Case Explained: HECTOR FUENTES-RAMOS V. TODD BLANCHE

Court: United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit Filed: 2026-07-23 The Ninth Circuit denied the petition for review of the Board of Immigration Appeals’ order affirming the Immigration Judge’s finding of removability and denial of the petitioner’s applications for withholding of removal, protection under the Convention Against Torture, cancellation of removal, and adjustment of status. The court applied a de novo standard of review to the BIA’s legal conclusions regarding the applicable federal statutes. Regarding the claim for cancellation of removal, the court held that the petitioner’s conviction under Oregon Revised Statutes § 163.160(1)(a), (3)(c) constitutes “a crime of child abuse, child neglect, or child abandonment” under 8 U.S.C. § 1227(a)(2)(E)(i). Relying on the precedent set in *Diaz-Boyzo v. Blanche*, the court determined that the statute is divisible and that the petitioner’s specific conviction renders him ineligible for relief, rejecting arguments based on *State v. Yong* and *State v. Glaspey* as they did not establish divisibility or alter the statutory requirements regarding harm to children. Additionally, the court ruled that any defect in the Notice to Appear regarding the lack of hearing date-and-time information was not a jurisdictional defect but rather a non-jurisdictional claims-processing rule under 8 C.F.R. § 1003.18(b) that was cured by subsequent notice provided to the petitioner. As a result of this decision, the petition is denied and the BIA’s order affirming the petitioner’s removability and denying his requested forms of relief remains in effect. Do It For The Case Law is a news reporting service. Nothing in this episode constitutes legal advice.