Full Opinion

Case: 26-60093 Document: 35-1 Page: 1 Date Filed: 10/27/2026 United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit United States Court of Appeals Fifth Circuit ____________ FILED October 27, 2026 No. 26-60093 Thomas B. Plunkett, III Summary Calendar Clerk ____________ Laura Soto-Fierros, Petitioner, versus Todd Wallace Blanche, U.S. Attorney General, Respondent. ______________________________ Appeal from the Board of Immigration Appeals Agency No. A206 697 155 ______________________________ Before Davis, Richman, and Oldham, Circuit Judges. Per Curiam:* Laura Soto-Fierros, a native and citizen of Mexico, seeks review of the Board of Immigration Appeals’ (BIA) denial of her motion to reconsider its summary dismissal of her appeal as untimely. We review “under a highly deferential abuse-of-discretion standard.” Gonzales-Veliz v. Barr, 938 F.3d 219, 226 (5th Cir. 2019). _____________________ * This opinion is not designated for publication. See 5th Cir. R. 47.5. Case: 26-60093 Document: 35-1 Page: 2 Date Filed: 10/27/2026 No. 26-60093 Soto-Fierros argues her deadline to appeal should be equitably tolled because, despite diligently pursuing her rights, an extraordinary circumstance prevented her from timely noticing an appeal. But she has not shown an extraordinary circumstance. See Lugo-Resendez v. Lynch, 831 F.3d 337, 344 (5th Cir. 2016). Her counseled choice to bypass the BIA’s electronic-filing requirement and attempt a paper filing is a self-inflicted misstep, not an extraordinary circumstance outside her control. See 8 C.F.R. § 1003.3(g)(1); Holland v. Florida, 560 U.S. 631, 653 (2010). Also, the 15- month delay by counsel to confirm that Soto-Fierros’s appeal had been filed cuts against a finding of diligence. Because the BIA did not abuse its discretion in denying Soto-Fierros’s motion to reconsider, her petition for review is DENIED. 2