Opinion ID: 2996240
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Applicability of the CCA

Text: Gomez-Diaz claims that he automatically acquired United States citizenship when certain amendments to the INA took effect on February 27, 2001. This Court must decide the nationality claim in the absence of “a genuine issue of 4 No. 02-1446 material fact about the petitioner’s nationality,” pursuant to 8 U.S.C. § 1252(b)(5)(A). We review de novo legal issues presented in such claims, and defer to the BIA’s factual findings, reversing them only if they “lack the support of substantial evidence in the record.” Naujalis v. INS, 240 F.3d 642, 646 (7th Cir. 2001). The Child Citizenship Act of 2000, Pub. L. No. 106-395, 114 Stat. 1631, revised the manner in which children of non-citizens born outside the United States are eligible to become U.S. citizens. The CCA amended section 320 of the INA to grant automatic United States citizenship to children who are born outside of the United States when all three of the following conditions have been fulfilled: (1) At least one parent of the child is a citizen of the United States, whether by birth or naturalization. (2) The child is under the age of eighteen years. (3) The child is residing in the United States in the legal and physical custody of the citizen parent pursuant to a lawful admission for permanent residence. 8 U.S.C. § 1431(a). Section 104 of the new law provided that this amendment “shall take effect 120 days after the date of the enactment of this Act and shall apply to individuals who satisfy the requirements of section 320 . . . of the Immigration and Nationality Act, as in effect on such effective date.” As the CCA was signed by the president on October 30, 2000, the amendments to § 320 of the INA became effective on February 27, 2001. Gomez-Diaz contends that as Congress used the word “individuals” rather than “children” in § 104 of the CCA (describing when the amendments were to become effective), the Act was intended to apply to adults and not just children. He argues that he should be considered as having met all the necessary conditions under § 320 and that he be granted citizenship, despite the uncontroverted fact that he was well over 18 years old on February 27, 2001. No. 02-1446 5 What he fails to mention, however, is that Congress also used the present tense of the verb “satisfy” in another part of the same section. In order to qualify under the CCA, an individual must “satisfy the requirements” on February 27, 2001. Reading the statute in the self-serving manner in which Gomez-Diaz would have us read it would render meaningless the final clause “as in effect on such effective date.” We are as unpersuaded with the argument as to the applicability of the CCA as were the other Circuit Courts of Appeal that encountered similar arguments. See, e.g., United States v. Arbelo, 288 F.3d 1262 (11th Cir. 2002) (per curiam), cert. denied, 123 S. Ct. 256 (Oct. 7, 2002); Hughes v. Ashcroft, 255 F.3d 752, 758-60 (9th Cir. 2001); Nehme v. INS, 252 F.3d 415, 430-32 & nn.19-20 (5th Cir. 2001). Thus, we affirm the BIA’s conclusion that Gomez-Diaz is an alien.