Chavarria v. Pompeo

387 F. Supp. 3d 753
CourtDistrict Court, S.D. Texas
DecidedMay 10, 2019
DocketCivil Action No. 1:18-CV-165
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 387 F. Supp. 3d 753 (Chavarria v. Pompeo) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, S.D. Texas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Chavarria v. Pompeo, 387 F. Supp. 3d 753 (S.D. Tex. 2019).

Opinion

Fernando Rodriguez, Jr., United States District Judge

Pending before the Court is Defendants Michael Pompeo and the United States of America's Motion to Dismiss (Doc. 15). Having considered the Motion, the parties' briefing, and the applicable law, the Court finds that the Motion should be granted in part and denied in part.

I. Factual Allegations and Procedural History1

In June 1977, Plaintiff Sandro Elbiro Navarro Chavarria was born in the house where his mother lived in South Texas. About nine months later, his birth certificate was registered with the State of Texas. He continued to reside in South Texas throughout his childhood.

In August 2008, the United States Department of State issued Navarro a passport card valid for ten years. The next month, Navarro and his mother visited the United States Consulate General in Mexico regarding a pending I-130 Petition for Alien Relative, which Navarro had filed to seek a visa for his wife. At the Consulate, personnel asked to speak with Navarro's mother about the circumstances surrounding his birth. During those discussions, Navarro's mother signed a sworn statement indicating that her son was born in Mexico. Navarro alleges that his mother was "pressured" into signing the statement. In any event, in August 2009, the United States Citizenship and Immigration *756Services revoked the I-130 visa petition for Navarro's wife.

The following month, Navarro requested a copy of his Texas birth certificate. After having his request denied, Navarro learned that the Texas Department of State Health Services ("TDSHS") had placed an addendum to his birth certificate, noting that the statement that his mother signed contained conflicting information about his birth. Navarro requested and obtained a hearing before the TDSHS, after which the agency concluded that "the addendum placed on his birth certificate should be removed, as conflicting information received by the State Registrar concerning the certificate was rebutted." (Am. Compl., Doc. 13, ¶ 17)

About nine years later, in April 2018, Navarro applied to renew his United States passport card, set to expire in August of the same year.

That July, Navarro traveled into Mexico and attempted to re-enter the United States at the Pharr, Texas port of entry. He presented his Texas driver's license to a Customs and Border Patrol officer, as his passport card remained with the Department of State in connection with his renewal application. The officer took about three hours to clear Navarro. During that time, the officer asked Navarro about his mother, the petition regarding his wife, and his birth certificate. (Id. at ¶ 19) The officer informed Navarro that "the system showed his case was open" and asked if Navarro had "received a letter or something from them". (Id. ) Ultimately, the officer communicated that "everything looked fine" and allowed Navarro to enter the United States. (Id. ) But the officer indicated that Navarro should present his Texas birth certificate to a local District Office "so they could clear him." (Id. )2

On August 28, 2018, Navarro's passport card expired without any action on his renewal application.

A week later, on September 5, Navarro received a Notice to Appear ("NTA") in immigration court. (Mt. to Dismiss, Doc. 15-1, 2) The NTA informed Navarro that the United States alleged that he was not a United States citizen and was "subject to removal from the United States." (Id. ) The NTA ordered Navarro to appear before an Immigration Judge at a date and time to be set. (Id. )

On October 17, 2018, Navarro filed this lawsuit, relying on 8 U.S.C. § 1503(a) and the Administrative Procedure Act ("APA"). (Compl., Doc. 1) As to Section 1503(a), he requested a declaratory judgment that he is a United States citizen. With respect to the APA, he first alleged a claim for "unreasonable delay" in processing his request for passport renewal, and asked that the Court order Defendants "to adjudicate his pending application." (Compl., Doc. 1, ¶ 32-34) He also challenged the Department of State's procedures related to passport-renewal applications as inadequate because they only permit documentary evidence and afford no meaningful review.

The next month, Navarro received a notice to appear before the Immigration Court in March 2019. (Mt. to Dismiss, Doc. 15-2)

In February 2019, the Department of State denied Navarro's application for renewal of his passport. He amended his *757Complaint to reflect this new development. (Am. Compl., Doc. 13)3

Defendants then filed their Motion to Dismiss, requesting dismissal of Navarro's Section 1503(a) claim because it arose in connection with a removal proceeding, and of his APA claim for lack of subject-matter jurisdiction because an adequate alternative remedy to pursue citizenship exists. (Motion to Dismiss, Doc. 15) Defendants also argue that if the Section 1503(a) claim survives dismissal, the United States is an improper party under that statute. Navarro contests all grounds for dismissal.

II. Standard of Review

Under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 12(b)(1), a federal court must dismiss a plaintiff's claim when it fails to establish subject matter jurisdiction. See Stockman v. Fed. Election Comm'n , 138 F.3d 144, 151 (5th Cir. 1998). A court lacks subject matter jurisdiction in the absence of statutory or constitutional power to adjudicate the case. See Home Builders Ass'n of Miss., Inc. v. Madison, Miss. , 143 F.3d 1006, 1010 (5th Cir. 1998). The party seeking the federal forum has the burden to establish federal jurisdiction. Stockman , 138 F.3d at 151.

Although Defendants move under Federal Rules of Civil Procedure 12(b)(1) and 12(b)(6), the Court construes the Motion solely under Rule 12(b)(1). The arguments that the Defendants advance concern the lack of subject matter jurisdiction, and not whether Navarro's well-pled allegations fail to state a claim upon which relief can be granted. Defendants also attach exhibits to their Motion. A court considers a Rule 12(b)(6) motion solely on the allegations in the Complaint, but can decide a Rule 12(b)(1) motion on "the complaint alone, the complaint supplemented by the undisputed facts as evidenced in the record, or the complaint supplemented by the undisputed facts plus the court's resolution of the disputed facts." Villarreal v. Horn

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
387 F. Supp. 3d 753, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/chavarria-v-pompeo-txsd-2019.