Sanchez v. Mayorkas

NOTE: Where it is feasible, a syllabus (headnote) will be released, as is being done in connection with this case, at the time the opinion is issued. The syllabus constitutes no part of the opinion of the Court but has been prepared by the Reporter of Decisions for the convenience of the reader. See United States v. Detroit Timber & Lumber Co., 200 U. S. 321, 337. SUPREME COURT OF THE UNITED STATES

注：在可行的情况下，判词摘要（页首提要）将随本意见书发布，本案即如此。判词摘要不构成法院意见的任何部分，而是由判决汇编官为方便读者而编写。参见 United States v. Detroit Timber & Lumber Co., 200 U. S. 321, 337。 美国最高法院

SANCHEZ ET UX. v. MAYORKAS, SECRETARY OF HOMELAND SECURITY, ET AL.

SANCHEZ ET UX. 诉 MAYORKAS，国土安全部部长等

NOTICE: This opinion is subject to formal revision before publication in the preliminary print of the United States Reports. Readers are requested to notify the Reporter of Decisions, Supreme Court of the United States, Wash­ ington, D. C. 20543, of any typographical or other formal errors, in order that corrections may be made before the preliminary print goes to press. SUPREME COURT OF THE UNITED STATES

通知：本意见在《美国判例汇编》初印本出版前须经正式修订。请读者将任何排版或其他正式错误通知美国最高法院判决汇编官，地址：Washington, D. C. 20543，以便在初印本付印前作出更正。 美国最高法院

JOSE SANTOS SANCHEZ, ET UX., PETITIONERS v. ALEJANDRO N. MAYORKAS, SECRETARY OF HOMELAND SECURITY, ET AL.

JOSE SANTOS SANCHEZ, ET UX.，申请人 诉 ALEJANDRO N. MAYORKAS，国土安全部部长等

JUSTICE KAGAN delivered the opinion of the Court.

KAGAN大法官发表法院意见。

Petitioner Jose Santos Sanchez entered this country un­ lawfully from El Salvador. Years later, because of unsafe living conditions in that country, the Government granted him Temporary Protected Status (TPS), entitling him to stay and work in the United States for as long as those con­ ditions persist. Sanchez now wishes to become a lawful per­ manent resident (LPR) of the United States. The question here is whether the conferral of TPS enables him to obtain LPR status despite his unlawful entry. We hold that it does not.

申请人Jose Santos Sanchez从萨尔瓦多非法进入本国。多年后，由于该国生活条件不安全，政府授予他临时保护身份（TPS），使其有权在美国居留和工作，只要这些条件持续存在。Sanchez现在希望成为美国合法永久居民（LPR）。这里的问题是，授予TPS是否使他能够不顾其非法入境而获得LPR身份。我们裁定不能。

I Section 1255 of the immigration laws provides a way for a “nonimmigrant”—a foreign national lawfully present in this country on a designated, temporary basis—to obtain an “[a]djustment of status” making him an LPR. 8 U. S. C. §1255 (boldface deleted); see §1101(a)(15) (listing classes of nonimmigrants, such as students and tourists). Under that section, a nonimmigrant’s eligibility for such an adjustment to permanent status depends (with exceptions not relevant

I 移民法§1255为“非移民”——以指定的临时 basis 合法居留于本国的外国国民——提供了一条获得“[身份]调整”使其成为LPR的途径。8 U. S. C. §1255（粗体删除）；见§1101(a)(15)（列出非移民类别，如学生和游客）。根据该条，非移民获得此类永久身份调整的资格取决于（例外与本案无关）

here) on an “admission” into this country. And an “admis­ sion” is defined as “the lawful entry of the alien into the United States after inspection and authorization by an im­ migration officer.” §1101(a)(13)(A). The admission—or, to use the definitional phrase, “lawful entry”—requirement appears in two pertinent provisions of §1255. One states that a nonimmigrant may become an LPR only if he has been “inspected and admitted or paroled into the United States.” §1255(a). And another states that a nonimmigrant who has previously worked without authorization in the United States may become an LPR only if his presence here is “pursuant to a lawful admission.” §1255(k)(1); see §1255(c)(2). 1

