v.
William Barr
UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS
FOR THE NINTH CIRCUIT
GONZALO BANUELOS DOMINGUEZ, No. 18-72731 Petitioner, Agency No. v. A013-591-616
WILLIAM P. BARR, Attorney General, ORDER AND
Respondent. AMENDED
OPINION
On Petition for Review of an Order of the
Board of Immigration Appeals
Submitted May 11, 2020 *
Portland, Oregon
Filed July 21, 2020
Amended September 18, 2020
Before: Jay S. Bybee and Lawrence J. VanDyke, Circuit
Judges, and Kathleen Cardone, ** District Judge.
Order;
Opinion by Judge Cardone
*
The panel unanimously concludes this case is suitable for decision without oral argument. See Fed. R. App. P. 34(a)(2). ** The Honorable Kathleen Cardone, United States District Judge for the Western District of Texas, sitting by designation. SUMMARY ***
Immigration
The panel filed: 1) an order denying petitioner’s motion
requesting that its prior opinion be depublished and granting in part the alternative request to amend the opinion; and 2) an amended opinion dismissing in part and denying in part Gonzalo Banuelos Dominguez’s petition for review of a decision of the Board of Immigration Appeals. In the amended opinion, the panel held that: (1) Oregon Revised Statutes (“ORS”) § 475.992(1)(a), which criminalizes manufacture or delivery of a controlled substance, is divisible as between its “manufacture” and “delivery” terms; (2) a conviction under that statute is an aggravated felony; (3) the BIA did not err in finding Dominguez’s § 475.992(1)(a) conviction to be a particularly serious crime barring withholding of removal; and (4) the notice provided to Dominguez of his removal hearing was sufficient to vest the immigration judge with jurisdiction.
At the time of Dominguez’s conviction, ORS
§ 475.992(1)(a) made it unlawful to “manufacture or
deliver” a controlled substance. Applying the three-step
process set out in Descamps v. United States, 570 U.S. 254
(2013), the panel first explained that the relevant generic
offense—an aggravated felony under 8 U.S.C.
§ 1101(a)(43)(B)—includes drug trafficking crimes, which
include felony offenses under the Controlled Substances
***
This summary constitutes no part of the opinion of the court. It has been prepared by court staff for the convenience of the reader. Act. One such felony offense is manufacture of a controlled substance.
At the second step, the panel explained that, under
Sandoval v. Sessions, 866 F.3d 986 (9th Cir. 2017), ORS
§ 475.992(1)(a) is not a categorical match to a federal drug trafficking crime because the Oregon statute’s definition of “deliver” includes solicitation, but the Controlled Substances Act’s definition of “deliver” does not, making the Oregon statute broader than the federal generic crime.
At the third step, the panel concluded that ORS
§ 475.992(1)(a) is divisible as between its “manufacture” and “deliver” terms such that the modified categorical approach applied. The panel explained that the statute and its interpretation by Oregon courts demonstrate that the phrase “manufacture or deliver” lists alternative elements defining multiple offenses—as opposed to alternative means of committing a single offense.
Applying the modified categorical approach, the panel
concluded that Dominguez’s § 475.992(1)(a) conviction was
a categorical match to an aggravated felony drug trafficking
offense. The panel explained that Dominguez was charged
with manufacture of marijuana under § 475.992 and that
manufacturing marijuana is a felony offense under the
Controlled Substances Act. The panel also explained that
the elements of the Oregon offense are the same as those of
the federal manufacturing offense, except that the Oregon
definition of “manufacture” includes the word “conversion.” However, the panel concluded that there was not a realistic probability that Oregon prosecutes conduct as “conversion” that is not covered by the Controlled Substances Act. Accordingly, the panel concluded that Dominguez had been convicted of an aggravated felony that rendered him removable and ineligible for asylum and cancellation of removal.
Next, the panel held that the BIA did not err in
concluding that Dominguez’s conviction was a particularly
serious crime that made him ineligible for withholding of
removal, explaining that the BIA properly applied the
applicable standard set out in Matter of Frentescu, 18 I. & N. Dec. 244 (B.I.A. 1982).
Finally, the panel rejected Dominguez’s contention that
his notice to appear, which did not provide the date and time of his first hearing, was insufficient to vest the immigration judge with jurisdiction, explaining that this argument was squarely foreclosed by Karingithi v. Whitaker, 913 F.3d 1158 (9th Cir. 2019).
COUNSEL
Jeffrey C. Gonzales, Gonzales Gonzales & Gonzales,
Portland, Oregon, for Petitioner.
Joseph H. Hunt, Assistant Attorney General; Jennifer J.
Keeney, Assistant Director; Lindsay B. Glauner, Senior
Litigation Counsel; Office of Immigration Litigation, Civil
Division, United States Department of Justice, Washington,
D.C.; for Respondent.
