Opinion ID: 725554
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Did Congress Address the Precise Issue At Hand?

Text: 22 First, we consider whether Congress clearly and unambiguously defined the scope of § 1255a(a)(3)(B). We conclude that it did not. 23 On its face, subsection (B) qualifies the continuous physical presence requirement of 8 U.S.C. § 1255a(a)(3)(A). It does not, either expressly or implicitly, indicate whether or not it is to be applied as a border-crossing mechanism. 24 The INS argues, however, that by reference to other statutes, it becomes clear that Congress did not intend subsection (B) to extend to the border. First, the INS relies on § 1255a(a)(3)(C), which provides: 25 Nothing in this section shall be construed as authorizing an alien to apply for admission to, or to be admitted to, the United States in order to apply for adjustment of status under this subsection. 26 8 U.S.C. § 1255a(a)(3)(C). According to the INS, this subsection clarifies that subsection (B) cannot be used as an admission ticket to the United States. The INS reads this subsection far too broadly. 27 Subsection (C) only precludes admission into the United States in order to apply for adjustment of status. 8 U.S.C. § 1255a(a)(3)(C) (emphasis added). Espinoza, however, had already applied for legalization, and thus was not seeking to enter the country to apply for legalization. Accordingly, by its plain terms, subsection (C) is inapplicable to Espinoza. 28 The INS also makes much of the fact that once a legalization applicant is granted temporary lawful status, Congress expressly authorized travel abroad. 29 The Attorney General shall, in accordance with regulations, permit the alien to return to the United States after such brief and casual trips abroad as reflect an intention on the part of the alien to adjust to lawful permanent resident status ... and after brief temporary trips abroad occasioned by a family obligation involving an occurrence such as the illness or death of a close relative or other family need. 30 8 U.S.C. § 1255a(b)(3)(A). This section expressly applies to border-crossings. It also applies only to those aliens who have already received temporary lawful status. According to the INS, this section evinces Congress's ability to carve out special entry procedures for aliens subject to IRCA. Congress's failure to provide a similar section for legalization applicants suggests to the INS that Congress intended to deny legalization applicants border-crossing privileges. See Russello v. United States, 464 U.S. 16, 23, 104 S.Ct. 296, 300-01, 78 L.Ed.2d 17 (1983) ([W]here Congress includes particular language in one section of a statute but omits it in another ..., it is generally presumed that Congress acts intentionally and purposely in the disparate inclusion or exclusion). 31 A countervailing principle of statutory construction, however, undermines the INS's position. Section 1255a(a)(3)(B) does include the brief, casual, and innocent language of Fleuti. Historically, this language has been viewed as a border-crossing mechanism. See Mendoza, 16 F.3d at 337 (indicating the Fleuti doctrine is a mechanism to avoid the entry doctrine). When Congress adopts language from case law into statutes, there is a strong presumption that Congress intended the language to have the same purpose in the statute, as it did in the common law. CSS I, 685 F.Supp. at 1154 (citing Lorillard v. Pons, 434 U.S. 575, 583, 98 S.Ct. 866, 871, 55 L.Ed.2d 40 (1978)). Accordingly, in this instance, the more explicit language of § 1255a(b) does not evince Congress's intent to limit the scope of § 1255a(a)(3)(B). As § 1255a(a)(3)(B) expressly includes the language of the Fleuti doctrine, we cannot, merely by reference to § 1255a(b), conclude that Congress did not intend § 1255a(a)(3)(B) to operate as a border-crossing mechanism. 32 Finally, the INS argues by analogy to 8 U.S.C. § 1160, a separate legalization framework for seasonal agricultural workers (SAW). Under § 1160(d)(2), SAW applicants cannot be excluded or deported during the pendency of their applications. By contrast, IRCA legalization applicants are only protected against deportation, not exclusion. See 8 U.S.C. § 1255a(e)(2) (providing that legalization applicant presenting prima facie application for lawful status may not be deported). The INS argues that the difference in the statutory schemes reflects Congress's intention to deny admission to IRCA legalization applicants stopped at the border. 33 We disagree. SAW has no bearing on whether Espinoza can reenter the United States after his trip to Guadalajara. SAW does not have a continuous physical presence requirement. Because SAW applicants are not required to prove continuous physical presence, there was no need for Congress to carve out a brief, casual, and innocent exception under SAW. Thus, SAW does not help us to determine the scope of § 1255a(a)(3)(B). 34 In sum, none of the arguments presented by the INS convinces us that Congress intended § 1255a(a)(3)(B) to apply only in the context of legalization decisions. By the same token, nothing in § 1255a expressly indicates that subsection (B) was intended to apply at the border. Accordingly, we conclude that Congress has not clearly and unambiguously defined the scope of § 1255a(a)(3)(B).