Karroumeh v. Lynch

Karroumeh, a citizen of Jordan then married to a Jordanian woman with whom he had two children, was admitted to the U.S. as a visitor in 1996. Within months, he obtained a proxy divorce and married Wright, a U.S. citizen who also had children. Wright filed a Form I-130, Petition for Alien Relative in conjunction with a Form I-485, Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status. Both were conditionally granted in 1998. In 2000, they successfully petitioned to remove the conditions from Karroumeh’s lawful permanent resident status, 8 U.S.C. 1186a(c)(1)(A). In 2001, Karroumeh filed his first application for naturalization During an interview, Karroumeh revealed that he and Wright were divorcing. Karroumeh withdrew his application. His divorce was finalized. In 2003 and 2006, Karroumeh filed two more applications for naturalization. In 2008, USCIS began to investigate Karroumeh for immigration fraud and obtained a sworn statement from Wright, including multiple contradictions. USCIS denied Karroumeh’s application. DHS commenced removal proceedings under 8 U.S.C. 1227(a)(1)(A). The Seventh Circuit remanded the order of removal, finding that Karroumeh was prejudiced by his inability to cross-examine Wright, a key government witness whose evidence was presented through a written statement. View "Karroumeh v. Lynch" on Justia Law