Background
William Hernando Usma Acosta fled Colombia in 1994 after shooting his wife, Laura, and his daughter, Jennyfer, in Antioquia. He purchased a false identity as Carlos Alberto Rendón Castañeda, entered the United States, and lived there for nearly thirty years, marrying an American citizen and raising a son. In 2020, while applying for naturalization under the alias Rendón, a routine fingerprint check linked him to an INTERPOL Red Notice regarding his conviction in absentia for aggravated murder in Colombia. The Department of Homeland Security arrested him, and immigration proceedings led to an order of removal.
The court’s reasoning
The court reviewed the petitioner’s arguments regarding his removal proceedings. While the petitioner raised various claims, the court found that most lacked merit. The court determined that it lacked jurisdiction to review certain aspects of the decision and denied the remaining arguments, concluding that the removal order was proper given the petitioner’s criminal history and the fraud involved in his immigration status.
After carefully considering all his arguments, we deny most and dismiss the remainder for lack of jurisdiction.
What it means going forward
The decision reinforces that individuals who enter the United States under false identities and have committed serious crimes abroad are subject to removal, even after long periods of residence, and limits judicial review of such immigration orders.
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