From Casetext: Smarter Legal Research

Abu Mineh v. Holder

United States Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit
Aug 12, 2010
392 F. App'x 544 (9th Cir. 2010)

Opinion

No. 05-74456.

Argued and Submitted July 14, 2010.

Filed August 12, 2010.

Robert Bradford Jobe, Esquire, Aruna Sury, Esquire, Law Offices of Robert B. Jobe, San Francisco, CA, for Petitioner.

Chief Counsel Ice, Office of the Chief Counsel Department of Homeland Security, San Francisco, CA, Melissa Lynn Neiman-Kelting, Senior Litigation Counsel, OIL, DOJ-U.S. Department of Justice, Washington, DC, for Respondent.

On Petition for Review of an Order of the Board of Immigration Appeals. Agency No. A076-857-476.

Before: FERNANDEZ, W. FLETCHER and TALLMAN, Circuit Judges.


MEMORANDUM

This disposition is not appropriate for publication and is not precedent except as provided by 9th Circuit Rule 36-3.

Asa'd R. Abu Mineh petitions for review of the BIA's order affirming the IJ's denial of Abu Mineh's motion to reopen in absentia removal proceedings against him.

An order for deportation entered in absentia may be rescinded "if the alien demonstrates that the failure to appear was because of exceptional circumstances." INA § 240(b)(5)(C), 8 U.S.C. § 1229a(b)(5)(C). Ineffective assistance of counsel "qualifies as an exceptional circumstance warranting rescission of an in absentia order of removal." Lo v. Ashcroft, 341 F.3d 934, 936-37 (9th Cir. 2003). Abu Mineh has demonstrated that ineffective assistance of counsel by his attorney, Yemi Getachew, caused his failure to appear.

Abu Mineh reasonably relied on Getachew's representation that she would obtain a continuance of his hearing and would notify him as soon as she learned of his new hearing date. See Monjaraz-Munoz v. INS, 327 F.3d 892, 896-97 (9th Cir. 2003). It is undisputed that Getachew told Abu Mineh that she was seeking a continuance of his case, that she did not file a continuance motion until two days before the hearing, and that she did not attempt to contact Abu Mineh to update him about the status of his case until one hour before the scheduled hearing. By the time Getachew reached Abu Mineh, the immigration court had finished its calendar for the day. This evidence compels the conclusion that Getachew's ineffective assistance caused Abu Mineh's failure to appear. See Lo, 341 F.3d at 939; see also In re Grijalva-Barrera, 21 I. N. Dec. 472, 473 (BIA 1996). The BIA abused its discretion in holding to the contrary and in denying Abu Mineh's motion to reopen the in absentia removal hearing.

We GRANT the petition for review, REVERSE the denial of Abu Mineh's motion to reopen, and REMAND to the BIA for further proceedings.


Summaries of

Abu Mineh v. Holder

United States Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit
Aug 12, 2010
392 F. App'x 544 (9th Cir. 2010)
Case details for

Abu Mineh v. Holder

Case Details

Full title:Asa'd R. ABU MINEH, Petitioner, v. Eric H. HOLDER, Jr., Attorney General…

Court:United States Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit

Date published: Aug 12, 2010

Citations

392 F. App'x 544 (9th Cir. 2010)