ANG isang dayuhan na may false claim ng US citizenship ay maaaring maging inadmissible sa US. Ang mga sumusunod ang mga elemento ng false claim ng US citizenship: (1) ang dayuhan ay nagsabi at naglinlang na siya ay US citizen; (2) ang kanyang pagsabi na siya ay US citizen ay hindi totoo; (3) alam ng dayuhan na siya ay nagsisinungaling noong sinabi niya na siya ay US citizen; at (4) ang dahilan ng pagsabi ng dayuhan na siya ay US citizen ay upang makakuha ng mga benepisyo sa ilalim ng Immigration and Nationality Act (INA), o para sa benepisyo sa ilalim ng federal law o state law.
Ang dayuhan ay maaaring magsabi na siya ay US citizen sa mga interbyu, sa mga aplikasyon niya sa trabaho, o sa mga dokumentong kanyang ibinigay sa opisyal ng gobyerno ng US, kasama na ang federal official at state official. Maaari rin na ang pagsisinungaling ukol sa US citizenship ay sinabi sa isang pribadong tao, katulad ng US employer. Para maging false claim sa US citizenship, dapat ay alam ng dayuhan na ang sinasabi niya na siya ay US citizen ay hindi totoo at ito’y isang kasinungalingan. Kung hindi alam ng dayuhan na hindi pala siya US citizen, halimbawa ay sinabihan siya ng kanyang mga magulang na siya ay US citizen simula noong siya ay sanggol pa hanggang lumaki na siya, at buong buhay niya itong pinaniwalaan, hindi masasabing ang dayuhan ay may false claim sa US citizenship.
Ayon sa batas, ang isang dayuhan ay inadmissible dahil sa false claim ng US citizenship kung siya ay nagsabi at naglinlang ukol sa kanyang citizenship para makakuha ng mga benepisyo sa ilalim ng INA, o federal law o state law. Kailangan ding ang US citizenship ay materyal o mahalaga para sa benepisyong gustong makuha ng dayuhan, kagaya ng sa aplikasyon para sa US passport, pagpasok sa US kung saan sinasabi ng dayuhan na siya ay US citizen para hindi siya tanungin pa ng mga opisyal ng Customs and Border Patrol (CBP), o kaya ay sa paghanap at pagkuha ng trabaho sa pamamagitan ng pag-fill up ng Form I-9 Employment Eligibility Verification Form kung saan sinasabi ng dayuhan na siya ay US citizen upang hindi na siya hanapan ng US employer ng mga dokumento na siya ay legal na pwedeng magtrabaho sa US. Maaari ring ang dayuhan ay may false claim sa US citizenship upang makaiwas sa mga negatibong maaaring mangyari sa kanya kung siya ay wala nang status sa US, tulad ng paglagay sa kanya sa removal o deportation proceedings o pagbigay ng mahabang interrogation sa kanya ng mga opisyal ng Immigration.
Upang maging inadmissible ang dayuhan, kailangang ang US citizenship ay materyal o mahalaga sa benipisyong gustong niyang makuha. Sa mga kasong napagdesisyonan ng mga korte, sinabi ng korte na ang false claim sa US citizenship ng isang dayuhan upang makaiwas ng aresto para sa disorderly conduct ay hindi nagbibigay ng benipisyo sa dayuhan dahil ang pagiging US citizen ay walang epekto sa aresto niya. Ang false claim sa US citizenship din para sa isang small business loan ay hindi materyal dahil ang US citizenship ay hindi magpapadali ng pag-utang. Ang basehan ng pagpa-utang ay credit score ng indibidwal at hindi citizenship. Ngunit kung ito ay para sa federal student loan, mahalaga ang US citizenship at magiging inadmissible ang dayuhan.
An alien who falsely claims to be a US citizen may be found to be inadmissible to the US. The following are the elements of false claim to US citizenship: (1) the alien made a representation of US citizenship; (2) the representation was false; (3) the alien made the representation knowingly; and (4) the alien made the representation for any purpose or benefit under the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) or any other federal or state law.
An alien may claim to be a US citizen in interviews, written applications or by submitting documentary evidence to a US government official, any federal, state or local official, or even to a private person, such as an employer. For USCIS to consider the claim to US citizenship to be false, the alien must knowingly misrepresent the fact that he is a citizen of the US. The alien must have known that he was not a US citizen at the time that the claim was made. If the alien did not know that the claim to citizenship was false, the alien cannot be considered as having made a false claim to citizenship.
The law only makes an alien inadmissible for falsely claiming US citizenship if the alien falsely represents himself to be a US citizen for any purpose or benefit under the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA), or any federal or state law. Furthermore, US citizenship must matter to the purpose or benefit sought. This means that US citizenship must be material to the purpose or benefit sought, such as in an application for US passport, entry into the US where the alien claims to be a US citizen, and in obtaining employment by filling-up Form I-9 Employment Eligibility Verification Form under a claim of US citizenship. If the alien also falsely claims US citizenship to avoid negative legal consequences such as being placed in removal proceedings and being placed in further inspection or interrogation by immigration officials, he is inadmissible. Likewise, if the alien claimed to be a US citizen to avoid showing valid and unexpired work authorization documents to accept an offer of employment, he is inadmissible.
In order for an alien to be inadmissible, the false claim to US citizenship must be material to the purpose or benefit sought. In decided cases, the court found that an alien’s false claim to US citizenship to local police while he was being arrested for disorderly conduct is not made for any purpose or benefit under the law as the alien’s status did not affect his arrest for disorderly conduct. Likewise, a false claim of US citizenship on a Small Business Administration loan application does not affect the loan application as citizenship status does not affect the business loan application. However, a false claim to US citizenship on an application for Federal student loan makes an alien inadmissible because US citizenship is a prerequisite to such a loan.
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ATTY. RHEA SAMSON is a Partner at LINDAIN & SAMSON LAW FIRM. Atty. Lindain and Atty. Samson are both licensed to practice law in California and in the Philippines. Both Attorneys were also professors. LINDAIN & SAMSON LAW FIRM aims to provide excellent and efficient legal representation to clients, and support clients in achieving their goals and dreams. As professors, Atty. Lindain and Atty. Samson wish to educate the younger generation, as it is through education and continuous study that one can achieve success and serve others.
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