Juan Chilel-Chilel v. Pamela Bondi
── Juan Chilel-Chilel v. Pamela Bondi ──
Court: Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
Date: April 09, 2026
Category: General
NOT FOR PUBLICATION FILED
UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS APR 9 2026
MOLLY C. DWYER, CLERK
U.S. COURT OF APPEALS
FOR THE NINTH CIRCUIT
JUAN CHILEL-CHILEL, No. 21-70220
Petitioner, Agency No. A079-007-948
v.
MEMORANDUM*
PAMELA BONDI, Attorney General,
Respondent.
On Petition for Review of an Order of the
Board of Immigration Appeals
Submitted March 31, 2026**
Before: FRIEDLAND, MILLER, and COLLINS, Circuit Judges.
Petitioner Juan Chilel-Chilel appeals pro se from a decision of the Board of
Immigration Appeals (BIA) denying his motion to reopen. We review for abuse of
discretion the BIA’s denial of a motion to reopen, and we review purely legal
questions de novo. Bonilla v. Lynch, 840 F.3d 575, 581 (9th Cir. 2016). We have
*
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).
jurisdiction under 8 U.S.C. § 1252(a) to review the denial of a statutorily
authorized motion to reopen removal proceedings. See Kucana v. Holder, 558
U.S. 233, 250 (2010). We deny the petition.
1. After the 90-day deadline for motions to reopen under 8 U.S.C.
§ 1229a(c)(7)(C)(i) had passed, Petitioner filed a motion to reopen his removal
proceedings, alleging changed country conditions in Guatemala. The BIA denied
Petitioner’s motion to reopen because it was untimely and Petitioner had not
shown materially changed country conditions to warrant an exception to the 90-day
deadline under 8 U.S.C. § 1229a(c)(7)(C)(ii). The BIA also declined to exercise its
authority to reopen proceedings sua sponte.
2. The BIA did not abuse its discretion in determining that Petitioner failed
to demonstrate materially changed country conditions that warrant reopening.
Although Petitioner submitted reports from 2016 and 2020 as evidence of changed
country conditions, the BIA did not abuse its discretion in concluding that these
reports did not provide evidence of materially different country conditions from
those that existed at the time of his removal hearing. See Agonafer v. Sessions, 859
F.3d 1198, 1204 (9th Cir. 2017) (“Evidence that simply recounts previous
conditions presented at a previous hearing . . . is not sufficient to show a change in
country conditions.”).
3. The BIA determined that Petitioner did not demonstrate a “truly
2
exceptional situation” warranting exercise of its sua sponte authority, which
Petitioner suggests violated his due process right to a “full and fair hearing.” We
have jurisdiction to review the BIA’s decision not to reopen removal proceedings
sua sponte only “for the limited purpose of reviewing the reasoning behind the
[BIA’s] decisions for legal or constitutional error.” Bonilla, 840 F.3d at 588.
Petitioner has not demonstrated that his due process rights have been violated nor
has he established any other legal or constitutional error.
Petition DENIED.1
1
The temporary administrative stay of removal is lifted and the motion to
stay removal, Docket No. 1, is denied.
3
{# E23 (Nick, ruling section 1 answer 10): quoting a bill or a court opinion works
the way quoting a news article works. Select a passage above and the same panel
opens: the passage goes to the official you choose, with this document's own
address as its source and its own type. #}