进入本国。而“入境”定义为“外国人在移民官员检查并授权后合法进入美国”。§1101(a)(13)(A)。入境——或者用定义性短语说，“合法入境”——要求出现在§1255的两个相关条款中。一条规定，非移民只有在“经检查并获准入境或假释进入美国”的情况下才能成为LPR。§1255(a)。另一条规定，曾在美国未经授权工作的非移民，只有在其居留是“依据合法入境”的情况下才能成为LPR。§1255(k)(1)；见§1255(c)(2)。1

A separate provision of immigration law establishes the TPS program, which provides humanitarian relief to for­ eign nationals in the United States who come from specified countries. See §1254a. The Government may designate a country for the program when it is beset by especially bad or dangerous conditions, such as arise from natural disas­ ters or armed conflicts. The country’s citizens, if already present in the United States, may then obtain TPS. That status protects them from removal and authorizes them to work here for as long as the TPS designation lasts. A per­ son’s unlawful entry into the United States will usually not preclude granting him TPS. See §1254a(c)(2)(A)(ii); 8 CFR §244.3 (2020). And relevant here, the TPS provision states: “[F]or purposes of adjustment of status under section 1255,” a person given TPS “shall be considered as being in, and

移民法的另一单独条款设立了TPS项目，为来自特定国家的在美国的外国国民提供人道主义救济。见§1254a。当一国遭受特别恶劣或危险的条件（例如自然灾害或武装冲突引起的条件）时，政府可以为该项目指定该国。该国公民如果已在美国境内，则可以获得TPS。该身份保护他们免遭遣返，并授权他们在TPS指定持续期间在此工作。个人非法进入美国通常不会妨碍授予其TPS。见§1254a(c)(2)(A)(ii)；8 CFR §244.3（2020）。与本案相关的是，TPS条款规定：“为根据第1255条调整身份之目的”，获得TPS的人“应被视为处于并

lawful status as a nonimmigrant.”

维持 合法 身份 作为 非移民。”

maintaining, §1254a(f )(4).

§1254a(f)(4)。

Jose Santos Sanchez is a citizen of El Salvador who has lived in the United States for more than two decades. He entered this country unlawfully in 1997—without “inspec­ tion and authorization by an immigration officer.” §1101(a)(13)(A). Once here, he worked without legal au­ thorization. In 2001, the Government designated El Salva­ dor under the TPS program after a series of devastating earthquakes. Sanchez obtained TPS that year, and has held it ever since. In 2014, he applied under §1255 for an adjustment to LPR status. 2

Jose Santos Sanchez是萨尔瓦多公民，已在美国生活二十多年。他于1997年非法进入本国——未经“移民官员检查并授权”。§1101(a)(13)(A)。到达后，他未经法律授权工作。2001年，在一系列毁灭性地震后，政府根据TPS项目指定萨尔瓦多。Sanchez当年获得TPS，并一直持有至今。2014年，他根据§1255申请调整LPR身份。2

The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services denied Sanchez’s LPR application. Under §1255, the agency stated, Sanchez was ineligible for LPR status be­ cause he had not been lawfully admitted to the United States. See App. to Pet. for Cert. 40a. And in the agency’s view, his TPS provided no way around that bar. “Recipients of TPS,” the agency reasoned, “must still meet the threshold requirement” of a lawful entry. Id., at 46a. Or said other­ wise: “A grant of TPS does not cure a foreign national’s en­ try without inspection or constitute an inspection and ad­ mission of the foreign national,” as demanded by §1255. Ibid.

美国公民及移民服务局驳回了Sanchez的LPR申请。该机构表示，根据§1255，Sanchez不符合LPR身份资格，因为他未被合法接纳进入美国。见App. to Pet. for Cert. 40a。该机构认为，他的TPS无法绕过这一障碍。该机构推理说，“TPS受益人”“仍必须满足”合法入境的“门槛要求”。Id., at 46a。换言之：“授予TPS并不能治愈外国国民未经检查入境，也不构成§1255所要求的外国国民经检查并入境。”Ibid.

