Rivera-Mata

Rivera-Mata v. Holder

Good Law
325 F. App'x 612
United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth CircuitMay 22, 2009No. 05-75686California216 words

Opinion

Lead Opinion

MEMORANDUM **

Francisco Rivera-Mata, a native and citizen of Mexico, petitions for review of the Board of Immigration Appeals’ (“BIA”) order summarily affirming an immigration judge’s (“IJ”) decision pretermitting his application for cancellation of removal. We have jurisdiction pursuant to 8 U.S.C. § 1252 . Reviewing for substantial evidence, Ibar ra-Flores v. Gonzales, 439 F.3d 614, 618 (9th Cir.2006), we grant the petition for review and remand.

After the BIA order in this case, we held in Ibarra-Flores that administrative voluntary departure under threat of deportation breaks the accrual of continuous physical presence only where the alien is informed of the terms of the departure and knowingly and voluntarily accepts them. See id. at 619-20 ; see also Tapia v. Gonzales, 430 F.3d 997, 1002-04 (9th Cir.2005). The record does not contain substantial evidence that Rivera-Mata was informed of the terms of his departure or that he accepted them knowingly and voluntarily.

The agency “should be given the first opportunity to assess the consequences of [Rivera-Mata’s] departure under the ‘knowing and voluntary’ standard.” Ibarra-Flores, 439 F.3d at 620 . We therefore grant the…

Sign in to read the full opinion

Create a free account to read the complete opinion text, citation history, and good-law status for this case.