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BIA Holds That “Rape” Under INA § 101(A)(43)(A) Includes An Act Of Vaginal, Anal, Or Oral Intercourse, Or Digital Or Mechanical Penetration, No Matter How Slight.  Perez-Gonzalez V. Holder, 667 F.3d 622 (5th Cir. 2012), Not Followed.  “Rape” Also Requires That The Underlying Sexual Act Be Committed Without Consent, Which May Be Shown By A Statutory Requirement That The Victim’s Ability To Appraise The Nature Of The Conduct Was Substantially Impaired And The Defendant Had A Culpable Mental State As To Such Impairment.

December 8, 2017 Philip Levin

On October 20, 2017, the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA or Board), in ruling on the appeal of a respondent convicted of aggravated felony rape under INA § 101(a)(43)(A) and ordered removed by the Immigration Judge (IJ), discussed what acts are encompassed by “rape” and whether the “substantial impairment” standard found at § 2907.02(A)(1)(c) of the Ohio Revised Code Annotated is synonymous with an incapacity to consent.  Initially, held the BIA, whether a conviction is for aggravated felony rape under § 101(a)(43)(A) is a question of law the Board reviews de novo.

To begin its analysis, the BIA noted that its inquiry is governed by the categorical approach, which requires an adjudicator to “compare the scope of conduct punished as rape” under Ohio law with the generic definition of “rape” in § 101(a)(43)(A).  The term, explained the opinion, was added to the INA in 1996, but is not defined by the Act or any other provision of federal law.  In the absence of statutory definition, held the BIA, the Board must “define the term according to its ordinary, contemporary meaning in 1996” when “rape” was added to the aggravated felony provisions.  

Respondent argued that the BIA’s inquiry into the ordinary, contemporary meaning of “rape” in 1996 “should be limited to examining the laws of the 23 states that prohibited a crime specifically called ‘rape’ at that time”; as only a minority of such jurisdictions included digital or mechanical penetration in that definition, he claimed that in 1996 the consensus was that this conduct was not rape.  The Board disagreed, finding that many of these States treated such crimes and rape as synonymous and interchangeable – quoting an Illinois Supreme Court decision to point out that the goal of renaming these crimes was to take a “hodgepodge of preexisting statutes” and create one comprehensive law “that reflects the fact that rape encompasses all types of sexual assault”.  Put another way, held the Board, Congress’ “restyling” of “rape” into forms of “sexual abuse” was meant to “remove barriers associated with the traditional understanding of rape and to bring Federal law in line with the growing consensus among the States” that “rape” includes a wider range of unacceptable conduct than coerced sexual intercourse.  

As to the sexual act required for a conviction, the BIA noted that by 1996 the State consensus was that “rape” encompassed not only vaginal, anal, and oral intercourse, but also digital and mechanical penetration as well.  Thus, held the Board, because a majority of States defined rape so as to include these acts, “such offenses are also covered by the definition of ‘rape’ in section 101(a)(43)(A)…”, no matter how slight the penetration.

Regarding the issue of consent, the BIA framed the inquiry as how to define lack of consent generally and where a victim’s mental condition amounts to a “prohibitive condition” that makes an act of sexual penetration unlawful.  Setting forth the Ohio statute under which respondent was convicted as defining “rape” as a sexual act where either 1) the victim’s mental capacity is substantially impaired as the result of an intoxicant administered without consent by the defendant or 2) the victim’s mental capacity is substantially impaired and the defendant knew or had reason to know, the Board found respondent conviction to have been based on the latter circumstance.  Here, the respondent’s argument appeared to highlight the phrase “incapable of giving consent”, so as to attribute to the term “a meaning that requires complete incapacitation, or an inability to vocalize consent”; this interpretation, found the opinion, “is flatly at odds with the consensus in 1996.”  Yet by that time, stated the BIA, the term “incapable” did not denote an absolute inability to consent, merely an inability to give effective or meaningful consent.  In other words, held the Board, the “pivotal question” is whether a victim is substantially able to understand what she was doing; this is “essentially synonymous” with requiring that the impairment be of such a degree “as to deprive the victim of the ability to provide meaningful consent”.  The IJ’s order was therefore affirmed and the appeal dismissed.  Matter of Keely, 27 I&N Dec. 146 (BIA 2017).

