Islam v. Quarantillo
Islam v. Quarantillo
Opinion of the Court
Plaintiff MD. Aminul Islam, currently residing in Bangladesh, brings this pro se complaint, pursuant to 42 U.S.C. Section 1983, seeking this Court's review of a discretionary decision by the United States Department of Homeland Security ("DHS"). Plaintiff paid the requisite filing fee to bring this action. For the reasons discussed below, the complaint is dismissed.
STANDARD OF REVIEW
Where, as here, the plaintiff is proceeding pro se, the complaint is held to less stringent standards than pleadings drafted by attorneys. Erickson v. Pardus,
A plaintiff seeking to bring a lawsuit in federal court must establish that the court has subject matter jurisdiction over the action. If the Court "determines at any time that it lacks subject-matter jurisdiction, the court must dismiss the action." Fed. R. Civ. P. 12(h)(3) ; accord Yong Qin Luo v. Mikel,
Federal subject matter jurisdiction is available only when a "federal question" is presented,
DISCUSSION
This Court does not have jurisdiction to consider plaintiff's claims under
I. Background
In his Complaint, plaintiff states that he originally "entered the United States in the year of 1981 without visa for better life and education[,] .... applied for legalization for Temporary Resident ... in December 23, 1990 ... and was approved /Issued me for Work Authorization." (See Compl. at 3.) In 2002, plaintiff applied for permanent residency in an I-485 Application to Adjust Status "and was permitted to enter into the United States through Parole Letter in the year of June, 2005." (Id. ) In 2007, plaintiff "was called for an interview by the District Director of New York Immigration Office," and "[l]ater they sent [a] denial letter." (Id. ) Plaintiff further stated, "I think I did not get the Justice. I appealed against their decision to the Administrative Appeal Office; the AAO dismissed my case in 2009 because I could not establish credible evidences." (Id. )
In June 2010, plaintiff had two heart attacks which made it necessary for him to undergo a heart catheterization procedure. (Id. at 4.) According to plaintiff, one month later he was advised to have open heart surgery, but decided that he needed to see his mother and family before undergoing a nine-hour surgical procedure. (Id. ) "At last, without consulting the [d]octors, [plaintiff] left the US in January 17, 2011 to see [his] ailing mother and family," in Bangladesh. (Id. ) On December 10, 2015, plaintiff applied for "Humanitarian Parole for Extreme Situation under Emergency Medical Issues," seeking re-entry to the United States. (Id. ) His application was denied on April 11, 2016. (Id. ) Plaintiff requested reconsideration of his application and that request was also denied. (Id. at 5.) Plaintiff does not provide the date of the denial of his request for reconsideration.
*186Plaintiff argues that the original decision on his application for permanent residency was marred by misconduct, discrimination and prejudicial delay. (Id. at 3-4.) Plaintiff provides few details about his original application and grounds for adjustment of status or the final outcome after the "denial letter" and the dismissal of his appeal in 2009. (Id. ) He does not now allege that he is entitled to permanent residency or other lawful immigration status.
DHS has a process for granting temporary admission into the United States "on a case-by-case basis for urgent humanitarian reasons or significant public benefit [to] any alien applying for admission to the United States."
II. REAL ID ACT
This Court lacks subject matter jurisdiction to consider plaintiff's challenges to the 2009 decision of the Administrative Appeal Office denying the appeal of his I-485 Application to Adjust Status and the 2016 denial of his application for humanitarian parole. The REAL ID Act of 2005, Pub. L. No. 109-13, Div. B, Title I,
The REAL ID bar to judicial review applies to adjustment of status of a nonimmigrant to that of a person admitted for permanent residence, as it is governed by
This exclusion of federal court review extends to the discretionary decision to grant or deny humanitarian parole to an alien. See Giammarco v. Kerlikowske ,
The REAL ID Act contains one exception to the jurisdictional bar on federal court review of discretionary agency decisions: "Nothing in [the provision] which limits or eliminates judicial review shall be construed as precluding review of constitutional claims or questions of law raised up on a petition for review filed with an appropriate court of appeals."
Thus, this Court does not have jurisdiction to review plaintiff's claims, either as to the 2016 decision denying him parole on humanitarian grounds or the 2009 denial of his appeal of his prior I-485 Application to Adjust Status. Should plaintiff believe that he is eligible for review under
CONCLUSION
Accordingly, as this Court has no jurisdiction to review the prior decisions of immigration officials at issue in this case, the complaint is dismissed without prejudice to filing a petition for review in the United States Court of Appeals. Although plaintiff has paid the filing fee, the Court certifies pursuant to
SO ORDERED.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- MD. Aminul ISLAM v. Andrea QUARANTILLO, District Director, New York, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, and John W. Bird, Chief, Humanitarian Affairs Branch, International Operations Division, U.S. Department of Homeland Security
- Cited By
- 1 case
- Status
- Published