Question: I lost at the Immigration Court level. I appealed the decision about six months ago to the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA).
Now, I just received a decision from the Board of Immigration Appeals.
The entirety of the decision essentially states that the case is denied without giving any reasoning whatsoever.
There is nothing else written on the decision.
There is no reasoning to the opinion,
No discussion
I do not know what to do at this point.
I do not know how I can appeal as I cannot tell why the BIA denied the case.
Can you help?
Answer: Unfortunately, it is becoming more common for the Board of Immigration Appeals to issue decisions in this summary manner.
It is very unfair as it does not discuss any merits to the appeal.
Nor does it discuss why they agree with the Immigration Judge.
This is a practice that has become all but common.
Over the past several months, the courts of appeals have issued several decisions. These directly (and indirectly) address the BIA’s summary affirmance without opinion (AWO) procedure.
The AWO procedure allows a single BIA member to affirm the underlying immigration judge’s decision. They do this without giving any reasons and without adopting the reasoning of the immigration judge.
To date, all of the courts to address AWO’s have turned aside challenges to the validity of the regulations.
Nonetheless, most of the published decisions do not foreclose all challenges to AWO’s.
Question: Does this mean that I should appeal to the Circuit Courts?
Answer: Yes,
As a Petition for Review to the Circuit Courts of Appeal.
While people have been trying for months
To get the AWO overturned,
There have not been any conclusive decisions on this matter.
Therefore, it is necessary to read closely the controlling cases in your circuit and argue for a narrow interpretation of the AWO cases.
In particular,
one argument that has not been foreclosed is that the Board of Immigration Appeals failed
To comply with its own regulations because the case did not meet the criteria for an AWO decision.
Therefore,
While it will not be easy,
You should not give up,
And keep fighting to try to get the summary decision
Without opinion overturned.
Otherwise, the BIA will simply be a rubber-stamp for whatever the judge did and not a real appellate body.
yo apelale hace 8 meses atras, en el 2010, y en este año me llego una carta diciendo k mi caso llego a federal plaza y k lo tiene un oficial. por favor me gustaria saber k decision han aprovado ya k estoy desesperada porque en mi pais soy medico y quiero estudiar y por ese inconveniente no eh podido hacer nada, aparte perdi mi trabajo k con mucho esfuerzo consegui con el poco tiempo k tengo aqui, yo vine a superarme porque no quiero ser una carga para este pais, yo quiero aportarles mis conocimientos y por ese inconveniente estoy parada, estoy de voluntaria en un hospital, pero necesito trabajar y superarme, asi k por favor ayudenme, mi matrimonio es legal, no se porque tantos inconvenientes si yo me case por amor y amo a mi esposo… recuerden yo no vine a este pais para ser una carga del gobierno yo vine a aportar.. gracias y tengan compasion…