SAFIYA TAYO TUKUR SELDON v. MERRICK B. GARLAND, Attorney General - Articles

All Content

SAFIYA TAYO TUKUR SELDON v. MERRICK B. GARLAND, Attorney General

Posted by: Azya Thornton on Oct 31, 2024

Court: 6th Circuit Court (Published Opinions)

Attorneys 1: ON BRIEF: Christine P. Varghese, CHICAGO IMMIGRATION ADVOCATES, Chicago, Illinois, for Petitioner.

Attorneys 2: ON BRIEF: Rachel P. Berman-Vaporis, UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE, Washington, D.C., for Respondent.

Judge(s): MOORE, COLE, and LARSEN, Circuit Judges

Court Appealed: On Petition for Review from the Board of Immigration Appeals

KAREN NELSON MOORE, Circuit Judge. Safiya Tayo Tukur Seldon (“Seldon”), a native of Nigeria, entered the United States in 1992 using her sister’s passport and a tourist visa. In 1997, she married a U.S. citizen and obtained conditional permanent resident status. But two years later, when she petitioned for removal of conditions, the Immigration and Naturalization Service concluded that her marriage was a sham. And when she was confronted with tough questions by officials, she ended the interview, resulting in termination of her conditional status and an order of removal from the United States. Fast forward two decades, Safiya Seldon appeared for a removal hearing before an immigration judge (“IJ”), who ordered her removed from the United States. She contested that decision to the Board of Immigration Appeals (“BIA”) on the grounds that the IJ failed to inform her of her rights to apply for a waiver of removal and to seek asylum. The BIA dismissed her appeal, and we now DENY her petition for review.

Attachments: