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Sanchez-Resendiz v. Garland

United States Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit
Jul 8, 2022
No. 17-73511 (9th Cir. Jul. 8, 2022)

Opinion

17-73511

07-08-2022

SARA SANCHEZ-RESENDIZ, Petitioner, v. MERRICK B. GARLAND, Attorney General, Respondent.


NOT FOR PUBLICATION

Submitted July 6, 2022 Portland, Oregon

On Petition for Review of an Order of the Board of Immigration Appeals Agency No. A078-048-655

Before: WATFORD, R. NELSON, and LEE, Circuit Judges.

MEMORANDUM [*]

Sara Sanchez-Resendiz petitions for review of an order of the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) denying her motion to reopen or reconsider her removal proceedings. We have limited jurisdiction to review for legal or constitutional error, see Bonilla v. Lynch, 840 F.3d 575, 588 (9th Cir. 2016), and we deny the petition.

In Sanchez-Resendez v. Lynch, 608 Fed.Appx. 537, 538 (9th Cir. 2015), we held that Sanchez-Resendiz's conviction for facilitating the unlawful transportation of marijuana for sale constituted a crime involving moral turpitude. We concluded that Arizona Revised Statutes § 13-3405(A)(4), which contains the substantive offense underlying Sanchez-Resendiz's conviction, is divisible. Id. We then applied the modified categorical approach to determine that Sanchez-Resendiz's conviction included a "for sale" element and therefore constituted a drugtrafficking offense involving moral turpitude. Id.

Sanchez-Resendiz argues that intervening decisions from both the Supreme Court and this court have demonstrated that our prior decision was erroneous. But in Walcott v. Garland, 21 F.4th 590, 596-98 (9th Cir. 2021), we confirmed that § 13-3405(A)(4) is divisible and that the "transport for sale" offense it encompasses can involve moral turpitude. Although we held that Walcott's convictions in that case did not constitute a crime involving moral turpitude, Walcott was convicted under § 13-3405(A)(4) and (B)(10) for an offense involving less than two pounds of marijuana. Id. at 598. Here, Sanchez-Resendiz pleaded guilty to violating § 13-3405(A)(4) and (B)(11), meaning her offense involved two pounds or more of marijuana.

Because § 13-3405(A)(4) is divisible, and because § 13-3405(B)(11) does not encompass very small amounts of marijuana like the provision at issue in Walcott, Sanchez-Resendiz can point to no intervening precedent undermining our conclusion that her conviction constituted a crime involving moral turpitude. See Barragan-Lopez v. Mukasey, 508 F.3d 899, 903-04 (9th Cir. 2007). Sanchez-Resendiz has thus failed to demonstrate that the BIA's decision denying sua sponte reopening or reconsideration contains legal or constitutional error, and we lack jurisdiction to further review that decision or any other arguments she makes in support. See Bonilla, 840 F.3d at 588.

PETITION FOR REVIEW DENIED.

[*] This disposition is not appropriate for publication and is not precedent except as provided by Ninth Circuit Rule 36-3.

The panel unanimously concludes this case is suitable for decision without oral argument. See Fed. R. App. P. 34(a)(2).


Summaries of

Sanchez-Resendiz v. Garland

United States Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit
Jul 8, 2022
No. 17-73511 (9th Cir. Jul. 8, 2022)
Case details for

Sanchez-Resendiz v. Garland

Case Details

Full title:SARA SANCHEZ-RESENDIZ, Petitioner, v. MERRICK B. GARLAND, Attorney…

Court:United States Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit

Date published: Jul 8, 2022

Citations

No. 17-73511 (9th Cir. Jul. 8, 2022)