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Extracted Text (OCR)
Case 22-1426, Document ON 153 3536038, Page155 of 258
Case 1:20-cr-00330-AJN Document 204-3 Filed 04/16/21 Page 153 of 348
flexibility to decline to bring a particular charge based on a “good faith doubt” that the law or
evidence supports the charge.
2. Department Policy Relating to Deportation of Criminal Aliens
On April 28, 1995, the Attorney General issued a memorandum to all federal prosecutors
entitled “Deportation of Criminal Aliens,” directing federal prosecutors to actively and directly
become involved in the process of removing criminal aliens from the United States. In pertinent
part, this memorandum notes that prosecutors can make a major contribution to the expeditious
deportation of criminal aliens by effectively using available prosecution tools for dealing with
alien defendants. These tools include (1) stipulated administrative deportation orders in
connection with plea agreements; (2) deportation as a condition of supervised release under
18 U.S.C. § 3853(d); and (3) judicial deportation orders pursuant to 8 U.S.C. § 1252a(d). The
memorandum further directs:
All deportable criminal aliens should be deported unless
extraordinary circumstances exist. Accordingly, absent such
circumstances, Federal prosecutors should seek the deportation of
deportable alien defendants in whatever manner is deemed most
appropriate in a particular case. Exceptions to this policy must have
the written approval of the United States Attorney.
See also USAM § 9-73.520. A “criminal alien” is a foreign national who has been convicted of a
crime. /”°
Stipulated administrative deportation orders can be based “on the conviction for an offense
to which the alien will plead guilty,” provided that the offense is one of those enumerated in
8 U.S.C. § 1251 as an offense that causes an alien to be deported. Under 8 U.S.C.
§ 1251(a)(2)(A)Q@), any alien who is convicted of a crime of “moral turpitude” within five years
after the date of entry (or 10 years in the case of an alien provided lawful permanent resident
status), and is either sentenced to confinement or confined to prison for one year or longer, is
deportable.
C. Case Law
1. Prosecutorial Discretion
On many occasions, the Supreme Court has discussed the breadth of the prosecutor’s
discretion in deciding whether and whom to prosecute. In Bordenkircher v. Hayes, 434 U.S. 357
(1978), the Court considered the propriety of a prosecutor’s threat during plea negotiations to seek
more serious charges against the accused if the accused did not plead guilty to the offense
originally charged. The defendant, Hayes, opted not to plead guilty to the original offense, and
196 According to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection, “The term ‘criminal alien’ refers to aliens who have
been convicted of one or more crimes, whether in the United States or abroad, prior to interdiction by the U.S. Border
Patrol.” See U.S. Dept. of Homeland Security, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, CBP Enforcement Statistics,
Criminal Alien Statistics Fiscal Year 2020, available at https:/(www.cbp.gov/newsroom/stats/cbp-enforcement-
statistics/criminal-alien-statistics.
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Document Details
| Filename | DOJ-OGR-00021327.jpg |
| File Size | 848.3 KB |
| OCR Confidence | 94.3% |
| Has Readable Text | Yes |
| Text Length | 3,161 characters |
| Indexed | 2026-02-03 20:10:39.820885 |