Reply of Paraguay to the question put by the President of the Court: letter from the Agent of Paraguay

RESPONSE OF PARAGUAY TO QUESTION POSED
AT CONCLUSION OF PARAGUAY'S REBUITAL SUBMISSION

In UnitedStat(!sv.Calderon-Medina ,91F.2d529(9th Cir.1979),
whichinvolvedtwo consolidatedcases,a federaltrialcourthaddismissedindictments
for illegalre-entryfollowingdeportation.Suchre-entryisafederalcrimepursuantto
8 U.S.C. § 1326. Thecourtshaddismissedthe indictmentsonthegroundthatinthe
underlyingdeportations,immigration officiaishad notcompliedwitha federal
regulationthat(1) providedthat"[e]verydetainedalienshallbenotifiedthat hemay

communicatewiththeconsularordiplomatieo:fficers ofthecountryof hisnationality,"
and (2)wasintendedto "ensurecompliance" inimmigration proceedingswiththe
UnitedStates'obligationsundertheViennaConvention.591F.2dat 530(quoting8
C.F.R § 242.2(e)(1978));id at 530n.6. TheCourt ofAppealsheldthat a
deportationcouldbedeniedeffectasa predicateforthecrimeofillegalentryfollowing
deportation"only iftheviolationprejudicedinterestsofthealienwhichwereprotected

bytheregulation."Id at 531. Applyingthatstandard,theCourtheldthatthe
consularnotificationregulationprotectedinterestsofthealiens,butremandedfora
determinationofprejudice.

ThereisnopublishedsubsequentdecisioninthecaseofMr. Calderon­
Medina. In UnitedStatesv.Rangel-Gonzalez 6,17 F.2d529(9thCir. 1980),the

companioncasereturnedto theCourtofAppealsafterdefendanthadbeenconvicted
ofthe offensecharged,illegalre-entryafterdeportation. TheCourtfirstheldthatthe
trial courtadclearlyerredbyfindingthatthefailureto notifytheMexicanconsulhad
not a:ffectetheoutcomeofthedeportationproceeding. Itthenreversedthe
conviction, holdingthat''theindictmentshouldhavebeendismissed'.' 617F.2dat
529.

In thepostureofRangel-Gonzalez ,nlikehere,the consular
notificationviolationintheunderlyingdeportationproceedingswouldhavetaintedany
subsequentindictmentforillegalre-entryafterdeportationinthesamemannerasit
taintedthe originalindictment.AccordinglyP, araguaypresumesthat therewereno
furtherproceedingsonthosecharges. Thereis, in anyevent,no subsequentpublished

decisionin Rangel-Gonzalez ,oParaguayalsocannotdeterminewhethertheUnited
Statesinitiatednewdeportationproceedings,whichwouldbetheproceedings
analogousto the statetrialinthiscase.