U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, 2005

United States v. Garcia-Mesa

United States v. Garcia-Mesa
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit · Decided December 14, 2005 · Higginbotham, King, Smith
157 F. App'x 776

United States v. Garcia-Mesa

Opinion of the Court

PER CURIAM: *

Heriberto Garcia-Mesa (Garcia) appeals his conviction and the 37-month sentence imposed following his guilty plea to being a previously deported alien unlawfully present in the United States. Garcia’s constitutional challenge to 8 U.S.C. § 1326(b) is foreclosed by Almendarez-Torres v. United States, 523 U.S. 224, 235, 118 S.Ct. 1219, 140 L.Ed.2d 350 (1998). Although Garcia contends that Almendarez-Torres was incorrectly decided and that a majority of the Supreme Court would overrule Almendarez-Torres in light of Apprendi v. New Jersey, 530 U.S. 466, 120 S.Ct. 2348, 147 L.Ed.2d 435 (2000), we have repeatedly rejected such arguments on the basis that Almendarez-Torres remains binding. See United States v. Garza-Lopez, 410 F.3d 268, 276 (5th Cir.), cert. denied, — U.S. —, 126 S.Ct. 298, — L.Ed.2d — (2005). Garcia properly concedes that his argument is foreclosed in light of Almendarez-Torres and circuit precedent, but he raises it here to preserve it for further review.

AFFIRMED.

Pursuant to 5th Cir. R. 47.5, the court has determined that this opinion should not be published and is not precedent except under the limited circumstances set forth in 5th Cir. R. 47.5.4.

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