Sanchez challenged the decision. The District Court granted summary judgment in his favor, relying on the statutory mandate that a TPS recipient “shall be considered as” having “lawful status as a nonimmigrant” for purposes of applying to become an LPR. See Santos Sanchez v. John­ son, 2018 WL 6427894, *4 (D NJ, Dec. 7, 2018) (citing §1254a(f )(4); emphasis deleted). According to the court, that provision requires treating TPS recipients “as though [they] had been ‘inspected and admitted.’” Ibid. But the Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit reversed, holding ——————

Sanchez对该决定提出质疑。地区法院作出有利于他的简易判决，依据法定要求，TPS受益人为申请成为LPR之目的“应被视为”具有“非移民合法身份”。见Santos Sanchez v. Johnson, 2018 WL 6427894, *4 (D NJ, Dec. 7, 2018)（引用§1254a(f)(4)；强调删除）。法院认为，该条款要求将TPS受益人“视为已被‘检查并入境’”。Ibid。但第三巡回上诉法院推翻原判，认定

that “a grant of TPS does not constitute an ‘admission’ into the United States.” Sanchez v. Secretary U. S. Dept. of Homeland Security, 967 F. 3d 242, 252 (2020). The court observed that “admission” and “status” are separate con­ cepts in immigration law. Id., at 246. So, the court con­ cluded, providing a person with nonimmigrant status (as the TPS provision does) does not mean admitting him (as §1255 requires). See ibid.

“授予TPS不构成进入美国的‘入境’”。Sanchez v. Secretary U. S. Dept. of Homeland Security, 967 F. 3d 242, 252 (2020)。法院指出，“入境”和“身份”是移民法中的不同概念。Id., at 246。因此，法院得出结论，给予个人非移民身份（如TPS条款所做）并不意味着接纳其入境（如§1255所要求）。见ibid。

We granted certiorari, 592 U. S. ___ (2021), to resolve a Circuit split over whether a TPS recipient who entered the country unlawfully can still become an LPR. 3 We now af­ firm the Third Circuit’s decision that he cannot. The TPS program gives foreign nationals nonimmigrant status, but it does not admit them. So the conferral of TPS does not make an unlawful entrant (like Sanchez) eligible under §1255 for adjustment to LPR status.

我们批准了调卷令，592 U. S. ___（2021），以解决各巡回法院之间关于非法入境后获得临时保护身份（TPS）的受益人是否仍能成为合法永久居民（LPR）的分歧。3 我们现在维持第三巡回法院关于其不能成为合法永久居民的裁定。TPS项目赋予外国人非移民身份，但并不准许其入境。因此，授予TPS并不使非法入境者（如Sanchez）依据§1255具备调整身份为合法永久居民的资格。

II Section 1255, applied according to its plain terms, pre­ vents Sanchez from becoming an LPR. There is no dispute that Sanchez “entered the United States in the late 1990s unlawfully, without inspection.” Brief for Petitioners 13. But as earlier described, §1255 requires an LPR applicant like Sanchez to have entered the country “lawful[ly],” with “inspection”—that is, to have been admitted. §1101(a)(13)(A); see supra, at 1–2. Indeed, §1255 imposes an admission requirement twice over. Its principal provi­ sion states that an applicant for LPR status must have been “inspected and admitted or paroled into the United States.”

II 按字面含义适用第1255条，该条阻止Sanchez成为合法永久居民。Sanchez“在1990年代末未经检查非法进入美国”这一点没有争议。见申请人简报第13页。但如前所述，§1255要求像Sanchez这样的合法永久居民申请人必须“合法”入境并接受“检查”——也就是说，必须获准入境。§1101(a)(13)(A)；见上文第1–2页。事实上，§1255两次规定了入境要求。其主要条款规定，合法永久居民身份的申请人必须“经检查并获准入境或假释进入美国”。

§1255(a). And another provision says that a person who has worked without authorization in the country—as Sanchez did for several years—may become an LPR only if his presence in the United States is “pursuant to a lawful admission.” §1255(k). Sanchez has never claimed that he can, without aid from the TPS provision, satisfy those de­ mands for admission. 4 A straightforward application of §1255 thus supports the Government’s decision to deny him LPR status.

