United States v. Diaz-Ramirez; United States v. Figueroa-Romero, No. 10-10230 (9th Cir. 2011)
Annotate this CaseDefendants, both Mexican citizens, were arrested and charged with illegal entry into the United States in violation of 8 U.S.C. 1325. Defendants appeared at a group plea hearing in the United States District Court for the District of Arizona as part of the district's Operation Streamline. At issue was whether the taking of guilty pleas at a large group plea hearing violated the Fifth Amendment right to due process where defendants contend that the record did not disclose that they voluntarily and understandably pleaded guilty. The court concluded that, because they were not faced with a silent record, defendants must demonstrate that any error in the proceeding or in the transcript was plain and affected their substantial rights. Namely, they must show a reasonable probability that, but for the error, they would not have entered their pleas. The court also held that, because defendants did not even suggest, much less show, that they would not have pleaded guilty if the plea hearing had been more individualized, it could not conclude that there was any plain error. Accordingly, the judgment was affirmed.
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