People v. Cornejo CA4/3

FACTS

On January 30, 2006, defendant pled guilty to two felony counts of second- degree robbery (§§ 211, 212.5, subd. (c)). On the plea form, defendant initialed a provision that states, “Immigration consequences: I understand if I am not a citizen of the United States, my conviction for the offense charged will have the consequences of deportation, exclusion from admission to the United States, or denial of naturalization pursuant to the laws of the United States.” An interpreter signed the following declaration: “I, Dolores Gordon, having been duly sworn as a court certified interpreter, state that I am fluent in the [blank] language. I translated the contents of this form to defendant in that language. The defendant told me he/she understood the contents of this form and initialed and signed it in my presence.” The record contains no explanation as to why the language line was left blank. Defendant’s attorney likewise signed the form, acknowledging he had “discussed the possible sentence ranges and immigration consequences with defendant.” The court’s minutes from that day reflect a hearing at which defendant was present in court, along with Dolores Gordon, who is listed as a…