Ana Lopez-Vasquez v. Mullin — 5th Cir. (Oct 6, 2026)

No. 25-60405 Argued October 6, 2026 Published October 10, 2026

The Fifth Circuit hears Ana Lopez-Vasquez's immigration case. She sought judicial review while the immigration agency was still considering her protection claims, and asked the court to wait for that process to finish. Protection proceedings can concern whether someone may be sent to a particular country, rather than whether they may be removed from the United States at all. Federal law generally gives thirty days to seek review of a final removal order. That clock can run before protection proceedings are finished. Where equitable tolling is available, a late filing may be excused if the person acted diligently but an extraordinary obstacle prevented timely filing.

Ana Lopez-Vasquez v. Mullin (No. 25-60405) — U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, argued October 6, 2026.

Sources

Argument audio — U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. The official recording cuts off during the judge's closing announcement, after all advocacy.:https://www.ca5.uscourts.gov/OralArgRecordings/25/25-60405_10-06-2026.mp3

Argument listing — U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit:https://www.ca5.uscourts.gov/oral-argument-recordings/results?from=2026-08-01&to=2026-10-07

Prior procedure — public clerk docket, entries 1 and 3:https://dockets.justia.com/docket/circuit-courts/ca5/25-60405

Thirty-day filing rule — 8 U.S.C. § 1252(b)(1):https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/8/1252

Removal orders and protection proceedings — Supreme Court, Riley v. Bondi:https://www.law.cornell.edu/supremecourt/text/23-1270

Equitable tolling — Supreme Court, Holland v. Florida:https://www.law.cornell.edu/supct/html/09-5327.ZO.html

Diligence and extraordinary circumstances — Supreme Court, Menominee Tribe v. United States:https://www.law.cornell.edu/supremecourt/text/14-510

0:00Introduction