Marcelino Torres-Jimenez v. Merrick Garland ( 2023 )

NOT FOR PUBLICATION FILED
UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS MAR 31 2023
MOLLY C. DWYER, CLERK
U.S. COURT OF APPEALS
FOR THE NINTH CIRCUIT
MARCELINO TORRES-JIMENEZ No. 20-73200
Petitioner, Agency No. A075-471-354
v.
MEMORANDUM*
MERRICK B. GARLAND, Attorney
General,
Respondent.
On Petition for Review of an Order of the
Board of Immigration Appeals
Submitted March 29, 2023**
Seattle, Washington
Before: NGUYEN and HURWITZ, Circuit Judges, and GUTIERREZ,*** Chief
District Judge.
Marcelino Torres-Jimenez, a native and citizen of Mexico and lawful
permanent resident since 1998, was placed in removal proceedings following a 2015
*
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 Philip S. Gutierrez, Chief United States District Judge
for the Central District of California, sitting by designation.
conviction for possession of methamphetamine and heroin and subsequently applied
for cancellation of removal under 8 U.S.C. § 1229b. Torres-Jimenez seeks review
of a decision of the Board of Immigration Appeals (“BIA”) dismissing his appeal
from an order of an Immigration Judge (“IJ”) denying cancellation of removal.
Torres-Jimenez argues that the BIA erred in denying his motion to remand to the IJ
to present new evidence of hardship to his wife and daughter that would result from
his removal.
This Court lacks jurisdiction to review “any judgment” regarding the denial
of an application for cancellation of removal, 8 U.S.C. § 1252(a)(2)(B)(i), or “any
final order of removal” against a noncitizen convicted of certain crimes, id.§ 1252(a)(2)(C), unless a petition for review poses “constitutional claims or
questions of law,” id. § 1252(a)(2)(D). Because Torres-Jimenez fails to raise a
colorable constitutional or legal claim, we dismiss the petition for review.
The BIA did not violate Torres-Jimenez’s due process rights in denying his
motion to remand. First, to the extent Torres-Jimenez now claims that he had
additional evidence of hardship to present on remand, then he needed to present that
evidence to the BIA along with his motion and did not do so. See Bhasin v.
Gonzales, 423 F.3d 977, 984 (9th Cir. 2005). Second, the BIA applied the correct
legal standard and properly considered the evidence before it when denying Torres-
Jimenez’s motion. On appeal, Torres-Jimenez proffered new evidence showing only
2
that his wife and daughter were lawful permanent residents and that they lived with
him. The BIA assumed that Torres-Jimenez testified credibly and that the new
evidence was accurate. Nonetheless, it found that the negative factors—such as the
length and severity of Torres-Jimenez’s criminal record—outweighed the positive
factors, and denied cancellation of removal in the exercise of its discretion. The BIA
did not violate Torres-Jimenez’s due process rights, and § 1252(a)(2)(B)(i)
otherwise “precludes our visiting the merits.” Fernandez v. Gonzales, 439 F.3d 592,
601 (9th Cir. 2006).
PETITION DISMISSED.
3