Marcos Araujo v. U.S. Attorney General ( 2020 )


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  •              Case: 20-10537    Date Filed: 09/28/2020   Page: 1 of 5
    [DO NOT PUBLISH]
    IN THE UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS
    FOR THE ELEVENTH CIRCUIT
    ________________________
    No. 20-10537
    Non-Argument Calendar
    ________________________
    Agency No. A200-849-634
    MARCOS ARAUJO,
    FERNANDA GOMES ARAUJO,
    Petitioners,
    versus
    U.S. ATTORNEY GENERAL,
    Respondent.
    ________________________
    Petition for Review of a Decision of the
    Board of Immigration Appeals
    ________________________
    (September 28, 2020)
    Before WILSON, JILL PRYOR and BRASHER, Circuit Judges.
    PER CURIAM:
    Marcos and Fernanda Araujo (“the Araujos”) appeal the order of the Board
    of Immigration Appeals (“BIA”) denying their motion to reopen proceedings and
    Case: 20-10537     Date Filed: 09/28/2020    Page: 2 of 5
    to reconsider the agency’s July 10, 2013 denial of their application for cancellation
    of removal. The government has moved for summary denial in part, to dismiss for
    lack of jurisdiction in part, and to stay the briefing schedule.
    Summary disposition is appropriate either where time is of the essence, such
    as “situations where important public policy issues are involved or those where
    rights delayed are rights denied,” or where “the position of one of the parties is
    clearly right as a matter of law so that there can be no substantial question as to the
    outcome of the case, or where, as is more frequently the case, the appeal is
    frivolous.” Groendyke Transp., Inc. v. Davis, 
    406 F.2d 1158
    , 1162 (5th Cir. 1969).
    We review the BIA’s denial of a motion for reconsideration and the denial of
    a motion to reopen for abuse of discretion. Jiang v. U.S. Atty Gen., 
    568 F.3d 1252
    ,
    1256 (11th Cir. 2009); Assa’ad v. U.S. Atty Gen., 
    332 F.3d 1321
    , 1341 (11th Cir.
    2003). Our review is limited to determining whether the BIA exercised its
    discretion in an “arbitrary or capricious” manner. Ali v. U.S. Atty Gen., 
    443 F.3d 804
    , 808 (11th Cir. 2006). “The moving party bears a heavy burden as motions to
    reopen are disfavored, especially in removal proceedings.” Zhang v. U.S. Atty
    Gen., 
    572 F.3d 1316
    , 1319 (11th Cir. 2009) (internal citations omitted). We lack
    jurisdiction to review the BIA’s decision denying sua sponte reopening unless the
    denial gives rise to a colorable constitutional claim. Bing Quan Lin v. U.S. Atty
    Gen., 
    881 F.3d 860
    , 871 (11th Cir. 2018).
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    A noncitizen may file only one motion to reopen and one motion to
    reconsider. INA §§ 240(c)(7)(A), (c)(6)(A); 8 U.S.C. §§ 1229a(c)(7)(A),
    (c)(6)(A). A motion to reconsider must be filed within 30 days of a final
    administrative order of removal. INA § 240(c)(6)(B); 8 U.S.C. § 1229a(c)(6)(B).
    A motion to reopen must be filed within 90 days of a final administrative order of
    removal. INA § 240(c)(7)(C)(i); 8 U.S.C. § 1229a(c)(7)(C)(i). The time and
    number limits on motions to reopen do not apply if the basis of the motion is to
    apply or reapply for asylum or withholding of removal “based on changed country
    conditions arising in the country of nationality . . . , if such evidence is material
    and was not available and would not have been discovered or presented at the
    previous proceeding.” INA § 240(c)(7)(C)(ii); 8 U.S.C. § 1229a(c)(7)(C)(ii). “An
    alien cannot circumvent the requirement of changed country conditions by
    demonstrating only a change in [his or her] personal circumstances.” Chen v. U.S.
    Atty. Gen., 
    565 F.3d 805
    , 809-10 (11th Cir. 2009).
    First, there is no substantial question that the BIA did not abuse its discretion
    in denying the Araujos’ motion to reopen and for reconsideration as number-barred
    and time-barred. The Araujos do not dispute, and the record clearly establishes,
    that they have filed more than one motion to reopen and motion for
    reconsideration, which is not permitted. See INA §§ 240(c)(7)(A), (c)(6)(A); 8
    U.S.C. §§ 1229a(c)(7)(A), (c)(6)(A). Further, it is clear that the Araujos untimely
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    filed their motion as the BIA issued its merits decision on July 10, 2013 and the
    Araujos filed the instant motion on October 1, 2018—well after both the 90-day
    and 30-day deadlines. Therefore, the BIA did not abuse its discretion in denying
    the Araujos motion as number-barred and time-barred. The Araujos argue that the
    time and number limits do not apply because the basis of their motion was the
    changed country conditions in Brazil and that the BIA refused to consider the
    changed conditions. However, the BIA fully addressed this issue, in its denial of
    the instant petition and the denial of the Araujos’ fifth motion to reopen, and did
    not abuse its discretion in finding that the country conditions did not meet the
    statutory requirement because the evidence of the lower standard of living,
    recession, unemployment, and lack of educational opportunities was not material.
    Second, we lack jurisdiction to consider whether the BIA erred in declining
    to use its authority to sua sponte reopen the Araujos’ removal proceeding. See
    Bing Quan Lin, 881 F.3d at 871. Although the Araujos raised due process claims,
    in both their motion before the BIA and their appeal, they failed to support those
    claims with sufficient detail or argument to raise a “colorable constitutional claim.”
    See id. Further, we have already held that we lack jurisdiction to consider the
    BIA’s decision declining to use its sua sponte authority to reopen the Araujos’ case
    because the Araujos failed to raise colorable constitutional claims. See Araujo v.
    U.S. Atty. Gen. (“Araujo I”), No. 13-15489, slip op. at 5 (11th Cir. Aug. 19, 2014);
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    Araujo v. U.S. Atty. Gen. (“Araujo II”), No. 15-10910, slip op. at 5 (11th Cir. Sept.
    24, 2015); Araujo v. U.S. Atty. Gen. (“Araujo III”), No. 16-10562, slip op. at 2
    (11th Cir. Jan. 9, 2017); Araujo v. U.S. Atty. Gen., (“Araujo IV”), 730 F. App’x.
    855, 858 (11th Cir. 2018); Araujo v. U.S. Atty. Gen., (“Araujo V”), 756 F. App’x.
    865, 868 (11th Cir. 2018).
    Therefore, because there is no substantial question that the Araujos’ motion
    is time- and number-barred and because we lack jurisdiction to consider whether
    the BIA erred in declining to exercise its sua sponte authority to reopen the case,
    we GRANT the government’s motion for summary denial in part and the
    government’s motion to dismiss for lack of jurisdiction in part, and we DENY as
    moot the government’s motion to stay the briefing schedule. See Groendyke
    Transp., Inc., 
    406 F.2d at 1162
    .
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