§1255(a)。另一条款规定，未经授权在美国工作的人——如Sanchez曾工作数年——只有在其在美国的存在是“依据合法入境”时，才可以成为合法永久居民。§1255(k)。Sanchez从未主张，在没有TPS条款帮助的情况下，他能够满足这些入境要求。4 因此，直接适用§1255支持政府拒绝给予其合法永久居民身份的决定。

And nothing in the conferral of TPS changes that result. As noted earlier, a TPS recipient is “considered as being in, and maintaining, lawful status as a nonimmigrant” for the purpose of becoming an LPR. §1254a(f )(4); see supra, at 2. That provision ensures that, in applying for permanent res­ idency, a TPS recipient will be treated as having nonimmi­ grant status—even if, like Sanchez, he really does not. See §1101(a)(15) (not including TPS recipients among the des­ ignated classes of “nonimmigrants”). It thus guarantees that every TPS recipient has the status traditionally and generally needed to invoke §1255’s adjustment process. See §1255 (titled “[a]djustment of status of nonimmigrant to that of person admitted for permanent residence” (boldface deleted)). But the provision does not aid the TPS recipient in meeting §1255’s independent legal-entry requirement. Lawful status and admission, as the court below recog­ nized, are distinct concepts in immigration law: Establish­ ing one does not necessarily establish the other. See supra, at 3–4. On the one hand, a foreign national can be admitted ——————

授予TPS并不改变这一结果。如前所述，为成为合法永久居民之目的，TPS受益人“被视为处于并保持非移民的合法身份”。§1254a(f)(4)；见上文第2页。该条款确保，在申请永久居留时，TPS受益人将被视为具有非移民身份——即使他实际上并不具有，如Sanchez。见§1101(a)(15)（未将TPS受益人列入指定的“非移民”类别）。因此，该条款保证每个TPS受益人都具有传统上且通常援引§1255调整程序所需的那种身份。见§1255（标题为“[非移民]调整身份为获准永久居留的人”（粗体删除））。但该条款并不帮助TPS受益人满足§1255独立的合法入境要求。正如下级法院所承认的，合法身份与入境在移民法中是不同概念：确立其一并不必然确立其二。见上文第3–4页。一方面，外国人可以获准入境

but not in lawful status—think of someone who legally en­ tered the United States on a student visa, but stayed in the country long past graduation. On the other hand, a foreign national can be in lawful status but not admitted—think of someone who entered the country unlawfully, but then re­ ceived asylum. The latter is the situation Sanchez is in, except that he received a different kind of lawful status. The TPS statute permits him to remain in the country; and it deems him in nonimmigrant status for purposes of apply­ ing to become an LPR. But the statute does not construc­ tively “admit” a TPS recipient—that is, “consider[]” him as having entered the country “after inspection and authoriza­ tion.” §1254a(f )(4); §1101(a)(13)(A). And because a grant of TPS does not come with a ticket of admission, it does not eliminate the disqualifying effect of an unlawful entry.

但并非处于合法身份——想想某人持学生签证合法进入美国，但毕业后长期滞留。另一方面，外国人可以处于合法身份但未获准入境——想想某人非法入境，但随后获得庇护。Sanchez属于后一种情况，只是他获得的是另一种合法身份。TPS法规允许他留在美国；并为申请成为合法永久居民之目的视其为非移民身份。但该法规并不推定“准许入境”TPS受益人——即“视为”其“经检查和授权后”进入美国。§1254a(f)(4)；§1101(a)(13)(A)。并且，由于授予TPS并不附带入境许可，它并不消除非法入境的取消资格效果。

Sanchez resists this conclusion by asserting an “indissol­ uble relationship between admission and nonimmigrant status.” Reply Brief 2 (emphasis in original). While con­ ceding that some forms of status (e.g., asylum) do not re­ quire admission, Sanchez contends that nonimmigrant sta­ tus always does: “One cannot obtain lawful nonimmigrant status without admission.” Ibid. In support of that claim, Sanchez points to §1184 of the immigration laws, entitled “[a]dmission of nonimmigrants.” And he asserts that it is impossible to “identif[y] any category of individuals who are lawful nonimmigrants but are not admitted—because no such category exists.” Brief for Petitioners 20. So (Sanchez concludes) when the law provides that a TPS recipient shall be “considered . . . as a nonimmigrant” for purposes of §1255, it is necessarily saying that he shall also be consid­ ered as admitted.

