U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit, 2022

Birhanu v. Garland

Birhanu v. Garland
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit · Decided August 2, 2022 · No. 19-9599
Birhanu v. Garland

Opinion

Appellate Case: 19-9599 Document: 010110719190 Date Filed: 08/02/2022 Page: 1 FILED United States Court of Appeals UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS Tenth Circuit FOR THE TENTH CIRCUIT August 2, 2022 _________________________________ Christopher M. Wolpert Clerk of Court THEWODROS WOLIE BIRHANU, a/k/a

Thewodros Birhanu,

Petitioner,

No. 19-9599 v. (Petition for Review) MERRICK B. GARLAND, United States

Attorney General,

Respondent.

------------------------------

DAVID BALUARTE; JASON CADE;

KRISTINA M. CAMPBELL; KATE

EVANS; JOANNE GOTTESMAN;

CESAR CUANCHTEMOC GARCIA

HERNANDEZ; MARY HOLPER;

ELIZABETH KEYES; JENNIFER LEE

KOH; FRANCES KREIMER; EVAN

TSEN LEE; PETER MARKOWITZ; M.

ISABEL MEDINA; HIROSHI

MOTOMURA; CARRIE L.

ROSENBAUM; ERICA B. SCHOMMER;

ANITA SINHA; DOUGLAS SMITH;

ELISSA STEGLICH; MAUREEN A.

SWEENEY; SUSANNAH VOLPE;

ANNA WELCH; AMERICAN

IMMIGRATION LAWYERS

ASSOCIATION; ROCKY MOUNTAIN

IMMIGRANT ADVOCACY NETWORK;

FLORENCE IMMIGRANT & REFUGEE

RIGHTS PROJECT; BROOKLYN

DEFENDER SERVICES; IMMIGRANT

DEFENDERS LAW CENTER; REFUGEE

AND IMMIGRANT CENTER FOR

EDUCATION AND LEGAL SERVICES; Appellate Case: 19-9599 Document: 010110719190 Date Filed: 08/02/2022 Page: 2

IMMIGRANT LEGAL DEFENSE; THE

CAPITAL AREA IMMIGRANTS

RIGHTS COALITION; NORTHWEST

IMMIGRANT RIGHTS PROJECT;

MARIPOSA LEGAL; IMMIGRATION

SERVICES & LEGAL ADVOCACY;

ALAMEDA PUBLIC DEFENDER;

CAPITAL AREA IMMIGRANTS’

RIGHTS COALITION,

Amici Curiae. _________________________________ ORDER AND JUDGMENT* _________________________________ Before TYMKOVICH, Chief Judge, BRISCOE, and BACHARACH, Circuit Judges. _________________________________

Our ruling in this case, in which Judge Bacharach concurred and dissented, has been vacated by the Supreme Court and the matter remanded for our consideration of the Attorney General’s recent decision in Matter of B-Z-R-, 28 I&N Dec. 563 (A.G.

2022). The panel majority relied on Matter of G-G-S-, 26 I&N Dec. 339 (BIA 2014), which has now been overruled by Matter of B-Z-R-. We in turn remand the matter to the Board of Immigration Appeals to reconsider Mr. Birhanu’s eligibility for asylum and withholding of removal in light of Matter of B-Z-R-, which permits immigration authorities to determine in the first instance the relevance of mental health evidence on a case-by-case basis.

Appellate Case: 19-9599 Document: 010110719190 Date Filed: 08/02/2022 Page: 3

As is relevant here, the Board may consider Mr. Birhanu’s mental health in determining whether he, “having been convicted by a final judgment of a particularly serious crime, constitutes a danger to the community of the United States.” 8 U.S.C. § 1158(b)(2)(A)(ii); see id. § 1231(b)(3)(B)(ii).

Remanded for further consideration in light of Matter of B-Z-R-.

Entered for the Court

Mary Beck Briscoe Circuit Judge

* This order and judgment is not binding precedent, except under the doctrines of law of the case, res judicata, and collateral estoppel. It may be cited, however, for its persuasive value consistent with Fed. R. App. P. 32.1 and 10th Cir. R. 32.1.

Case-law data current through September 30, 2026. Source: CourtListener bulk data.