Opinion ID: 3035473
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: IIRIRA and NACARA

Text: Before the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 (“IIRIRA”) took effect on April 1, 1997, an alien against whom deportation proceedings had been commenced could apply for suspension of deportation, provided that she had been continuously physically present in the United States for seven years, had “good moral character,” and could show that deportation would result in “extreme hardship” to the alien or certain United States citizen relatives. 8 U.S.C. § 1254(a) (repealed 1997); Jimenez-Angeles v. Ashcroft, 291 F.3d 594, 597 (9th Cir. 2002). IIRIRA, inter alia, repealed “suspension of deportation,” and substituted “cancellation of removal,” a more stringent standard for obtaining relief. Id. Cancellation of removal requires ten years of continuous physical presence, good moral character, and a showing of “exceptional and extremely unusual hardship” to certain United States citizen relatives. 8 U.S.C. § 1229b(b)(1). Congress enacted NACARA in 1997 to ameliorate some of the harsher effects of IIRIRA for nationals of certain countries. NACARA was intended to correct provisions in IIRIRA that would have had the effect of “changing the rules in the middle of the game for thousands of Central Americans and others who came to the United States because their lives and families had been torn apart by war and oppression.” 143 Cong. Rec. S12,261 (daily ed. Nov. 9, 1997) (statement of Sen. Abraham). NACARA § 202 created a new “adjustment MASNAUSKAS v. GONZALES 16927 of status” process for qualified nationals of Nicaragua and Cuba. Pub. L. No. 105-100, § 202, 111 Stat. 2160, 2193-96 (1997).2 A qualified alien who timely applies for adjustment shall be adjusted to permanent resident status, without having to demonstrate any level of hardship. Id. Under NACARA § 202(d), aliens who arrive in the United States after December 1, 1995, are also eligible for adjustment if they satisfy three requirements: being (1) a national of Nicaragua or Cuba, (2) the spouse or child of a qualified national of Nicaragua or Cuba, and (3) physically present in the United States when the adjustment application is filed. Id. NACARA § 203(b) also created a “Special Rule for Cancellation of Removal” for aliens from certain countries. Under the special rule, aliens from those countries who apply for cancellation of removal are required to meet only the preIIRIRA standards of seven years of continuous presence, good moral character, and a showing of extreme hardship to the alien or citizen relatives. NACARA, Pub. L. No. 105-100, § 203(b), 111 Stat. 2160, 2198 (1997).3 Any spouse or child of such an alien is also covered by the special rule. Id.