ORDER
The Petitioner’s Motion for Miscellaneous Relief
(Docket Entry No. 33) requesting the opinion be depublished
is DENIED but the alternative request to amend is
GRANTED in part.
The opinion filed on July 21, 2020, and published at
965 F.3d 1091 is AMENDED by the opinion filed
concurrently with this Order.
On page 19 of the slip opinion, after the sentence
“Oregon law incorporates the federal schedule of controlled substances. Or. Rev. Stat. § 475.005(6); State v. Ness, 635 P.2d 1025, 1029 (Or. Ct. App. 1981),” the following footnote is added:
While incorporating the federal schedule,
Oregon law further authorizes the State
Board of Pharmacy to modify or add to
Oregon’s schedules of controlled substances.
Or. Rev. Stat. § 475.035; State v. Henry, 840
P.2d 1335, 1336 (Or. App. 1992); State v.
Eells, 696 P.2d 564, 567 (Or. App. 1985).
Because Petitioner does not argue that the
Oregon definition of “controlled substance”
is distinct from the federal definition, this
Court does not address that issue.
OPINION
CARDONE, District Judge:
Petitioner Gonzalo Banuelos Dominguez was convicted under Oregon law for manufacturing marijuana, a violation of Oregon Revised Statutes (“ORS”) § 475.992(1)(a), and subsequently charged with removability. An Immigration Judge (“IJ”) found that Dominguez was removable as charged because his conviction constituted an “aggravated felony,” and Dominguez was ineligible for withholding of removal under the Immigration and Nationality Act (“INA”) and the Convention Against Torture (“CAT”) because he committed a “particularly serious crime.” The Board of Immigration Appeals (“BIA”) affirmed, and it also denied Dominguez’s motion to terminate proceedings based on deficient notice. Dominguez now petitions for review of the BIA’s decision.
We consider as a matter of first impression whether ORS § 475.992(1)(a) is divisible as between its “manufacture” and “delivery” terms. We find that it is, and we conclude that the offense of conviction constitutes an aggravated felony. Further, we hold that the BIA did not abuse its discretion in finding Dominguez’s offense to be a particularly serious crime and that the notice provided to Dominguez was sufficient to vest the IJ with jurisdiction. Accordingly, we deny the petition.
FACTUAL AND PROCEDURAL HISTORY
Dominguez is a native and citizen of Mexico, now sixty- three years old, who was admitted to the United States as a lawful immigrant in 1963, a lawful permanent resident since at least 1969. In August 2002, Dominguez was indicted on charges of “manufacture of a schedule 1 controlled substance (a felony; ORS 475.992(1A)).” Count One of the single-count Indictment alleged that Dominguez manufactured marijuana. Dominguez entered a guilty plea and was convicted of the charges.
On March 20, 2009, the Department of Homeland Security (“DHS”) filed a Notice to Appear (“NTA”) with the Portland immigration court, initiating removal proceedings against Dominguez. The government charged Dominguez as removable under § 237(a)(2)(A)(iii) of the INA for conviction of an aggravated felony. Specifically, the NTA alleges, “You were, on October 7, 2002, convicted . . . for the offense of Manufacture/Delivery of a Controlled Substance, to wit: Marihuana, in violation of ORS 475.9921A.” The NTA ordered Dominguez to appear on “a date to be set” and at “a time to be set.”
One week later, DHS filed a Form I-261, bringing additional charges of removability. The government alleged that Dominguez was also removable under § 237(a)(2)(B)(i) of the INA for conviction of an offense “relating to a controlled substance.” The same day, the Immigration Court sent Dominguez a “Notice of Hearing in Removal Proceedings,” which stated that an initial hearing was set for June 23, 2009, at 10:00 A.M.
Dominguez appeared before an IJ for his initial hearing in June 2009. The removal hearing continued on November 5, 2009, when the court issued a ruling from the bench that Dominguez’s conviction constituted an aggravated felony, and therefore Dominguez was ineligible for asylum, adjustment of status, and cancellation of removal. On March 20, 2012, removal proceedings continued in another hearing, this one considering Dominguez’s claims for withholding of removal under the INA and the CAT. The same day, the court issued an “Oral Decision of the Immigration Judge,” pretermitting Dominguez’s withholding application and denying his CAT claim.
Dominguez appealed the IJ’s decision to the BIA on April 10, 2012. On September 17, 2013, the BIA found “the [IJ’s] decision is insufficient to permit meaningful appellate review,” and remanded the case to the IJ to “issue a new decision with additional findings.” On April 2, 2014, the IJ issued a written opinion.
