Opinion

AMBROSIO

  • 14 I. & N. Dec. 381
Court
Board of Immigration Appeals
Filed
Jul 1, 1973
Status
Published
Cited by
6 cases
Authority
More cited than 77.6%

noting that the "customary practice” when there is no appeal is to not transcribe the proceedings

How later courts described this case

  • noting that the "customary practice” when there is no appeal is to not transcribe the proceedings
  • “Due process is not violated if a transcript is made available under such circumstances [subsequent proceedings, such as motions to reopen] on a selective rather than an automatic basis.”

Written by the judges who cited it.

The opinion

interim Decision #2210

MATTER OF AMBROSIO

In Deportation Proceedings

A-14516837

A-13'786486

Decided by Board June 8, 1973

(1) Where deportability was conceded, appeal waived, and the original deporta-

tion hearing was not transcribed, due process is not violated by refusal to

direct transcription of the original hearing in connection with an appeal from

an order denying a motion to reopen the proceedings, where a transcript is not

required for a proper appraisal of the appeal.

(2) Motion to reopen the deportation proceedings for the purpose of applying for

relief under section 241(f) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, as

amended, is denied, since the benefits of section 241(f) are not available to an

alien admitted as a nonimmigrant visitor who has been ordered deported on a

"remained longer" charge, regardless of the truth of any assertion of fraud at

entry now advanced (Matter of Mangabat, Interim Decision No. 2131, and

Cabueo-Flores v. INS, 477 F.2d 108 (C.A. 9, 1973)).

CHARGE:

Order: Act of 1952—Section 241(4(2) [8 U.S.C. 1251(a)(2)]—remained longer

after admission as nonimmigrant.

ON BEHALF OF RESPONDENTS: ON BEHALF OF SERVICE:

LLoyd A. Tasog Esquire Joseph A. Shonman

408 South Spring Street Trial Attorney

Suite 1010 —Continental Building

Los Angeles, California 90013

This is an appeal from an order of an immigration judge denying

respondents' motion to reopen the deportation proceedings. The

appeal will be dismissed.

Respondents are aliens, husband and wife, natives and citizens

of the Philippines, who were both admitted to the United States on

or about September 13, 1969 as nonimmigrant visitors and re-

mained longer than permitted. At a joint hearing before an

immigration judge on October 19, 1972, at which they were

represented by present counsel, they admitted the truth of the

factual allegations of their respective orders to show cause and

conceded deportability. The immigration judge found them to be

381

Interim Decision #2210

deportable and granted them the privilege of departing voluntar-

ily on or before January 19, 1973. Appeal was waived. In accord-

ance with the customary practice when there is no appeal, the

hearing was not transcribed.

On January 18, 1973, counsel for respondents filed a motion to

reopen to consider an application for termination of the proceed-

ings under section 241(f) of the Immigration and Nationality Act.

The motion, which is unsupported despite the requirements of S

CFR 103.5 and 242.22, states merely, "The parties have been told

that they had a preconceived intent to remain in the United

States when they arrived and thus have committed fraud. They

have two United States born citizen children and thus would be

eligible for consideration. We therefore request on their behalf a

reopening of the proceedings." In an order dated February 9, 1973,

now before us on appeal, the immigration judge denied the motion.

He called attention to the fact that at the original deportation

hearing, at which counsel had questioned respondents extensively,

no evidence of fraud had been adduced. In addition, the immigra-

tion judge pointed to the respondents' entries as nonimmigrants

and this Board's holding in Matter of Mangabat, Interim Decision

No. 2131 (1972)_

In his notice of appeal, counsel requested a transcript of the

deportation hearing and a reasonable time to submit a brief. In a

letter to counsel dated April 16, 1973, the immigration judge

granted him to April 26, 1973 to file a brief and declined to direct

transcription of the deportation hearing. Counsel persisted in his

request for the transcript. In a letter to counsel dated May 14,

1973, the immigration judge stated that the records on appeal had

been forwarded to this Board and suggested that counsel submit

his brief directly to this Board. In a letter to this Board dated May

17, 1973, counsel asserts that he is entitled, as a matter of due

process, to receive the transcript so that he can prepare a proper

brief on appeaL The records on appeal have now been received,

without a transcript of the deportation hearing.

On an appeal such as this from an order of an immigration judge

denying a. motion to reopen, we review the immigration judge's

order on the basis of the moving papers, the papers in opposition

to the motion, and the administrative record. If the original

deportation hearing has not been transcribed, we do not require a

transcript unless we conclude one is needed for a proper appraisal

of the appeal To require a transcript in every case, regardless of

need, would place an undue burden on the Service and would only

play into the hands of those attorneys who are intent solely on

delay. If a transcript were to be had for the mere asking under

such circumstances, then any alien who had waived appeal to this

382

Interim yecision

Board would have it within his own power, when ultimately called

in for deportation, to thwart deportation by the simple expedient

of having his attorney file a motion to reopen and appealing to this

Board from its denial. In Service field offices having an acute

clerical shortage, such as persists in the Los Angeles district, a

delay of many months would ensue and the backlog of cases

awaiting transcription would be dramatically increased. There is

no automatic stay of deportation pending appeal from such an

order, 8 CFR 3.6(b). Due process is not violated if a transcript is

made available under such circumstances on a selective rather

than an automatic basis.

We see no need for a transcript of the original deportation

hearing in order to deal adequately with the issue raised on this

appeal. On the basis of the uncontroverted facts already of record,

it is clear that the immigration judge's order was correct and

conformed to the holdings of the courts and of this Board. The

respondents were admitted as nonimmigrant visitors and have

been found deportable on the charge that they have overstayed.

Regardless of the truth of any self-serving assertion of fraud at

entry they now put forward, section 241(f) does not benefit them,

Cabuoo-Flores v. INS, 477 P2d 108 (C.A. 9, 1973); Matter of

Mangabat, supra.

Counsel has had ample time to prepare a brief on the section

241(f) issue since he filed his notice of appeal. Moreover, we fail to

see how a brief on a record such as this could be helpful to the

Board or could lead to an order other than the one we are now

prepared to enter. If counsel wishes to seek judicial review of our

decision, the record is sufficient for that purpose, in our view,

without a transcript of the deportation hearing.

ORDER: The appeal is dismissed.

FURTHER ORDER: Pursuant to the immigration judge's order,

the respondents are permitted to depart from the United States

voluntarily within 92 days from the date of this order or any exten-

sion beyond that time as may be granted by the District Director;

and in the event failure so to depart, the respondents shall be

deported as provided in the immigration judge's order.

383

This is a copy of a public record, reproduced as it was published. It is not legal advice, and it may not be the version a court would rely on. Check the official source before you cite it.

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