Joseph Romero-Mendoza v. Eric H. Holder Jr.

Joseph Haaron Romero-Mendoza (Romero) petitions this court for review of the decision of the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) dismissing his appeal. The BIA found that Romero was removable pursuant to 8 U.S.C. § 1227 (a)(2)(A)(iii) because he had committed a crime of violence and failed to establish entitlement to relief from removability. Romero contends that he obtained derivative citizenship from his mother’s naturalization in this country, in accordance with 8 U.S.C. § 1432 . The sole issue on appeal is whether Romero’s paternity was legitimated under Salvadoran law, which would defeat his claim of derivative citizenship.

We have jurisdiction pursuant to 8 U.S.C. § 1252 , and we affirm the BIA’s decision.

I. Background

Romero entered the United States through Houston, Texas in October, 1993, and was subsequently admitted as a lawful permanent resident (LPR). He was born in El Salvador, out of wedlock, in August, 1979. His birth certificate lists the names of both parents: Oscar Armando Romero-Rivera (Romero-Rivera), father, and Nora Julia Mendoza-Galdamez (Mendoza), mother. Romero’s mother was naturalized in Los Angeles on February 14, 1997, when Romero was…