Sanchez通过主张入境与非移民身份之间存在“不可分割的关系”来抵制这一结论。答辩简报第2页（原文强调）。虽然Sanchez承认某些身份形式（如庇护）不要求入境，但他主张非移民身份总是要求入境：“没有入境就无法获得合法非移民身份。”同上。为支持该主张，Sanchez援引移民法§1184，标题为“[非移民]入境”。他还声称不可能“找出任何合法非移民但未获准入境的个人类别——因为不存在此类类别。”申请人简报第20页。因此（Sanchez总结道），当法律规定TPS受益人“被视为……非移民”以适用§1255时，必然意味着他也应被视为已获准入境。

But to begin with, §1184 does not (as Sanchez contends) require admission for nonimmigrant status. That provision states that “[t]he admission to the United States of any al­ ien as a nonimmigrant shall be for such time and under such conditions as the [Secretary of Homeland Security]

但首先，§1184并不（如Sanchez所主张）要求非移民身份必须入境。该条款规定，“任何外国人作为非移民进入美国，应在[国土安全部部长]

may by regulations prescribe.” §1184(a)(1). The section also provides that a foreign national is “presumed to be an immigrant until” he establishes “at the time of application for admission” that “he is entitled to a nonimmigrant sta­ tus.” §1184(b). Section 1184 thus regulates the process for admitting foreign nationals as nonimmigrants. Suppose a foreign national wants to be admitted to the United States as a university student—a kind of nonimmigrant. He should look to §1184 (among other provisions) to find out what that will entail—what he must show and what that showing will entitle him to. Why, though, does that matter? No one denies that most foreign nationals obtain nonimmi­ grant status through an admission. So there is naturally a section in the immigration laws that specifies how that pro­ cess works. But nothing in §1184 (or any other section) states that admission is a prerequisite of nonimmigrant status—or otherwise said, that the former is a necessary incident of the latter. And that is what Sanchez needs. For without such an “indissoluble” link, Reply Brief 2, there is no reason to view the TPS provision’s conferral of nonimmi­ grant status as also a conferral of admission.

可通过法规规定的时间和条件下进行。”§1184(a)(1)。该条还规定，外国人“被推定为移民，直至”其在“申请入境时”证明“其有权获得非移民身份”。§1184(b)。因此，§1184规范的是外国人作为非移民入境的程序。假设某外国人希望作为大学生——一种非移民——获准进入美国。他应查阅§1184（及其他条款）以了解这将涉及什么——他必须证明什么以及该证明将使其获得什么。但为何这很重要？无人否认大多数外国人通过入境获得非移民身份。因此，移民法中自然有一条规定该程序如何运作。但§1184（或任何其他条款）中没有任何内容规定入境是非移民身份的前提——或者换句话说，前者是后者的必要附属。而这正是Sanchez所需要的。因为如果没有这种“不可分割”的联系，答辩简报第2页，就没有理由将TPS条款授予非移民身份视为也授予入境。

In fact, individuals in two immigration categories have what Sanchez says does not exist: nonimmigrant status without admission. The first category is for “alien crew­ men”—foreign nationals who serve on board a vessel or air­ craft. §1101(a)(10). They receive nonimmigrant status when their vessel or aircraft “land[s]” in the United States. §1101(a)(15)(D)(i). But still the law provides that they are not “considered to have been admitted.” §1101(a)(13)(B). The second category is for foreign nationals who have been the victim of a serious crime in the United States and can assist with the investigation. Those individuals may re­ ceive nonimmigrant status even if they entered the country unlawfully—so even if they were not admitted. See §§1101(a)(15)(U), 1182(d)(14). And §1255 specifically rec­ ognizes that possibility. That section makes these so-called

