Safe Havens

(B)  No Collateral Attack on Validity of Conviction in Immigration Proceedings.  In general, a noncitizen is precluded from challenging the validity of a criminal conviction in immigration proceedings.  Immigration courts are normally required to accept as valid any criminal conviction that is proven to exist by sufficient evidence, and may not entertain any objections to the legal validity of a conviction during removal proceedings.[23]  In general, as an administrative agency, the DHS (or EOIR) has no power to adjudicate the validity of convictions underlying deportation proceedings.[24]  The proper forum in which to challenge the legal validity of a conviction is the criminal court and not a proceeding before the Executive Office for Immigration Review.[25]

[23]  Urbina-Mauricio v. INS, 989 F.2d 1085, 1089 (9th Cir. 1993); Avila-Murrieta v. INS, 762 F.2d 733, 736 (9th Cir. 1985); Ocon-Perez v. INS, 550 F.2d 1153, 1154 (9th Cir. 1977).

[24] Ocon-Perez v. INS, 550 F.2d 1153, 1154 (9th Cir. 1977); Aguilera-Enriquez v. INS, 516 F.2d 565, 570 (6th Cir. 1975), cert. denied, 423 U.S. 1050 (1976).  Cf. Estrada-Rosales v. INS, 645 F.2d 819 (9th Cir. 1981) (plea procedurally defective and conviction set aside); Mendez v. INS, 563 F.2d 956 (9th Cir. 1977) (evidence of vacation of judgment available had counsel been given proper notice).

[25] Avila-Murrieta v. INS, 762 F.2d 733 (9th Cir. 1985); Ramirez-Juarez v. INS, 633 F.2d 174 (9th Cir. 1980); Wing v. INS, 46 F.2d 755 (7th Cir. 1931); De La Cruz v. INS, 951 F.2d 226 (9th Cir. 1991) (INS has no power to adjudicate validity of state convictions where alien alleges ineffective assistance of counsel in failing to inform of deportation consequences of guilty plea); D. Kesselbrenner & L. Rosenberg, Immigration Law and Crimes, § 4.1, n.1 (2003).