Fabian Grey v. Angelica Alfonso-Royals
Court
Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals
Decided
June 10, 2025
Jurisdiction
F
Importance
48%
Case Summary
USCA4 Appeal: 23-1910 Doc: 54 Filed: 06/10/2025 Pg: 1 of 17 PUBLISHED UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE FOURTH CIRCUIT No. 23-1910 FABIAN GREY, Plaintiff – Appellant, v. ANGELICA ALFONSO-ROYALS, Acting Director, United States Citizenship and Immigration Services, Defendant – Appellee. Appeal from the United States District Court for the District of South Carolina, at Beaufort. David C. Norton, District Judge. (9:18-cv-01764-DCN) Argued: September 27, 2024 Decided: June 10, 2025 Before NIEMEYER, THACKER, and RUSHING, Circuit Judges. Affirmed by published opinion. Judge Rushing wrote the opinion, in which Judge Niemeyer and Judge Thacker joined. ARGUED: Bradley Bruce Banias, BANIAS LAW LLC, Charleston, South Carolina, for Appellant. Victor Manuel Mercado-Santana, UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE, Washington, D.C., for Appellee. ON BRIEF: Brian M. Boynton, Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General, William C. Peachey, Director, Samuel P. Go, Assistant Director, Office of Immigration Litigation, Civil Division, UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE, Washington, D.C., for Appellee. USCA4 Appeal: 23-1910 Doc: 54 Filed: 06/10/2025 Pg: 2 of 17 RUSHING, Circuit Judge: Appellant Fabian Grey, a citizen of Jamaica and lawful permanent resident in the United States, applied for naturalization. After substantial delay in a decision on his application, Grey filed this lawsuit asking the district court to declare him eligible for naturalization and order the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to naturalize him. Grey also sought documents from USCIS under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and amended his lawsuit to request court action compelling USCIS to produce those documents. The district court ultimately granted summary judgment to USCIS on both claims. USCIS produced substantial documentation responding to Grey’s FOIA request, and the court determined the agency was entitled to withhold or redact certain documents under the statute’s law enforcement exemption. As for naturalization, the court concluded Grey was ineligible for citizenship because he lied under oath during his deposition in this case. Grey appealed each ruling, and we affirm. I. Grey first entered the United States in 2004 on a work visa. Two years later, he married a United States citizen, and eventually he became a lawful permanent resident. On February 17, 2016, Grey applied for naturalization. USCIS conducted his naturalization interview in September 2017 and a home visit in June 2018. During the home visit, Grey became concerned that USCIS suspected him of marriage fraud. Having received no decision from the agency on his application, Grey filed this lawsuit against the director of USCIS on June 27, 2018. Grey asked the district court to declare him eligible for naturalization and order USCIS to naturalize him pursuant to 8 2 USCA4 Appeal: 23-1910 Doc: 54 Filed: 06/10/2025 Pg: 3 of 17 U.S.C. § 1447(b). Around the same time, Grey also submitted a FOIA request to USCIS, seeking information about his immigration file and documents related to the agency’s methods and practices for investigating marriage fraud. When USCIS did not respond to his inquiry for two months, Grey amended his complaint to add a claim seeking an order compelling USCIS to respond to his pending FOIA request pursuant to 5 U.S.C. § 552(a)(4)(B). A. The parties began discovery, and in August 2020 USCIS deposed Grey. During the deposition, USCIS asked about a criminal charge from 2016 for misprision of a felony. Grey’s description of the events underlying that charge caused USCIS to dig deeper into the matter. During his deposition, Grey recounted that on February 18, 2016, he was sitting in his car in the parking lot that he routinely used before ferrying by boat to work. Grey testified that when he exited his car, he saw Darnell Williams, one of his coworkers, lying on the ground. Because Williams was a frequent prankster, Grey at first thought he was j
Case Details
Case Details
Legal case information
Status
Decided
Date Decided
June 10, 2025
Jurisdiction
F
Court Type
appellate
Legal Significance
Case importance metrics
Metadata
Additional information
Quick Actions
Case management tools
Case Summary
Summary of the key points and legal principles
USCA4 Appeal: 23-1910 Doc: 54 Filed: 06/10/2025 Pg: 1 of 17
PUBLISHED
UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS
FOR THE FOURTH CIRCUIT
No. 23-1910
FABIAN GREY,
Plaintiff – Appellant,
v.