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TN

The TN nonimmigrant classification allows qualified Canadian and Mexican citizens to enter the U.S. and engage in professional business activities. LPPC will help you navigate through the TN application process by evaluating your eligibility, preparing supporting documentation for your application, and ultimately filing your application. 

B-1

LPPC will guide you through the consular process to receive a B-1 visa for specific short-term business purposes ranging from contract negotiations to seminars and conferences.

O-1

O-1 visas are for persons of extraordinary ability in the sciences, arts, education, business or sports. 

J-1

Administered by the Department of State, the J-1 visa is for students, trainees, academics, researchers, professionals or experts participating in an approved Exchange Visitor program. LPPC will assist you and your sponsor with preparing the necessary paperwork and the consular process so you can begin your program at ease. 

E-1 & E-2

E-1 visas and E-2 visas are for nationals of countries with which the United States has a treaty of friendship, commerce and navigation (FCN) or bilateral investment treaty (BIT). If you are a nonimmigrant trader or investor seeking to conduct business operations or develop a new enterprise in the U.S., we will help you file for the appropriate visa. As a recognized expert in this area, Mr. Levin will provide experienced and dependable assistance with E-1 or E-2 visa applications. 

  • E-1: If you are a national of a country that conducts a significant volume of trade with the U.S. (or if you intend to develop trade between the U.S. and your home country) you might be eligible for entry under an E-1 visa. 
  • E-2: The E-2 visa allows investors from treaty countries to enter the U.S. for purposes of directing and developing a business, with all the commitments and risks implicit in entrepreneurial activity. 
L-1

The L-1 visa category is for executives, managers or professionals employed by foreign affiliates of U.S companies. The L-1 visa is divided into two classifications:

  • L-1A Intracompany Transferee Executive or Manager
  • L-1B Intracompany Transferee Specialized Knowledge
H-1B

Many companies in the United States find themselves increasingly dependent on the talent, experience and energy of foreign national workers in professional, technical or specialized occupational fields. These employees typically enter the U.S. on nonimmigrant H-1B visas for “specialty occupations.” 

With extensive experience in business immigration, you can count on LPPC to guide your company or Human Resources department in preparing and filing an H-1B visa petition.

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Family preservation and reunification is a priority for our firm. Our attorneys have advised and assisted families from all over the world with entry visas, adjustment of status, and other immigration problems. 

  • Immediate Relatives: If you are the spouse, child, or parent of a U.S. citizen, we can help you obtain a green card through an Immediate Relative petition. 
  • Family-Based Preference: If your relative is a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident, we can assist you with your green card application through one of the family based preference categories.
Fiances

If you are a U.S. citizen and your fiancé/fiancée or spouse is overseas, our office will assist you to navigate the CIS requirements and regulations to have the case approved and then prepare you and your spouse for the interview at the U.S. Embassy. LPPC will also help you find the best ways to resolve any problems you encounter if a waiver is required in your case.

Marriage

Immigration through marriage is a common means of obtaining permanent residence in the U.S.  Since 1991, Philip Levin & Associates has helped hundreds of couples immigrate to the U.S. and build their lives together. 

  • I-130 Petition and Adjustment of Status: If you are married to a U.S. citizen, present in the U.S. and eligible to do so, our attorneys will assist you in preparing and filing the necessary I-130 petition and I-485 adjustment of status application in the U.S.
  • Immigrant Visa Consular Processing: If you are married to a U.S. citizen and reside abroad, we will assist you in preparing and filing the IV petition with an Embassy or Consulate-General in your native country. 
  • I-751, Remove Conditions on Residence: If you have been married less than two years at the time your green card was initially approved, our office will help you in the joint petition process to become a permanent resident.