Grant v. United States

317 F. Supp. 3d 850
CourtDistrict Court, S.D. Illinois
DecidedJune 14, 2018
Docket17 Civ. 2172 (PGG) (GWG)
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 317 F. Supp. 3d 850 (Grant v. United States) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, S.D. Illinois primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Grant v. United States, 317 F. Supp. 3d 850 (S.D. Ill. 2018).

Opinion

GABRIEL W. GORENSTEIN, United States Magistrate Judge:

Plaintiff Andre Everton Grant brings this action against the United States of America, alleging that the United States, through its agencies the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services ("USCIS") and Immigration and Customs Enforcement ("ICE"), subjected him to various torts and violated his constitutional rights. Defendant United States now moves to dismiss Grant's complaint pursuant to Federal Rules of Civil Procedure 12(b)(1) and 12(b)(6).1 For the reasons set forth below, the government's motion should be granted.

*852I. BACKGROUND

A. Facts

The following facts are taken from Grant's complaint and the documents attached thereto unless otherwise noted.

Grant was born in Jamaica on October 11, 1985, to Everton Grant and Pamella Williams. See Notice of Decision (N-600), dated June 13, 2011 (annexed as Ex. A to Complaint for Damages Under the Federal Tort Claims Act, undated, filed Mar. 16, 2017 (Docket # 1) ("Compl.") ) ("N-600 Decision"), at 101. Grant's parents were not married when he was born, id., but Grant's father added his name to Grant's birth certificate in 1989. See Decision in Response to Application for Certificate of Citizenship under Section 320 of the Immigration and Nationality Act; 8 U.S.C. § 1431, dated Mar. 25, 2014 (annexed as Ex. G to Compl.) ("AAO Decision"), at 5. Grant was admitted to the United States as a lawful permanent resident on June 4, 1992. See Decision Re: Motion to Reopen and Reconsider, undated (annexed as Ex. E to Compl.), at *30-31.2 Grant's father became a naturalized United States citizen on December 12, 1997, although there is no evidence that Grant's mother was ever a citizen. AAO Decision at 2.

In 2010, Grant was convicted of multiple felonies in the United States District Court for the District of Maryland, and was sentenced on October 18, 2010, to 48 months' imprisonment. See Memorandum Report and Recommendation, dated Mar. 26, 2014 (annexed as Ex. H to Compl.); see also Compl. ¶ 1. On March 29, 2011, while Grant was serving his sentence, ICE lodged an immigration detainer against him. See Compl. ¶ 2. As a result, Grant was transferred to Moshannon Valley Correctional Center, a private corrections facility used to hold inmates subject to immigration detainers. Id. Upon arriving at Moshannon, ICE interviewed Grant to determine whether he was subject to deportation. Id. ¶ 3. During that interview, Grant stated that he was a United States citizen. Id. ICE representatives instructed Grant to file an N-600 application for a certificate of citizenship, which he did and submitted on May 31, 2011. See id. ¶ 4.

On June 13, 2011, USCIS issued a decision denying Grant's N-600 application. See id. ¶ 5; see also N-600 Decision at 102. The decision noted that Grant was claiming eligibility for a certificate of United States citizenship through his naturalized father (i.e., derivative citizenship). See N-600 Decision at 101. USCIS found that under section 320 of the Immigration and Nationality Act, 8 U.S.C. § 1431, as well as section 101(c) of that Act, 8 U.S.C. § 1101(c), derivative citizenship could be granted to a child born out of wedlock only if that child was legitimated, and "under Jamaican law the sole means of legitimating a child born out of wedlock is the marriage of the child's natural parents," see N-600 Decision at 101-02. Because Grant's parents were never married, he was never legitimated and thus could not establish his eligibility for citizenship. Id. at 102.

Although this opinion was issued on June 13, 2011, Grant did not receive a copy until December 2011. Compl. ¶ 5. Immediately upon receiving that copy, Grant filed an appeal with USCIS. Id. Grant received no response to that appeal. Id. He then filed a new N-600 application, which was denied in July 2012. Id. At that time, USCIS told him to file a motion to reopen and reconsider his case because the time to appeal had expired. Id.

In August 2012, Grant filed a request with USCIS pursuant to the Freedom of *853Information Act regarding his case. See id. ¶ 6. In response, Grant received documents indicating that USCIS's initial attempt to send Grant his N-600 decision by mail was returned to the sender for lack of postage. See id. With this information, Grant filed an application with USCIS alleging that he was not afforded his right to appeal due to USCIS's failure to ensure Grant timely received its N-600 decision.

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Bluebook (online)
317 F. Supp. 3d 850, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/grant-v-united-states-ilsd-2018.