Safe Havens



 
 

§ 6.22 (B)

 
Skip to § 6.

For more text, click "Next Page>"

(B)  Foreign offenses.  In the context of crimes of moral turpitude based on foreign convictions, however, the BIA has held that they can consider matters beyond the statute or conviction record.[72]


[72] Chiaramonte v. INS, 626 F.2d 1093, 1099 (2d Cir. 1980) (the court distinguished the Lennon decision, since the elements of the crime of conviction under Italian statute were equivalent to larceny as understood in U.S. law); Lennon v. INS, 527 F.2d 187 (2d Cir. 1975) (the court examined British judicial opinions to determine whether conviction of violating British statute required guilty knowledge as an essential element); De Lucia v. Flagg, 297 F.2d 58 (7th Cir. 1961), cert. den., 369 U.S. 837, 82 S.Ct. 867 (1962) (record of conviction disclosed Italian homicide conviction was equivalent to voluntary manslaughter conviction under United States law); Matter of S, 9 I. & N. Dec. 496 (BIA 1961) (record disclosed Peru homicide conviction was equivalent to voluntary manslaughter under United States law); Matter of M, 9 I. & N. Dec. 132 (BIA 1960) (Italian conviction for swindling and forgery involved criminal intent; violation of domicile did not; independent study made of conviction records and statutes); Matter of M, 2 I. & N. Dec 686 (1946) (Canadian auto-theft conviction held not CMT, since defendant was a minor at the time of the offense and evidence showed he intended only “joy-riding” rather than a permanent taking); Matter of T, 2 I. & N. Dec. 22 (AG 1944) (court considered facts in Canadian theft conviction record and admissions of noncitizen to determine whether the defendant intended to deprive the owner of the property permanently).

Updates

 

Seventh Circuit

SEXUAL ABUSE OF A MINOR - AGE OF THE VICTIM NEED NOT BE AN ELEMENT OF A SEX OFFENSE TO TRIGGER AGGRAVATED FELONY IN SEVENTH CIRCUIT RECORD OF CONVICTION - FACT OF VICTIMS AGE IN CRIMINAL COMPLAINT, ALTHOUGH NOT REQUIRED TO CONVICT, IS SUFFICIENT TO PROVE SEXUAL ABUSE OF A MINOR
Gattem v. Gonzalez, __ F.3d __, 2005 WL 1422373 (7th Cir. June 20, 2005) (misdemeanor solicitation to engage in a sexual act, in violation of Illinois law, 720 ILCS 5/11-14.1(a), is an aggravated felony, sexual abuse of a minor, offense for immigration purposes where the criminal complaint [and no other document] shows that the victim was under the age of 18)

Ninth Circuit

CONVICTION - RECORD OF CONVICTION - FACTUAL BASIS FOR PLEA - DEFENDANT'S MOTION
United States v. Hernandez-Hernandez, ___ F.3d ___ (9th Cir. Dec. 16, 2005) (stipulated factual basis taken from defendant's California Penal Code 995 motion could be used by federal court to find that false imprisonment conviction involved violence; reliance on stipulated facts does not violate Taylor v. United States, 495 U.S. 575, 601-02 (1990) (sentencing court may not inquire into facts underlying prior conviction) because the stipulation was tantamount to a plea agreement, which may be used to establish facts).

 

TRANSLATE