AverdictinaNewYorkfederalcourthasbroughtanendtoaconvolutedlegalcaseona

veryunusualissue,onethatillustratesjusthowbyzantinethecountrysimmigrationlaws
canbe.Itsastorythatstartsmorethan100yearsago,spansthreecountriesdepending
onyourpointofviewandendswithAmericancitizenshipforoneLuisMorales,after
abouttwoyearslockedupinanimmigrationdetentionfacility.
TheheartofthecasealawgoverningwhenchildrenbornabroadtounwedU.S.
citizenscanbeconsideredU.S.citizensthemselvesrequiresU.S.citizenmotherswho
haveachildinanothercountrytohaveactuallyresidedintheU.S.,continuously,forone
yearinorderfortheiroffspringtobeconsideredfullAmericancitizens.However,that
samelawrequiresU.S.citizenfatherstohaveresidedintheU.S.foratleastfiveyearsin
orderfortheiroffspringtoqualify.
Thecourtsultimateverdictdeclaredthatthelatterrequirementwhichappliesdifferent
standardsformenandwomenisunconstitutional.Unwedfathers,thecourtsaid,are
justasentitledtohavetheiroffspringadmittedascitizens;thelawwasgenderbiased,in
essence,byrequiringunwedfatherslivingabroadtomeetmorestringentrequirements.
Butthedecision,postedbelow,getsahellofalotmorecomplicatedthanthat.
ThestoryreallybeginswiththebirthofLuisMoralesfather,JoseDoloresMorales,in
PuertoRico,waybackin1900.JoseMoraleswasnot,ofcourse,aU.S.citizenatthetime
ofhisbirth.ButasaresidentoftheislandterritoryaU.S.territoryhewasgranted
automaticU.S.citizenshipasateenager,underthe1917JonesAct.
JoseMoralesremainedinPuertoRicountil1919,whenheleftfortheDominican
Republictoworkforalargeinternationalsugarcompany.Althoughhewasresidingin
theDominicanRepublic,theelderMoralesremainedaU.S.citizen,anexpat.
Withussofar?
JoseMoralesstayedintheDominicanRepublicforafewdecades,andhewasliving
therewhenlittleLuisMoralescamealongin1962;theboysmotherwhoisnotnamed
inthedecisionwasaDominicancitizen.
Althoughthecouplewasntmarried,byvirtueofhisfathersstatus,littleLuiswould
havebeenconsideredanAmericancitizenaconditionknownasderivative
citizenshipifnotforaquirkinthelaw;underthestatuteasitwas,derivative
citizenshipcouldonlybepassedonbyafatherwhohadbeencontinuouslypresentinthe
U.S.,oroneofitsoutlyingpossessions,likePuertoRico,foratleast10yearspriorto
thechildsbirth.ButJoseMoraleshadbeenlivingoutsideofPuertoRicoconsiderably
longerthanthat.WhenthefamilythenmovedtotheU.S.in1975,LuisMoraleswas
deniedcitizenship,andinsteadbecamealawfulpermanentresident.

LuisMorales,whoisnow53,wasconvictedofattemptedmurderin2000.Afterserving
hissentence,asalawfulpermanentresident,andnotafullcitizen,hewaseligiblefor
deportation.Whenhewasreleased,ImmigrationandCustomsEnforcementbegan
deportationproceedingsagainsthim.
Itmightseemtohavebeenadonedeal.JoseMoraleshadnotlivedinaU.S.territoryfor
tenyears,sohewasseeminglyineligibletoconfercitizenshiponhisson.Butremember
howJoseMoralesbecameacitizenin1917asaresidentofPuertoRico,butdidntstrike
outfortheD.R.untiltwoyearslater?Well,thatapproximatelytwoyearstintinPuerto
RicodidntsatisfytheresidencyrequirementforamanbuthadJoseMoralesbeena
woman,itwouldhaveclearedthebar.
Fastforwardto2010,whenLuisMoralesfiledaprosepetitionchallenginghis
deportation.Heattackedseveralaspectsofthelaw;maybetheD.R.wasactuallyaU.S.
territoryatthetimeJoseMoraleslivedthere,heargued,sincetheyoccupiedthatcountry
from1916through1924;maybeJoseMorales,byworkingforthePuertoRicoSugar
Company,acorporationwithcloseties,mighthavesqueezedintoanothersmall
exemptionintothelaw.Noneofthosewereeffective.
Butintheend,itwastheconstitutionalargumentthatprevailed.Thecourt(madeup,by
theby,paneloftwomaleandonefemalejustice)wrote:
Asbothpartiesagree,hadMoralesSantanasmother,ratherthanhisfather,beenacitizencontinuously
presentinPuertoRicoshewouldhavesatisfiedtherequirementstoconferderivativecitizenshiponher
child.ItisthisgenderbaseddifferenceintreatmentthatMoralesSantanaclaimsviolatedhisfathersright
toequalprotection.

Thegovernment,ontheotherhand,arguedthattheresidencyrequirementwasnecessary
toinstillhaveasufficientconnectiontotheUnitedStatesbyhavingparentswhohavehadenoughtime
toassimilateU.S.customsandvalues.Thecourtdecidedthattheyhadofferednoreasonwhyfathers
wouldneedmoretimetoabsorbsuchvaluesthanmotherswould,however.

Thegovernment,ontheotherhand,arguedthatthedifferenttreatmentofgenderswasnecessary,inpart,to
ensurepaternity.Mothersmayhaveahardertimefakingit.ButintheMoralescase,paternitywasnotin
doubt;hisparentshadlegitimatedhisbirthwhentheyarrivedintheU.S.,sotherewasnoquestionthat
LuisMoraleswasJoseMoralesson.

Moralesattorney,StevenBroome,saidthathewashappyhedbeenabletogeta
positiveresultforMorales,whoisnowsettobefreedfromdetention.
Werethrilled,BroometoldtheVoice,weexpecttheclientisgoingtobereleased
today.
Butthecourtsdecisionactuallyconflictswithanotherrulingonthesamequestionina
differentfederalcourt,settingupapotentialconflict.Theonlywaytoresolvethat
conflict,ifthegovernmentdecidestoappealit,istotakethecasetothesupremecourt.

Broomesaidifhisclientwhocouldnotbereachedindetentionwantedtocontinue
withthefirmtheywouldkeepgoing.

hadbeenlivingintheU.S.legallysince1975,butwasfacingdeportationastheresultof
afelonyconvictionin2000.Atthetimeofhisconviction,Moraleswasconsidereda
lawfulpermanentresidentintheUnitedStates
bornintheDominicanrepublic,MoralesfatherwasanaturalizedU.S.citizen
AlthoughbornintheDominicanRepublic,alsotheMoralesfatherhad