Colombian immigrant appeals Board of Immigration Appeals ruling to Third Circuit

Client(s) Client L.E.

Courtney Snyder and Hayley Haldeman of Jones Day Pittsburgh, at the request of the Court of Appeals of the Third Circuit, briefed and argued a pro bono appeal to the Third Circuit on behalf of an immigrant seeking withholding of removal and relief under the Convention Against Torture. Our client, a native and citizen of Colombia, resided in the United States for twenty-four years before being arrested and subjected to removal proceedings. The Immigration Judge ordered deportation, and the Board of Immigration Appeals affirmed. Jones Day argued that the Board erred in failing to rule on our client’s motion to file a supplemental brief, which involved issues relevant to the Board’s order, and by applying an improper legal standard, as it ignored evidence of our client’s prior torture in Colombia.