RONALD G. MORGAN, Magistrate Judge.
On May 14, 2015, Defendants Jeh Johnson, Secretary of U.S. Homeland Security; Alejandro Mayorkas, Director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services ("USCIS"); Mario Ortiz, District Director USCIS; Kathy A. Baran, Service Center Director USCIS; Mark J. Hazada, Service Center Director USCIS; Ron Rosenberg, Acting Chief of the Administrative Appeals Office; Loretta Lynch, U.S. Attorney General
The sole remaining issue in the case is whether the Court should order, via mandamus, Defendants to process a lost visa application. Dkt. No. 27.
After reviewing the record and the relevant case law, the Court recommends that the motion for summary judgment be granted. The parties agree that no visa application ever existed. Dkt. Nos. 32-2 & 53, p. 3. The Court cannot order Defendants — via mandamus, or any other means — to process a visa application that the parties agree never existed.
Rocio Noehmi Hernandez Segura ("Rocio") is the daughter of Noemi Segura de Hernandez ("Noemi"). Rocio was born in Mexico in 1980; Noemi is an American citizen by birth. Dkt. No. 11, p. 3. Rocio's father is a Mexican citizen.
In 1981 — when Rocio was less than two years old — the family came to the United States and Rocio's parents applied for a border crossing card for Rocio. Dkt. No. 11, p. 3. In 1987, Noemi filed an unspecified immigration-related petition for her husband and daughter.
In 2002, a new petition was filed on Rocio's behalf, but it did not seek to "recapture the 1987 priority date." Dkt. No. 11, p. 4. The type of petition and the relief sought by that petition are not set forth in the complaint.
Then, in 2009, another unspecified petition was submitted on Rocio's behalf.
On November 12, 2009, Rocio filed a Freedom of Information Act ("FOIA") request, with an unspecified agency, regarding her immigration history. Dkt. No. 11, p. 4. According to the complaint, Rocio was informed that all immigration records were maintained at the National Visa Center ("NVC") and that the NVC "had no record" of Rocio.
In January 2011, Rocio filed a second FOIA request; according to the complaint, this request was filed with USCIS. Dkt. No. 11, p. 4. The complaint alleges that in April 2011, USCIS responded to the FOIA request with a 33-page response that detailed the "numerous rejections" of her immigration petitions.
In 2011, acting in accordance with her apparent belief that she is an LPR, Rocio filed a USCIS Form I-90, "Application to Replace Permanent Resident Card." Dkt. No. 11, p. 4. Rocio asserted that she should be issued a replacement card because her "authorized card was never received." Dkt. No. 21-1.
On November 9, 2011, USCIS rejected her Form I-90 application for a replacement card. Dkt. No. 21-1. The rejection stated that Rocio was never issued a permanent resident card, so she was ineligible to receive a replacement one.
When Rocio appeared for her appointment, she was informed by an employee at the USCIS Harlingen office that she should file an N-600 application, which is an "Application for Certificate of Citizenship."
On October 30, 2013, Rocio and Noemi Hernandez filed their complaint against the Defendants. Dkt. No. 1. On January 28, 2014, the Plaintiffs filed an amended complaint. Dkt. No. 11.
The complaint does not identify the specific claims that entitle Plaintiffs to relief. Instead, Plaintiffs generally allege violations of the APA. Working backwards, from the relief requested through the facts, reveals the following claims: (1) USCIS violated the APA by not properly adjudicating Rocio's Form I-90 application; (2) USCIS is unlawfully refusing to accept and consider Rocio's notice of appeal; and (3) that USCIS is unreasonably delaying agency action by refusing to process Rocio's lost visa packet.
The complaint then lists three separate requests for mandamus relief. The Court summarizes those requests as follows: (1) that USCIS be ordered to "properly adjudicate Rocio's I-90;" (2) that USCIS be ordered to accept Rocio's EOIR Form 29 Notice of Appeal; and (3) that the USCIS Harlingen Office be ordered to process Rocio's "lost visa packet." Dkt. No. 11, p. 10.
On March 3, 2014, Defendants timely filed a motion to dismiss the claims — made by the Hernandez plaintiffs — pursuant to FED. R. CIV. P. 12(b)(1) & 12(b)(6). Dkt. No. 12.
On April 1, 2015, the undersigned issued a report and recommendation, which recommended that the motion to dismiss be granted as to the first and second issues —
On May 14, 2015, Defendants filed a motion for summary judgment pursuant to FED. R. CIV. P. 56. Dkt. No. 32. In the motion, Defendants assert that there is no lost visa packet to process "and USCIS's statement that Hernandez's visa packet had been lost was made in error."
As part of the motion for summary judgment, Defendants submitted a sworn declaration made by Sarah E. Gutierrez, the Section Chief of the USCIS Nebraska Service Center. Dkt. No. 32-2. Gutierrez stated that "USCIS has no evidence of any lost visa packet pertaining to Plaintiff Hernandez and there is nothing pending before USCIS related to Plaintiff Hernandez to be processed."
On May 18, 2015, the Court issued an order, affording Plaintiffs an extension of time to respond to the motion for summary judgment, and allowing limited discovery to be conducted. Dkt. No. 38.
On February 2, 2016, Plaintiffs timely filed their response to the motion for summary judgment. Dkt. No. 53. In their response, Plaintiffs concede that the "Government's current statements that the [previous statement about the] lost [visa packet] were made in error are correct."
Summary judgment is appropriate when the moving party has established that the pleadings, depositions, answers to interrogatories, admissions, and affidavits — if any — demonstrate that there is no genuine issue as to any material fact and that the moving party is entitled to judgment as a matter of law. FED. R. CIV. P. 56(c). A material fact is one that might influence the outcome of the suit.
The Court must review all evidence in the light most favorable to the non-moving party.
The Administrative Procedures Act provides for judicial review of agency actions. 5 U.S.C. § 706(1). The Court shall "compel agency action unlawfully withheld or unreasonably delayed."
"[A] claim under § 706(1) can proceed only where a plaintiff asserts that an agency has failed to take a
"Mandamus may only issue when (1) the plaintiff has a clear right to relief, (2) the defendant [has] a clear duty to act, and (3) no other adequate remedy exists."
The analysis of the sole remaining issue in this case is straight forward. Given that there is no lost visa packet to process, the Court cannot force Defendants — via mandamus — to process the non-existent visa packet.
Defendants have asserted — and have submitted evidence supporting the conclusion — that the USCIS's statements to Plaintiffs, indicating the existence of a "lost" visa package, were erroneous. Dkt. No. 32. Given this evidence, Plaintiffs now concede that there never was a visa application and that Defendants were "correct" in stating that there was no lost visa packet. Dkt. No. 53, p. 3.
At the risk of stating the obvious, the Court cannot compel Defendants to take action to process an application that does not exist.
Given the non-existence of the visa packet, none of the necessary elements for mandamus are present. First, Plaintiffs have no entitlement to the relief she seeks. Second, in the absence of a visa package to process, Defendants have no duty to act. Third, given the recent concession of a 1987 priority date and Plaintiff's ability to submit a visa package in support of her request, no claim can be made that there is no other adequate remedy.
There is no genuine issue of material fact as to this claim. The motion for summary judgment should be granted and the case should be terminated.
It is recommended that the Defendants' motion for summary judgment be granted. Dkt. No. 32.
The parties have fourteen (14) days from the date of being served with a copy of this Report and Recommendation within which to file written objections, if any, with the Honorable Andrew S. Hanen, United States District Judge. 28 U.S.C. § 636(b)(1) (eff. Dec. 1, 2009). Failure to timely file objections shall bar the parties from a