Juan Ramos v. Loretta E. Lynch , 627 F. App'x 661 ( 2015 )


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  •                                                                           FILED
    NOT FOR PUBLICATION
    DEC 23 2015
    UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS                     MOLLY C. DWYER, CLERK
    U.S. COURT OF APPEALS
    FOR THE NINTH CIRCUIT
    JUAN BERNARDO RAMOS,                            No. 12-74243
    Petitioner,                       Agency No. A099-492-438
    v.                                             MEMORANDUM*
    LORETTA LYNCH, Attorney General
    Respondent.
    On Petition for Review of an Order of
    The Board of Immigration Appeals
    Submitted December 11, 2015**
    Pasadena, California
    Before:      GOULD and BERZON, Circuit Judges, and ZOUHARY,*** District
    Judge.
    *      This disposition is not appropriate for publication and is not precedent
    except as provided by Ninth Circuit Rule 36-3.
    **     The panel unanimously concludes this case is suitable for decision
    without oral argument. See Fed. R. App. P. 34(a)(2).
    ***   The Honorable Jack Zouhary, United States District Judge for the
    Northern District of Ohio, sitting by designation.
    Juan Ramos challenges the decision of the Board of Immigration Appeals
    (“BIA”) affirming the Immigration Judge’s denial of his application for adjustment
    of status. We have jurisdiction under 8 U.S.C. § 1252 and deny the petition for
    review.
    The BIA reasonably concluded Ramos’ November 2006 drug conviction, for
    which he received a $50 fine, was a “conviction” under 8 U.S.C. 1101(a)(48) (“The
    term ‘conviction’ means . . . the alien has entered a plea of guilty . . . and the judge has
    ordered some form of punishment[ or] penalty . . . .”). As the Supreme Court has
    observed, the terms “punishment” and “penalty” “each undeniably embrace [criminal]
    fines.” S. Union Co. v. United States, 
    132 S. Ct. 2344
    , 2351 (2012).
    Ramos relies on Retuta v. Holder, 
    591 F.3d 1181
    (9th Cir. 2010), where this
    Court held that “an unconditional suspended non-incarceratory sanction that has no
    present effect is not a punishment, penalty, or restraint” under Section 1101(a)(48).
    
    Id. at 1190.
    But unlike in Retuta, Ramos’ fine was not suspended. And the rule of
    lenity is also unavailing, as Ramos fails to show any persisting ambiguity in Section
    1101(a)(48) that would trigger its application. See Rodriguez v. Holder, 
    619 F.3d 1077
    , 1080 n.3 (9th Cir. 2010) (“Since we hold that the statute is not ambiguous, the
    rule of lenity does not apply.”).
    2
    The BIA reasonably concluded Ramos is ineligible for a waiver of
    inadmissiblity or adjustment of status.
    DENIED.
    3
    

Document Info

Docket Number: 12-74243

Citation Numbers: 627 F. App'x 661

Judges: Gould, Berzon, Zouhary

Filed Date: 12/23/2015

Precedential Status: Non-Precedential

Modified Date: 11/6/2024