Interim Decision #1989 

MATTER OF DEL ROSARIO 

In Exclusion Proceedings 

A-17961978 

Decided by Board June 27, 1060 

An alien admitted as a nonimmigrant visitor who upon return to the United 

States following an absence of one day in Mexico seeks to enter for permanent residence without an immigrant visa, is not within the ambit of 

Rosenberg v. Fleuti, 574 U.S. 449, and is excludable under section 

212 (a) (20) of the Immigration and Nationality Act. 

EXCLUDABLE: Act of 1952—Section 212(a) (20) (8 U.S.C_ 1182(a) (20)1— 

Immigrant not in possession of a valid immigrant visa or other entry document. 

ON BEHALF. Or APPELLANT: 

Joseph S. Hertogs, Esquire 

580 Washington Street 

San Francisco, California 94111 

(Brief filed) 

ON Emma. OF SEnvzcz: 

Irving A. Appleman 

Appellate Thal Attorney 

Stephen M. Suffix 

Trial Attorney 

(Brief filed) 

The case comes forward on motion of counsel requesting reconsideration of our order dated September 20, 1968 dismissing the 

appeal from the decision of the special inquiry officer dated July 

25, 1968. 

The record relates to a native and citizen of the Philippine Republic, 25 years old, female, married, who applied for admission 

to the United States at San Ysidro, California on July 13, 1968 

after an absence of one day in Mexico. The applicant was a 

landed immigrant in Canada and was admitted to the United 

States on June 1, 1967 as a visitor for a period of 15 days upon 

presentation of her visitor's visa. On June 20, 1967 she applied 

for a third preference under the quota of the Philippines which 

was approved. The applicant filed her application to change her 

status to that of a lawful permanent resident under section 245 

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Interim Decision #1989 

of the Immigration and Nationality Act. 1The applicant married a 

citizen of the 'United States on September 23, 1967. On July 12, 

1968 she and her husband went for a one day trip to Mexico and 

it was on her return that she was held for a hearing before a special inquiry officer. The applicant's inspection was deferred and 

she was ordered to report for a hearing on July 25, 1968 to determine her admissibility to the United States under the Immigration and Nationality Act. The special inquiry officer, at the hearing, found that the applicant was applying for admission .to the 

United States as a permanent resident although not in possession 

of an immigrant visa or other entry document, found her excludable under section 212 (a) (20). of the Act as an Immigrant not in 

possession of an immigrant visa. The appeal to this Board was dismissed on September 20, 1968. 

The applicant argues that when she attempted to return to the 

United States after her overnight visit to Mexico, she was not 

seeking to make "an entry" and could not be excluded. The cases 

of Rosenberg v. Fleuti, 374 U.S. 449 (1963), Wadman v. INS, 329 

F.2d 812 (9 Cir., 1964), and Wong v. INS, 358 F.2d 151 (9 Cir., 

1966), arecited in support of the argument. 

The Fleuti case was concerned with whether a permanent resident, whose original entry was in all respects lawful, and who, 

had he never stepped out of the United States, would not be subject to deportation on the charges in the order to show cause, 

rendered himself excludable, and hence deportable, by an absence 

of a couple of hours and subsequent return to the United States. 

The pertinent portion of section 101 (a) (13) in the Fleuti case by 

its very terms relates only to an alien having a lawful permanent 

residence in the United States. The Supreme Court held that an 

innocent, casual and brief excursion by a resident alien outside 

this country's borders may not have been "intended" as a departure disruptive of his resident alien status, and therefore may not 

have subjected him to consequences of an "entry" into the country on his return. 

In the Wanton case, the Ninth Circuit Court had before it not 

the question of an "entry," but whether a five day visit to Mexico 

1On February 20, 1969 the District Director, San Francisco District, 

denied the application for adjustment of status under section 245 on the 

ground that the application did not merit• the favorable exercise of the 

Attorney General's discretionary authority due to the fact that the applicant 

had entered the United States on June 1, 1967 as a visitor with a preconceived intention of circumventing the normal procedure of obtaining an 

immigrant visa and remaining permanently in the United States. 

325 
Interim Decision # 1989 

broke the continuous period of physical presence in the United 

States required to establish eligibility for suspension of deportation. Although the court in Wadman made repeated references to 

the Fleuti decision, the legal question to be resolved was not the 

same. The question in the Wadman case was whether there was a 

sufficient continuity of physical presence in the United States to 

satisfy the requirements for suspension of deportation under section 244 (a) (1) of the Act. Likewise, in the Wang case, there was 

no question that the alien had entered the United States illegally. 

The court, which cited both Fleuti and Wadman, decided there 

was no question of sufficiency of physical presence and that the 

only question was whether there was a sufficient continuity so as 

to render the alien eligible for suspension of deporation.-' 

It is concluded that the Fleuti case is inapplicable because the 

applicant was never admitted to the United States for permanent 

residence, and that the Wadman and Wong cases are likewise inapplicable because they merely dealth with continuity of physical 

presence so as to qualify for suspension of deportation. We 

pointed out in our prior order of September 20, 1968, that the applicant, as an immediate relative (wife) of a United States citizen, should have little difficulty in having her immigrant status 

adjusted in the event she returns to Canada where she was a 

landed immigrant. The motion will be denied. 

ORDER: It is ordered that the motion to reconsider be and the 

same is hereby denied. 

4 See also Matter of Leguopri, 11 1. & N. Dec. 819, regarding an alien who 

entered as a nonimmigrant, who was not maintaining his nonimmigrant 

status, and who, following a brief visit to Mexico, reentered the United 

States without inspection, and was held to have made an entry under section 

103.(a) (13) of the Immigration and Nationality Act upon which to predicate 

a ground of deportability. 

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