Kirwa v. U.S. Dep't of Def.

285 F. Supp. 3d 257
CourtCourt of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit
DecidedJanuary 11, 2018
DocketCivil Action No. 17–1793(ESH)
StatusPublished
Cited by16 cases

This text of 285 F. Supp. 3d 257 (Kirwa v. U.S. Dep't of Def.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Kirwa v. U.S. Dep't of Def., 285 F. Supp. 3d 257 (D.C. Cir. 2018).

Opinion

ELLEN SEGAL HUVELLE, United States District Judge

Plaintiffs, and the class whom they represent, are non-citizens serving in the United States Army's Selected Reserve of the Ready Reserve ("Selected Reserve") who enlisted under the United States Department of Defense's Military Accessions Vital to the National Interest ("MAVNI") program. Each wants to apply for citizenship pursuant to 8 U.S.C. § 1440, which provides an expedited path to citizenship for soldiers who serve during specified periods of military hostilities. To do so, however, they need a signed Form N-426, which is a form that certifies an applicant's qualifying military service and must be submitted to the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services ("USCIS") in order to apply for naturalization based on military service. Plaintiffs bring this action *263against the United States Department of Defense ("DOD") and Secretary James Mattis, claiming that the military's refusal to issue their Form N-426s is unlawful under the Administrative Procedure Act ("APA"), 5 U.S.C. § 706, and the Constitution.1

Before the Court is defendants' motion to dismiss, or in the alternative, for summary judgment. (Nov. 17, 2017, ECF No. 39, ("MTD").) For the reasons stated herein, the Court will grant defendants' motion to dismiss plaintiffs' constitutional substantive-due-process claim, but otherwise denies defendants' motion.

BACKGROUND

The relevant background is set out in detail in the Court's prior opinions certifying the class2 and granting preliminary injunctive relief to plaintiffs. (Mem. Op., Dec. 1, 2017, ECF No. 47, ("Class Cert. Op.")); Kirwa v. United States Dep't of Def. , No. 17-cv-1793, 285 F.Supp.3d 21, 2017 WL 4862763 (D.D.C. Oct. 25, 2017) (granting preliminary injunctive relief).3 Given the posture of the case, the Court need only summarize plaintiffs' allegations and the relevant procedural history.

I. FACTUAL BACKGROUND

DOD encouraged plaintiffs to enlist in the MAVNI program touting the opportunity as an "expedited" path to citizenship. (Pls.' Am. Compl., Nov. 3, 2017, ECF No. 33 ("Am. Compl."), ¶¶ 26, 121-30.) In return, "[e]ach Plaintiff's enlistment contract obligates him to eight years of service in the Army Reserve, six years of which must be served in the Selected Reserve." (Id. ¶ 27.)

From the inception of the MAVNI program in 2008 until early 2017, USCIS naturalized "at least 10,000 MAVNI enlistees" through an expedited path to citizenship. Nio v. United States Dep't of Homeland Sec. , No. CV 17-cv-998, 270 F.Supp.3d 49, 55, 2017 WL 3917006, at *3 (D.D.C. Sept. 6, 2017). Prior to the events relevant to this case and the related Nio case, this expedited path to citizenship meant that officers under DOD's control could, and would often, certify a Selected Reservist's honorable service after one qualifying day of drilling service by checking "yes" or "no" on the Form N-426. (Am. Compl. ¶¶ 46, 64.) Under this non-formalized policy, executed by DOD officers through at least 2017, plaintiffs and the class were eligible for an honorable service certification *264based on their past qualifying service, and this certification was routinely granted to similar enlistees in an expeditious fashion. (Id. ¶¶ 11, 27, 64, 89.) In short,

what typically happened to a MAVNI in the Army's Selected Reserve is that the enlistee would sign the enlistment contract and go to IET in approximately 180 days.... If MAVNIs did not have certified N-426s before they entered IET, they would receive one and apply for citizenship at IET. IET would be completed in ten to twelve weeks, and by the end of IET, USCIS would have adjudicated their N-400 naturalization applications, and the MAVNIs would be granted citizenship.

Kirwa , 285 F.Supp.3d at 31, 2017 WL 4862763, at *6 (internal citations omitted).

Sometime in 2017 DOD began to reevaluate their N-426 policy, and on August 17, 2017, before plaintiffs could get certified N-426s, DOD "directed relevant commands to withhold issuance of any N-426 certifications to Selected Reserve soldiers at least until these soldiers serve in an active-duty status" (Am. Compl. ¶ 48), a status that would not be satisfied by drill periods. (Id. ¶¶ 51-53.) Thereafter, plaintiffs filed suit on September 1, 2017 challenging the August 17th policy.

However, on October 13, 2017, defendants issued a new policy that no longer required active-duty status, but instead, it specified that

no service member is eligible to receive an N-426 honorable service certification until all of the following criteria are met:
1. Legal and Disciplinary Matters: The Service Member is not the subject of pending disciplinary action or pending adverse administrative action or proceeding, and is not the subject of a law enforcement or command investigation, AND
2. Background Investigation and Suitability Vetting: The Service Member has completed all applicable screening and suitability requirements as set forth in Section 1, paragraph 2 above, AND
3. Military Training and Required Service: The Service Member has served in a capacity, for a period of time, and in a manner that permits and informed determination that the member has served honorably as a member of the Selected Reserve of the Ready Reserve or member of an active component of a military or naval force of the United States, as determined by the Secretary of the Military Department concerned.

(Id. ¶ 60 ("October 13th Guidance").) Plaintiffs allege that DOD's October 13th Guidance is

directly at odds with DoD's own past interpretation and practices with respect to honorable service certifications under Section 1440. The reality is that DoD previously regularly and routinely certified the honorable service of hundreds, if not thousands, of MAVNI soldiers without any service in an active-duty status, without any minimum service period requirement, without any new so-called definition of "honorable" service, and without any of the other unlawful requirements now being imposed by DoD.

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285 F. Supp. 3d 257, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/kirwa-v-us-dept-of-def-cadc-2018.