Practice Advisory: Matter of Chairez-Castrejon: BIA Applies Moncrieffe and Descamps to Modify and Clarify Its Views on Proper Application of the Categorical Approach (July 31, 2014): IDP and the National Immigration Project have issued an advisory on the Board of Immigration Appeals July 24th decision in Matter of Chairez-Castrejon, 26 I&N Dec. 349 (BIA 2014). In this decision, the Board applied last year’s Supreme Court’s decisions in Moncrieffe v. Holder and Descamps v. United States to modify and/or clarify the Board’s views on proper application of the categorical approach for determining whether a conviction fits within a criminal removal ground. The advisory describes the developments in the Board’s views relating to (1) minimum conduct test; (2) divisibility; (3) realistic probability standard; and (4) relief eligibility burden of proof. The advisory is meant to supplement and update the discussion of these concepts in last year’s advisories on the Moncrieffe and Descamps decisions.
