Adegbenga Ijadimini v. Eric Holder, Jr. ( 2013 )


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  •      Case: 13-60226      Document: 00512484377         Page: 1    Date Filed: 12/30/2013
    IN THE UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS
    FOR THE FIFTH CIRCUIT
    United States Court of Appeals
    Fifth Circuit
    FILED
    No. 13-60226                           December 30, 2013
    Summary Calendar
    Lyle W. Cayce
    Clerk
    ADEGBENGA TITO IJADIMINI,
    Petitioner
    v.
    ERIC H. HOLDER, JR., U.S. ATTORNEY GENERAL,
    Respondent
    Petition for Review of an Order of the
    Board of Immigration Appeals
    BIA No. A026 399 033
    Before KING, DAVIS, and ELROD, Circuit Judges.
    PER CURIAM: *
    Adegbenga Tito Ijadimini, a native and citizen of Nigeria, petitions for
    review of a final order of removal issued by the Board of Immigration Appeals
    (BIA). He was removed pursuant to 8 U.S.C. § 1227(a)(2)(A)(iii), as an alien
    convicted of an aggravated felony based on his conviction for solicitation of
    capital murder. However, he does not address the BIA’s determination that he
    is removable as an alien convicted of an aggravated felony. Accordingly, he
    * Pursuant to 5TH CIR. R. 47.5, the court has determined that this opinion should not
    be published and is not precedent except under the limited circumstances set forth in 5TH
    CIR. R. 47.5.4.
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    No. 13-60226
    has abandoned any challenge to that determination. See Soadjede v. Ashcroft,
    
    324 F.3d 830
    , 833 (5th Cir. 2003).
    Ijadimini has failed to show that the BIA erred in concluding that the
    instant removal proceedings were not barred by the doctrine of res judicata.
    See Andrade v. Gonzales, 
    459 F.3d 538
    , 545 (5th Cir. 2006). Although earlier
    deportation proceedings were terminated on the Government’s motion, the
    termination was without prejudice, and there was no final judgment on the
    merits of Ijadimini’s deportability.     See 
    id. The fact
    that Ijadimini was
    recharged under a different statutory provision did not preclude the instant
    proceedings. See Peters v. Ashcroft, 
    383 F.3d 302
    (5th Cir. 2004).
    Likewise, the BIA did not err in determining that Ijadimini was
    ineligible for relief under former Immigration and Nationality Act § 212(c)
    because he was not eligible for that relief at the time of his conviction and
    sentencing. See Romero-Rodriguez v. Gonzales, 
    488 F.3d 672
    , 673-77 (5th Cir.
    2007). Although Ijadimini argues that he was eligible for relief during the
    original 1997 deportation proceedings because he had not yet served five years
    of imprisonment, “there is nothing in the statute or the policies served by the
    statutory framework clearly contradicting the BIA’s construction.” 
    Id. at 676-
    77.
    Additionally, although Ijadimini argues that he was prevented from
    applying for § 212(c) relief as a result of various due process violations, § 212(c)
    relief is not a property or liberty interest warranting due process protection.
    See Ahmed v. Gonzales, 
    447 F.3d 433
    , 440 (5th Cir. 2006). Moreover, he has
    failed to make the initial showing of substantial prejudice necessary to prevail
    on any of his due process claims. See De Zavala v. Ashcroft, 
    385 F.3d 879
    , 883
    (5th Cir. 2004).
    2
    Case: 13-60226     Document: 00512484377      Page: 3   Date Filed: 12/30/2013
    No. 13-60226
    Finally, insofar as he argues that his state conviction was void on its face
    because the record did not reflect that the visiting trial judge filed the required
    oaths prior to his trial, “a lack of filing of any required oath is not proof, in
    itself, of the failure of the judge to take the constitutionally required oaths.”
    See Murphy v. State, 
    95 S.W.3d 317
    , 320 (Tex. App. 2002). Accordingly, the
    BIA’s determination that Ijadimini had failed to make the required showing
    was not erroneous. See 
    id. The petition
    for review is DENIED. The motion for the appointment of
    counsel also is DENIED.
    3