certain statutory prerequisites are met.²

The IJ held a hearing on Guerrero's application. Guerrero and his brother testified, both of whom the IJ found credible, and based on the presented evidence, the IJ found the following facts. Guerrero entered the United States in 2002. At the time of the IJ's decision, Guerrero was thirty years old and had not left the country since his initial entry. He was employed as a cook and made approximately $2,200 to $3,000 each month.

Guerrero was legally married to a Guatemalan woman named Lourdes Zamora who, like Guerrero, had no legal status in the United States. They had three children together, but they were separated, and Guerrero did not live with Zamora or the children. His eldest child, Natalia, was nine years old, and the remaining two children that lived with Zamora were eight and three years old, respectively. At the time of the decision, Guerrero was in a relationship with another woman, Delia Fernanda Corea Lopez, and they had two children together—a two-year-old and a four-month-old. Guerrero lived with Corea, their children, and his brother.

Guerrero financially supported all five of his children, who are all native-born United States citizens and have lived in the country their entire lives. Corea was not working at the time of the hearing, but she had been employed as a waitress up until the birth of her youngest child four months before. Zamora had been unemployed for the preceding two years, and each month Guerrero paid to her $300 in child support and $100 to supplement the Medicaid health benefits of his children who lived with her. The eldest child Natalia "has a learning disability associated with" Attention Deficit Disorder ("ADD"), but she had begun "receiving medication" through Medicaid "and [Guerrero] perceive[d] her to be somewhat normal now and believe[d] that the medication [wa]s helping."

The IJ then considered whether Guerrero was eligible for cancellation of removal. The IJ began by stating that Guerrero was "required to establish [both] his statutory eligibility for [the] relief" and, because cancellation of removal is "a discretionary form of relief, that the relief should be granted." To be considered for cancellation of removal under 8 U.S.C. § 1229b(b)(1), the IJ continued, Guerrero had to show by a preponderance of the evidence that he (A) had been physically present in the United States continuously for at least ten years; (B) had been a person of good moral character during that time; (C) was not disqualified because of his having committed any of the offenses described in § 1229b(b)(1)(C) ; and (D) that his removal would result in exceptional and extremely unusual hardship to an immediate relative who is a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident. The IJ determined that Guerrero had successfully demonstrated that the first three requirements were satisfied—Guerrero had been physically present in the United States for over sixteen years at the time of the IJ's decision; he had steadily supported his family, paid taxes, and generally respected the laws of the United States during that time, indicating his good moral character; and he had no disqualifying criminal history.

However, the IJ concluded that Guerrero had not established the final prerequisite: that his U.S.-citizen children would suffer "exceptional and extremely unusual hardship" if he were removed. Although the IJ recognized "the seriousness ... and emotional hardship associated with being separated from minor children," the IJ stated that only hardship beyond what is typically experienced when a family member is removed could be considered. Regarding Guerrero's children's health, the IJ found that there was no evidence that Natalia's ADD had caused "long-term academic consequences"; that she seemed to be doing well on her medication, which was paid for by Medicaid, not Guerrero; and that, if Guerrero were removed, Natalia would continue to receive treatment. The other children were all in good health, the IJ found, and would remain in the custody of their respective mothers, who would provide them with care and homes. The children would continue their education in the United States, the IJ found. And while Guerrero's family relied upon him financially, the IJ continued, Guerrero was not a single parent, and the children's mothers were capable of working. The IJ further found that Guerrero's brother would likely continue to support Guerrero's younger children, and that Guerrero would be able to find employment in Mexico and could "provide, in possibly diminished support, to his children." Emotionally, the IJ found, the children would experience the same devastation that is normally associated with the loss of one parent but would not require mental health services or counseling. The children would be able to continue to communicate with and potentially visit Guerrero in Mexico following his removal, the IJ stated. Thus, the IJ concluded that in terms of financial, physical, and emotional health, Guerrero had failed to demonstrate that his children "would suffer hardship above and beyond that regularly faced by families who are separated." And, because the IJ found that any hardship the children would experience was not "exceptional and extremely unusual," the IJ concluded that Guerrero was "statutorily ineligible to pursue cancellation of removal pursuant to" § 1229b(b)(1).

The BIA adopted and affirmed the IJ's decision, and Guerrero timely petitioned this court for review. While the petition was pending, the Government filed a motion to dismiss it for want of jurisdiction, arguing that "the determination of what constitutes ‘exceptional and extremely unusual hardship’ is a discretionary determination that is outside the Court's jurisdiction for judicial review."

II. Jurisdiction

Congress has granted IJs and the BIA³ discretion to "cancel removal of, and adjust to the status of an alien lawfully admitted for permanent residence, an alien who" meets certain conditions. 8 U.S.C. § 1229b(b)(1). Specifically, an alien must first demonstrate that he or she "(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; [and] (C) has not been convicted of" any of a list of statutorily enumerated offenses. Id. Lastly, to be considered for cancellation of removal, an alien must "(D) establish[ ] 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." If all these requirements are satisfied, the IJ and BIA "may cancel" the alien's removal but are not obligated to do so; satisfying the statutory prerequisites merely makes the alien eligible for the discretionary relief. See Mireles-Valdez v. Ashcroft , 349 F.3d 213, 215 (5th Cir. 2003) ("Even if an alien satisfies the conditions to qualify for relief, the Attorney General retains discretion to grant or deny the application." (quoting Sad v. INS , 246 F.3d 811, 819 (6th Cir. 2001) )).

Pursuant to 8 U.S.C. § 1252(a)(1), this court generally has jurisdiction to entertain petitions for review of "final orders of removal" and the determinations that underlie them. But that does not mean that we may entertain challenges to every decision the IJ or BIA makes...