United States v. Hernandez-Garcia
United States v. Hernandez-Garcia
Opinion of the Court
MEMORANDUM
Juan Carlos Hernandez-Garcia (“Hernandez”) appeals his conviction for illegal re-entry after deportation. The district court determined that Hernandez was not entitled to derivative citizenship through his naturalized father and was thus appropriately considered an alien within the meaning of 8 U.S.C. § 1326. We affirm.
The district court correctly applied the former child citizenship provision embod
Hernandez also contends that the preCCA statute violates equal protection because it treats the children of married parents differently from those whose parents are legally separated.
Even if we were to “re-write” the statute to require the naturalization of only one parent, Hernandez cannot satisfy the additional requirements of derivative citizenship found in Section 1432(a)(5). Hernandez was not residing in the United States “pursuant to a lawful admission for permanent residence” at the time of his father’s naturalization.
The government is not required to prove the existence of Hernandez’s prior underlying felony conviction beyond a reasonable doubt. See Almendarez-Torres v. United States, 523 U.S. 224, 118 S.Ct. 1219, 140 L.Ed.2d 350 (1998). The Supreme Court’s decision in Apprendi v. New Jersey, 530 U.S. 466, 120 S.Ct. 2348, 147 L.Ed.2d 435 (2000), did not alter this rule. United States v. Pacheco-Zepeda, 234 F.3d 411, 414 (9th Cir. 2000). Apprendi cannot serve as a basis for overturning Hernandez’s conviction.
AFFIRMED.
This disposition is not appropriate for publication and may not be cited to or by the courts of this circuit except as provided by Ninth Circuit Rule 36-3.
. In a claim made for the first time on appeal, Hernandez contends that the differing treatment found in Section 1432 (children born outside the United States to alien parents) and Section 1433 (children born outside the United States to a citizen parent) also violates equal protection.
. Although his father had filed an 1-130 visa petition on his son’s behalf, no further steps were taken to adjust his status. An approved 1-130 petition is insufficient to confer lawful admission. See Agyeman v. INS, 296 F.3d 871, 879 (9th Cir. 2002) ("approval of the I-139 does not automatically entitle the alien to adjustment of status” and only establishes eligibility for a status change).
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.