U.S. Appeals Court: AEDPA-Anti-Terrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act: ALIEN.

Bowrin v. U.S. I.N.S., 194 F.3d 483 (4th Cir. 1999). A permanent resident alien appealed the determination of the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) that he was ineligible for discretionary relief from deportation because he had committed a criminal offense that was listed in the Anti-Terrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act (AEDPA). The alien also filed a habeas corpus petition challenging the BIA's decision. The district court dismissed the case and the appeals court reversed the dismissal of the habeas petition and remanded the case. The appeals court held that AEDPA and the illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act (IIRIRA) do not preclude federal court review of habeas corpus petitions raising questions of pure law for immigrants imprisoned under a final order of deportation. (County of Prince Georges, Maryland)