The IJ made an adverse credibility determination, finding that Dominguez’s testimony regarding the conduct underlying his criminal conviction was “logically implausible,” and that some of Dominguez’s in-court testimony contradicted his prior written declaration. Considering the first charge of removability, the IJ found that ORS § 475.992(1) is divisible between “manufacture” and “delivery.” 1 Implicitly applying the modified categorical approach, the IJ found Dominguez was convicted of a manufacturing offense and was therefore removable because manufacturing a controlled substance is an aggravated drug trafficking offense. The IJ also found Dominguez removable on the second charge of removability, concluding that his conviction was “related to a controlled substance” based on the plain language of the statute. Based on the finding of removability, the IJ found Dominguez’s asylum application statutorily barred.
Dominguez argues that, based on our decision in Sandoval, ORS § 475.992(1)(a) is overbroad and indivisible and therefore his conviction is not a categorical match to an aggravated felony offense.
At the first step, applying the categorical approach, we must determine the definition of the generic offense; in this case, an aggravated felony. See Sandoval, 866 F.3d at 989. The INA’s definition of an aggravated felony encompasses any “illicit trafficking in a controlled substance . . . including a drug trafficking crime.” 8 U.S.C. § 1101(a)(43)(B). A drug trafficking crime is defined as “any felony punishable under the Controlled Substances Act.” 18 U.S.C. § 924(c)(2).
The Controlled Substances Act, in turn, makes it unlawful to knowingly or intentionally “manufacture, distribute, or dispense, or possess with intent to manufacture, distribute, or dispense, a controlled substance.” 21 U.S.C. § 841(a)(1). And, a felony is “an offense punishable by more than one year under federal law.” Sandoval, 866 F.3d at 989; see also 18 U.S.C. § 3559. In sum, the aggravated felony generic offense includes drug trafficking crimes, which include felony Controlled Substances Act offenses.
Having defined the generic offense, we determine whether the statutory offense underlying Dominguez’s conviction is a categorical match. Dominguez was convicted of violating ORS § 475.992(1)(a). That provision makes it unlawful to “manufacture or deliver a . . . controlled substance in Schedule I.” Or. Rev. Stat. § 475.992(1)(a) (2002). 3
We applied the categorical approach to a conviction under § 475.992(1)(a) in Sandoval. 866 F.3d at 988–93. There, we considered whether a conviction for delivery of heroin under § 475.992(1)(a) constituted an aggravated felony. Id. We held that an offense under § 475.992(1)(a) is not a categorical match to a drug trafficking crime under the INA because the Oregon statute’s definition of “deliver” includes solicitation, but the Controlled Substances Act’s definition of “deliver” does not, making the Oregon statute broader than the federal generic crime. Id. at 989–93. As a result, Dominguez’s offense under § 475.992(1)(a) does not qualify as an aggravated felony under the categorical approach. See id.
But the analysis does not end there. While § 475.992(1)(a) in its entirety is not a categorical match to a drug trafficking crime, we must determine whether the overbroad statute is divisible. See Lopez-Valencia, 798 F.3d at 867–68.
The BIA found that § 475.992(1)(a) is divisible as between its “manufacture” and “deliver” terms. Dominguez Under the modified categorical approach, we look to the record to determine the offense of conviction. See Mathis, 136 S. Ct. at 2249. The charging documents here specify that Dominguez was charged with manufacture under § 475.992. The elements of a manufacture offense under § 475.992(1)(a) are (1) knowingly participating in (2) the manufacture (3) of a Schedule I controlled substance. See State v. Miller, 103 P.3d 112, 116 (Or. Ct. App. 2004) (citing State v. Saude, 769 P.2d 784, 785 (Or. 1989)). Oregon law incorporates the federal schedule of controlled substances. Or. Rev. Stat. § 475.005(6); State v. Ness, 635 P.2d 1025, 1029 (Or. Ct. App. 1981). 6 “Manufacture” means, in relevant part, “the production, preparation, propagation, compounding, conversion or processing of a controlled substance.” State v. Brown, 807 P.2d 316, 319 (Or. Ct. App. 1991) (quoting Or. Rev. Stat. § 475.005(15)).
As explained above, the generic offense definition of a drug trafficking crime includes felony manufacture of a controlled substance in violation of the Controlled Substances Act. The elements of that offense are (1) intentional or knowing (2) manufacture (3) of a controlled substance. See Sandoval, 866 F.3d at 990. Because marijuana is a federally controlled substance, 21 U.S.C. §§ 802(6), 812(c), manufacturing marijuana violates the Controlled Substances Act, see 21 U.S.C. § 841(a)(1), and is a felony offense, see 21 U.S.C. § 841(b)(1)(C). The Controlled Substances Act defines manufacture as, in relevant part, “the production, preparation, propagation, compounding, or processing of a drug or other substance.” 21 U.S.C. § 802(15). “Production” is defined as “the manufacture, planting, cultivation, growing, or harvesting of a controlled substance.” 21 U.S.C. § 802(22). Therefore, the elements of Dominguez’s offense are the same as those of a manufacturing offense under the Controlled Substances Act, except for Oregon’s inclusion of the word “conversion” in