Montejo-Gonzalez

FOR PUBLICATION

UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS

FOR THE NINTH CIRCUIT

CLAUDIA ELENA MONTEJO- No. 21-304

GONZALEZ; DANY JUAN

Agency Nos.

FRANCISCO MONTEJO; MARIA

A201-670-355

NATALIA FRANCISCO

A201-670-354

MONTEJO,

A201-670-353

Petitioners, OPINION

v.

PAMELA BONDI, Attorney General,

Respondent.

On Petition for Review of an Order of the Board of Immigration Appeals

Argued and Submitted September 11, 2025 San Francisco, California

Filed February 5, 2026

Before: Mary H. Murguia, Chief Judge, and Consuelo M. Callahan, Morgan B. Christen, Jacqueline H. Nguyen, Michelle T. Friedland, Ryan D. Nelson, Kenneth K. Lee, Lucy H. Koh, Jennifer Sung, Salvador Mendoza, Jr. and Roopali H. Desai, Circuit Judges. MONTEJO-GONZALEZ V. BONDI

Opinion by Judge Desai; Concurrence by Judge Friedland; Dissent by Judge R. Nelson

SUMMARY *

Immigration

Granting Claudia Elena Montejo-Gonzalez’s petition for review of a Board of Immigration Appeals (“BIA”) decision, the en banc court held that the immigration judge (“IJ”) and the BIA abused their discretion in denying reopening of her in-absentia removal order and those of her…