Bobadilla v. Holder
679 F.3d 1052
8th Cir.
2012

Background

  • Bobadilla, a Canadian citizen, entered the U.S. in 1997 and became a lawful permanent resident in 1998.
  • He was convicted in Minnesota state court of giving a false name to a peace officer (Minn. Stat. § 609.506, subd. 1) and of theft (Minn. Stat. § 609.52, subd. 2).
  • U.S. DHS removing him; IJ held both convictions CIMTs; BIA affirmed.
  • The central legal question is whether the conviction for providing a false name is categorically a CIMT under Silva-Trevino’s framework, a question the court has jurisdiction to review.
  • The Minnesota record shows the false-name conviction arose from a December 2001 charge and a guilty plea in April 2002; the record lacked a hearing on underlying facts.
  • The court grants the petition for review and remands to the BIA for further proceedings under Silva-Trevino’s methodology.

Issues

Issue Plaintiff's Argument Defendant's Argument Held
Whether Minn. § 609.506(1) is categorically a CIMT Bobadilla argues the statute is not inherently CIMT and requires look-behind analysis. Government contends the statute inherently involves moral turpitude because it targets obstruction through deceit. Remand required; the BIA must apply Silva-Trevino.

Key Cases Cited

  • Jordan v. De George, 341 U.S. 223 (1951) (definitional precedent for CIMT and moral turpitude)
  • Gonzales v. Duenas-Alvarez, 549 U.S. 183 (2007) (realistic probability standard for categorical inquiries)
  • Silva-Trevino, 24 I. & N. Dec. 687 (AG 2008) (establishes realistic-probability + record-of-conviction steps for CIMT)
  • Taylor v. United States, 495 U.S. 575 (1990) (ACCA-like categorical framework for CIMT prior decisions)
  • Shepard v. United States, 544 U.S. 13 (2005) (step-two evidentiary scrutiny in categorical approach)
  • Chanmouny v. Ashcroft, 376 F.3d 810 (8th Cir. 2004) (reiteration of categorization approach for CIMT)
  • Recio-Prado v. Gonzales, 456 F.3d 819 (8th Cir. 2006) (pre-Silva-Trevino CIMT standard and deference framework)
  • Aguirre-Aguirre, 526 U.S. 415 (1999) (agency interpretations of CIMT within statute)
  • Mayo Foundation for Medical Education & Research v. United States, 131 S. Ct. 704 (2011) (agency regulation validity despite litigation history)
  • Guardado-Garcia v. Holder, 615 F.3d 900 (8th Cir. 2010) (circuit precedent on Silva-Trevino application)
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