Birhanu v. Garland

U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit

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.

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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.

* This order and judgment is not binding precedent, except under the doctrines of law of the case, res judicata, and collateral estoppel.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. 2 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

3

Reference

Status
Unpublished