The Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) held that marrying a U.S. citizen after a final removal order is not an “exceptional situation” that justifies reopening a case on the Board’s own motion (sua sponte). Case background: Respondent entered the U.S. in 2008 and overstayed. Ordered removed in 2013; BIA dismissed his appeal in 2014. Federal court denied review in 2015. He married a U.S. citizen in 2017. His I-130 was approved in 2020. In 2026, more than 10 years after the fin