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GALEANA v. ROSEN (2021)

United States Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit.2021-01-06No. No. 18-71900

Summary

Holding. The petition for review is denied. The BIA did not abuse its discretion in determining that Galeana's second-degree robbery conviction constitutes a particularly serious crime barring withholding of removal, and substantial evidence supports the denial of deferral of removal under the Convention Against Torture.

Francisco Galeana, a Mexican citizen, sought review of a Board of Immigration Appeals decision that upheld an immigration judge's denial of his request for withholding of removal and protection under the Convention Against Torture. The core dispute centered on whether Galeana's conviction for second-degree robbery qualified as a particularly serious crime that would bar him from withholding relief, and whether he faced a clear probability of torture if returned to Mexico.

The court found no abuse of discretion in the BIA's determination that the robbery conviction constitutes a particularly serious crime. The analysis focused on the nature of the offense itself rather than speculation about future dangerousness. The court rejected Galeana's argument that his bipolar disorder should reduce the seriousness of the crime, noting he presented no evidence directly linking his mental illness to the robbery. Similarly, the court upheld the BIA's findings regarding torture risk, concluding that Galeana's theories about potential mistreatment in a Mexican mental institution or harm based on gang-related tattoos were too speculative and failed to establish a clear probability of torture with governmental involvement.

Summary generated by law.co from the public-domain opinion. The opinion text itself is public domain.

Key issues

  • Whether a second-degree robbery conviction qualifies as a particularly serious crime
  • Role of mental illness evidence in particularly serious crime determinations
  • Whether clear probability of torture in Mexican mental institution was established
  • Sufficiency of evidence regarding gang-related torture risk with government acquiescence

Procedural posture

Galeana petitioned for review of a BIA decision affirming an immigration judge's denial of withholding of removal and Convention Against Torture relief.

Authorities cited

No cited authorities resolved to law.co cases yet.

Opinion

MEMORANDUM ***

Petitioner Francisco Galeana (“Petitioner”) is a native and citizen of Mexico. He petitions for review of an order of the Board of Immigration Appeals (“BIA”) dismissing his appeal from the decision of an Immigration Judge (“IJ”) denying his application for withholding or deferral of removal pursuant to the Immigration and Nationality Act (“INA”) and related relief under the Convention Against Torture (“CAT”). We have jurisdiction under 8 U.S.C. § 1252, and we deny the petition for review. Because the parties are familiar with the facts and history of this matter, we need not recount them here.

The BIA did not abuse its discretion in determining that Petitioners particular conviction for second degree robbery in violation of California Penal Code § 211/212.5 constitutes a particularly serious crime (“PSC”). A PSC is a crime which “justif[ies] the presumption that the convicted immigrant is a danger to the community.” Avendano-Hernandez v. Lynch, 800 F.3d 1072, 1077 (9th Cir. 2015) (quoting Delgado v. Holder, 648 F.3d 1095, 1107 (9th Cir. 2011)). Upon consideration of “(1) the nature of the conviction, (2) the type of sentence imposed, and (3) the circumstances and underlying facts of the conviction,” the BIA appropriately determined that Petitioner failed to demonstrate that the offense is not particularly serious. Bare v. Barr, 975 F.3d 952, 961 (9th Cir. 2020) (internal quotation marks and citations omitted).

“[T]he proper focus for determining whether a crime is particularly serious is on the nature of the crime and not the likelihood of future serious misconduct.” Alphonsus v. Holder, 705 F.3d 1031, 1041 (9th Cir. 2013), abrogated on other grounds as recognized in Guerrero v. Whitaker, 908 F.3d 541 (9th Cir. 2018). “[O]nce an individual is found to have been convicted for committing a particularly serious crime ․ the individual is irrebuttably presumed to be a danger.” Gomez-Sanchez v. Sessions, 892 F.3d 985, 991 (9th Cir. 2018).

Like the IJ, the BIA did not disregard Petitioners credible testimony but rather found that testimony insufficient to prove the crime is not particularly serious. Cf. Avendano-Hernandez, 800 F.3d at 1076–78 (noting the BIA found applicants evidence insufficient to reduce the seriousness of her crime, not that the BIA mischaracterized the facts and circumstances). We cannot “reweigh the evidence” to reach a different conclusion about the seriousness of Petitioners crime. Id. at 1076.

The BIAs consideration of Petitioners mental illness is also consistent with the Ninth Circuits recent decision in Gomez-Sanchez, 892 F.3d 985. Under Gomez-Sanchez, the BIA cannot treat evidence of mental health as “categorically irrelevant” to a PSC determination when the petitioner “claim[s] that his violent act was a result of his mental illness.” Id. at 989, 996. Petitioner, however, presented no evidence directly attributing the robbery to his bipolar disorder. Gomez-Sanchez is, therefore, inapplicable. Having committed a particularly serious crime, Petitioner was properly deemed ineligible for withholding of removal under the INA. 8 U.S.C. § 1231(b)(3)(B)(ii).

Additionally, substantial evidence supports the BIAs determination that Petitioner failed to establish a clear probability that he would be subject to torture in a mental institution if removed to Mexico as required for a deferral of removal under the CAT. 8 C.F.R. § 1208.17(d)(3). “ ‘[T]o constitute torture, an act must be specifically intended to inflict severe physical or mental pain or suffering.’ ” Villegas v. Mukasey, 523 F.3d 984, 988 (9th Cir. 2008) (quoting 8 C.F.R. § 1208.18(a)(5)) (emphasis in case but not regulation). Petitioners theory of events that may lead to mistreatment in a Mexican mental institution did not demonstrate that he would likely be “subject to a particularized threat of torture.” Dhital v. Mukasey, 532 F.3d 1044, 1051–52 (9th Cir. 2008) (emphasis in original) (internal quotation marks and citations omitted). No “reasonable adjudicator would be compelled to conclude to the contrary.” 8 U.S.C. § 1252(b)(4)(B).

Likewise, substantial evidence supports the BIAs conclusion that Petitioner did not establish a clear probability that he would be identified as a gang member by his tattoos and tortured with the acquiescence of a Mexican government official on that basis. The BIA properly concluded that Petitioners lengthy chain of hypothetical events was too speculative to demonstrate a clear probability of torture with governmental acquiescence. See Medina-Rodriguez v. Barr, 979 F.3d 738, 750–51 (9th Cir. 2020).

PETITION DENIED.