Julio Castillo v. Eric Holder, Jr.
2015 U.S. App. LEXIS 559
| 4th Cir. | 2015Background
- Castillo, a Honduran citizen, entered the U.S. as a lawful permanent resident in 1982 at about 11 years old.
- In 1995, Castillo was convicted in Virginia of unauthorized use of a motor vehicle under Va. Code § 18.2-102, a Class 6 felony (18 months with most suspended).
- In 2012, DHS issued a notice to appear, initiating removal proceedings based on an aggravated felony finding under 8 U.S.C. § 1227(a)(2)(A)(iii).
- DHS argued the Virginia unauthorized-use conviction qualified as an aggravated felony under 8 U.S.C. § 1101(a)(43)(G) as a theft offense with at least a one-year sentence.
- The IJ and then the BIA held that unauthorized use matched the BIA’s definition of a theft offense.
- The Fourth Circuit granted the petition, vacating the removal order, concluding unauthorized use does not categorically qualify as a theft offense under Subsection G.
Issues
| Issue | Plaintiff's Argument | Defendant's Argument | Held |
|---|---|---|---|
| Whether VA unauthorized use is a theft offense under Subsection G | Castillo: statute not a theft offense under BIA definition | DHS: VA unauthorized use matches BIA’s theft-offense definition | Not a theft offense; not categorically removable |
| Whether the state offense is a categorical match under the minimum-conduct test | Castillo: de minimis deprivations negate match | DHS: statutory elements suffice for categorical match | Virginia unauthorized use does not categorically match the federal theft offense |
| Application of the modified categorical approach to this statute | Castillo: Descamps applicability to divisible statutes would matter | DHS: approach could apply if statute divisible | Descamps inapplicable; not divisible; not required here |
Key Cases Cited
- Soliman v. Gonzales, 419 F.3d 276 (4th Cir. 2005) (Chevron deference to BIA on 'theft offense' is appropriate)
- INS v. Aguirre-Aguirre, 526 U.S. 415 (S. Ct. 1999) (agency interpretation of INA terms given deference)
- In re Garcia-Madruga, 24 I. & N. Dec. 436 (BIA 2008) (defines the BIA's theft-offense standard)
- Gonzales v. Duenas-Alvarez, 549 U.S. 183 (S. Ct. 2007) (recognizes limits of BIA's theft-offense definition incl. reasoning)
- Moncrieffe v. Holder, 133 S. Ct. 1678 (S. Ct. 2013) (categorical approach to determining aggravated felonies)
- Descamps v. United States, 570 U.S. 254 (S. Ct. 2013) (modified categorical approach limited to divisible statutes)
- Overstreet v. Commonwealth, 435 S.E.2d 906 (Va. Ct. App. 1993) ( Unauthorized use can cover consensual use exceeding scope)
- Tucker v. Commonwealth, 604 S.E.2d 66 (Va. 2004) (consent and scope/duration impact unauthorized-use conviction)