Holding that whether person has been convicted of an aggravated felony within the language of 8 U.S.C. § 1326(b) "is necessarily . . . a question of federal, not state, law, despite the fact that the predicate offense and its punishment are defined by the law of the State"
Holding that a person sentenced to ten years probation by a Texas court would not be eligible for FFOA relief, and "[t]his difference in sentences is a rational basis for treating petitioner differently from an alien whose conviction is expunged under the FFOA."
Rejecting Lujan-Armendariz's analysis and noting that every other court that has considered the subject has concluded that state law expungements "do not negate a `conviction' for purposes of immigration law"
235 Cal.App.3d 872 (Cal. Ct. App. 1991) Cited 33 times
Comparing Kansas statute to California statute, and noting that expungement under Penal Code § 1203.4 "does not eviscerate a conviction or purge a defendant of the guilt established thereby"
In Garcia-Gonzales v. Immigration Nat. Serv., 344 F.2d 804, 810 (9th Cir. 1965), cert. denied, 382 U.S. 840, 86 S.Ct. 88, 15 L.Ed.2d 81 (1965), the Ninth Circuit noted "[W]e are aware that the Immigration and Naturalization Service has long held that a convicted person who has [received the benefit from expungement under California law]... cannot be deported under [section 241(a)(4)] of the Act."
Holding that section 1203.4 does not bar use of the underlying conviction in professional disciplinary proceedings, and noting that the statute is "so qualified in its application [as to not] obliterate the record of conviction" for most purposes
8 U.S.C. § 1101 Cited 16,777 times 91 Legal Analyses
Finding notice and comment rulemaking is required for the agency's interim rule recognizing fear of coercive family practices as basis for refugee status