Ali v. District Director

209 F. Supp. 3d 1268, 2016 WL 4817343, 2016 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 124840
District Court, S.D. Florida·Decided September 14, 2016·No. Case No. 15-cv-61820-BLOOM/Valle·Published·Cited by 4 cases

Opinion

ORDER ON MOTION FOR SUMMARY JUDGMENT

BETH BLOOM, UNITED STATES DISTRICT JUDGE

THIS CAUSE is before the Court upon Respondents’ (the “Government”) Motion for Summary Judgment, ECF No. [37] (the “Motion”). The Court has carefully reviewed the Motion, the record, all supporting and opposing filings, the exhibits attached thereto, and is otherwise fully advised in the premises. For the reasons that follow, the Motion is denied.

[1270] I. BACKGROUND

Petitioner Ghiass Mouhamed Ali (“Petitioner”) is a citizen and national of Syria and lawful permanent resident (“LPR”) of the United States pursuant to the grant of LPR status by the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”) on February 27, 2007. See ECF Nos. [37— 1] ¶ 15 (Government’s Statement of Undisputed Facts); [39-1] ¶ 15 (Petitioner’s Statement of Undisputed Facts) (collectively, “Undisputed Facts”). He first entered the United States on a student visa in 1979, and began working at the Embassy of the Syrian Arab Republic (“Syrian Embassy”) as an Arabic secretary on April 1, 1981. See id. ¶¶ 1-2. Petitioner held an A-2 Visa while employed as a secretary, a position he held until November 6, 1984. See id. ¶¶3, 5. On November 16, 1984, Petitioner departed the United States for Syria. See id. ¶ 9.

Petitioner married his wife Hazar Ali in 1983, and on December_, 1984, Ms. Ali gave birth to Sablaa Ali (“Sablaa”) in Fair-fax County, Virginia. See id. ¶¶ 4, 10. The Government does not dispute Petitioner’s claim that he returned to the United States from Syria in December of 1984, following Sablaa’s birth. Petitioner claims that he became an Attaché with the Syrian Embassy only upon his return from Syria, on December 23, 1984. See id. ¶ 6. Records from the United States Department of State, however, reflect that the Syrian Government promoted Petitioner to the position of Attaché on November 6, 1984. See id. Petitioner enjoyed full diplomatic immunity throughout his tenure as At-taché, a position he held until November 25,1986. See id. ¶¶ 7-8.

The record indicates that in 1985, Petitioner applied for a U.S. passport on Sa-blaa’s behalf, which the Department of State denied based on a finding that Sa-blaa lacked United States citizenship. See id. ¶¶ 11-12; ECF No. [37-6]. Nearly 21 years later, Sablaa filed a Form 1-130 (Petition for Alien Relative) on Petitioner’s behalf, which the USCIS approved on May 29, 2006 after determining that Sablaa is a United States citizen. See Undisputed Facts ¶¶ 13-14; ECF No. [37-8]. Approved Form 1-130 in hand, Petitioner applied for LPR status on August 9, 2006, which the USCIS approved on February 27, 2007. Undisputed Facts ¶ 15; ECF No. [37-9]. After waiting the requisite five years , Petitioner filed an N-400 (Application for Naturalization). Undisputed Facts ¶ 16; ECF No. [37-5], This time, the USCIS denied Petitioner’s application, finding that Sablaa had not obtained United States citizenship at birth due to Petitioner’s position as Attaché at that time. See Undisputed Facts ¶¶ 16-17; ECF No. [37-10]. As such, the USCIS determined that Petitioner has never actually been lawfully admitted to the United States, LPR card notwithstanding. See Undisputed Facts ¶¶ 16-17. Petitioner appealed the N-400 denial within the USCIS, and on July 10, 2015, the agency issued its final decision denying Petitioner’s application to naturalize. See id. ¶ 18; ECF No. [37-11]. On August 30, 2015, Petitioner filed a petition for review of the USCIS’s decision with this Court, and the Government now moves for summary judgment. See ECF Nos. [1], [37]. Petitioner’s Response, and the Government’s Reply, timely followed. See ECF Nos. [39], [41].

II. LEGAL STANDARD

A court may grant a motion for summary judgment “if the movant shows that there is no genuine dispute as to any material fact and the movant is entitled to judgment as a matter of law.” Fed. R. Civ. P. 56(a). The parties may support their positions by citation to the record, including, inter alia, depositions, documents, affidavits, or declarations. See Fed. R. Civ. P. 56(c). An issue is genuine if “a reason[1271] able trier of fact could return judgment for the non-moving party.” Miccosukee Tribe of Indians of Fla. v. United States, 516 F.3d 1235, 1243 (11th Cir.2008) (quoting Anderson v. Liberty Lobby, Inc., 477 U.S. 242, 247-48, 106 S.Ct. 2505, 91 L.Ed.2d 202 (1986)). A fact is material if it “might affect the outcome of the suit under the governing law.” Id. (quoting Anderson, 477 U.S. at 247-48, 106 S.Ct. 2505). The Court views the facts in the light most favorable to the non-moving party and draws all reasonable inferences in the party’s favor. See Davis v. Williams, 451 F.3d 759, 763 (11th Cir.2006). “The mere existence of a scintilla of evidence in support of the [non-moving party’s] position will be insufficient; there must be evidence on which a jury could reasonably find for the [non-moving party].” Anderson, 477 U.S. at 252, 106 S.Ct. 2505. The Court does not weigh conflicting evidence. See Shop v. City of Atlanta, Ga., 485 F.3d 1130, 1140 (11th Cir.2007) (quoting Carlin Comm’n, Inc. v. S. Bell Tel. & Tel. Co., 802 F.2d 1352, 1356 (11th Cir.1986)).

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Ali v. District Director, 209 F. Supp. 3d 1268, 2016 WL 4817343, 2016 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 124840 (S.D. Fla. 2016).

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