ANGELICA ALFONSO-ROYALS, Acting Director, United States Citizenship and
Immigration Services,
Defendant – Appellee.
Appeal from the United States District Court for the District of South Carolina, at Beaufort.
David C. Norton, District Judge. (9:18-cv-01764-DCN)
Argued: September 27, 2024 Decided: June 10, 2025
Before NIEMEYER, THACKER, and RUSHING, Circuit Judges.
Affirmed by published opinion. Judge Rushing wrote the opinion, in which Judge
Niemeyer and Judge Thacker joined.
ARGUED: Bradley Bruce Banias, BANIAS LAW LLC, Charleston, South Carolina, for
Appellant. Victor Manuel Mercado-Santana, UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF
JUSTICE, Washington, D.C., for Appellee. ON BRIEF: Brian M. Boynton, Principal
Deputy Assistant Attorney General, William C. Peachey, Director, Samuel P. Go, Assistant
Director, Office of Immigration Litigation, Civil Division, UNITED STATES
DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE, Washington, D.C., for Appellee.
USCA4 Appeal: 23-1910 Doc: 54 Filed: 06/10/2025 Pg: 2 of 17
RUSHING, Circuit Judge:
Appellant Fabian Grey, a citizen of Jamaica and lawful permanent resident in the
United States, applied for naturalization. After substantial delay in a decision on his
application, Grey filed this lawsuit asking the district court to declare him eligible for
naturalization and order the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS)
to naturalize him. Grey also sought documents from USCIS under the Freedom of
Information Act (FOIA) and amended his lawsuit to request court action compelling
USCIS to produce those documents. The district court ultimately granted summary
judgment to USCIS on both claims. USCIS produced substantial documentation
responding to Grey’s FOIA request, and the court determined the agency was entitled to
withhold or redact certain documents under the statute’s law enforcement exemption. As
for naturalization, the court concluded Grey was ineligible for citizenship because he lied
under oath during his deposition in this case. Grey appealed each ruling, and we affirm.
I.
Grey first entered the United States in 2004 on a work visa. Two years later, he
married a United States citizen, and eventually he became a lawful permanent resident. On
February 17, 2016, Grey applied for naturalization. USCIS conducted his naturalization
interview in September 2017 and a home visit in June 2018. During the home visit, Grey
became concerned that USCIS suspected him of marriage fraud.
Having received no decision from the agency on his application, Grey filed this
lawsuit against the director of USCIS on June 27, 2018. Grey asked the district court to
declare him eligible for naturalization and order USCIS to naturalize him pursuant to 8
2
USCA4 Appeal: 23-1910 Doc: 54 Filed: 06/10/2025 Pg: 3 of 17
U.S.C. § 1447(b). Around the same time, Grey also submitted a FOIA request to USCIS,
seeking information about his immigration file and documents related to the agency’s
methods and practices for investigating marriage fraud. When USCIS did not respond to
his inquiry for two months, Grey amended his complaint to add a claim seeking an order
compelling USCIS to respond to his pending FOIA request pursuant to 5 U.S.C.
§ 552(a)(4)(B).
A.
The parties began discovery, and in August 2020 USCIS deposed Grey. During the
deposition, USCIS asked about a criminal charge from 2016 for misprision of a felony.
Grey’s description of the events underlying that charge caused USCIS to dig deeper into
the matter.
During his deposition, Grey recounted that on February 18, 2016, he was sitting in
his car in the parking lot that he routinely used before ferrying by boat to work. Grey
testified that when he exited his car, he saw Darnell Williams, one of his coworkers, lying
on the ground. Because Williams was a frequent prankster, Grey at first thought he was
j
Case Information
Detailed case metadata and classifications
Court Proceedings
Document Details
Legal Classification
Similar Cases
Cases with similar legal principles and precedents
Case Details
Legal case information
Status
Decided
Date Decided
June 10, 2025
Jurisdiction
F
Court Type
appellate
Legal Significance
Case importance metrics
Metadata
Additional information
Quick Actions
Case management tools