事实上，两个移民类别中的个人拥有Sanchez所称不存在的东西：非移民身份但未获准入境。第一个类别是“外籍船员”——在船只或飞机上服务的外国人。§1101(a)(10)。当其船只或飞机在美国“降落”时，他们获得非移民身份。§1101(a)(15)(D)(i)。但法律仍规定他们不被“视为已获准入境”。§1101(a)(13)(B)。第二个类别是在美国成为严重犯罪受害者并能协助调查的外国人。这些人即使非法入境——即使未获准入境——也可以获得非移民身份。见§§1101(a)(15)(U), 1182(d)(14)。而§1255特别承认这种可能性。该条使这些所谓的

“U” nonimmigrants eligible for LPR status if they were either “admitted into the United States” or “otherwise pro­ vided nonimmigrant status.” §1255(m)(1). There could scarcely be a plainer statement of the daylight between nonimmigrant status and admission (except maybe for the alien crewmen provision). And that plain statement comes in a provision expressly enabling some unlawful entrants to adjust to LPR status. So when Congress does not speak in that manner—when it confers status, but says nothing about admission, for purposes of §1255—we have no basis for ruling an unlawful entrant eligible to become an LPR. Sanchez objects that if the TPS provision confers only nonimmigrant status for §1255, it accomplishes precious little. See Reply Brief 11–13; Tr. of Oral Arg. 27. Less than he would like, of course: It would not make him, or other TPS recipients who entered the country unlawfully, LPR- eligible. But some TPS recipients will benefit from the TPS provision’s conferral of nonimmigrant status for purposes of §1255. Recall that the provision gives all TPS recipients the status typically required to invoke §1255—that is, nonimmigrant status. See supra, at 5. Some TPS recipi­ ents need exactly that assistance—without needing a con­ structive admission. Consider, for example, a foreign na­ tional who entered the country legally on a tourist visa, but stayed on for several months after the visa’s expiration. He can satisfy §1255’s requirement of admission, but he found­ ers in showing nonimmigrant status. The TPS provision relieves that difficulty and enables him to become an LPR. Congress, of course, could have gone further, by deeming TPS recipients to have not only nonimmigrant status but also a lawful admission. Legislation pending in Congress would do just that. See American Dream and Promise Act of 2021, H. R. 6, 117th Cong., 1st Sess., §203, p. 29 (intro­ duced Mar. 3, 2021) (amending §1254a(f)(4) so that a TPS recipient shall be considered “as having been inspected and

“U”非移民有资格获得合法永久居民身份，如果他们“获准进入美国”或“以其他方式获得非移民身份”。§1255(m)(1)。几乎不可能有比这更明确的表述来说明非移民身份与入境之间的差距（也许除了外籍船员条款）。而这一明确表述出现在明确使某些非法入境者能够调整身份为合法永久居民的条款中。因此，当国会不以那种方式表述——当它授予身份，但对入境只字不提，以适用§1255时——我们没有依据裁定非法入境者有资格成为合法永久居民。 Sanchez反对说，如果TPS条款仅为§1255之目的授予非移民身份，那它几乎毫无作用。见答辩简报11–13；口头辩论记录第27页。当然，比他希望的要少：这不会使他或其他非法入境的TPS受益人有资格获得合法永久居民身份。但一些TPS受益人将从TPS条款为§1255之目的授予非移民身份中受益。回想该条款赋予所有TPS受益人通常援引§1255所需的身份——即非移民身份。见上文第5页。一些TPS受益人正需要这种帮助——而不需要推定入境。例如，考虑某外国人持旅游签证合法入境，但在签证到期后滞留数月。他能满足§1255的入境要求，但在证明非移民身份方面遇到困难。TPS条款缓解了这一困难并使其能够成为合法永久居民。 国会当然可以走得更远，将TPS受益人视为不仅具有非移民身份，而且具有合法入境。国会正在审议的立法正是这样做的。见2021年美国梦与承诺法案，H. R. 6，第117届国会，第1会期，§203，第29页（2021年3月3日提出）（修订§1254a(f)(4)，使TPS受益人被视为“经检查并

admitted into the United States, and” as being in, and main­ taining, lawful status as a nonimmigrant” (emphasis added)). But even without that amendment, the statute does something—and this Court does not get to say that the something it does is not enough.

被准许进入美国，并且”作为处于并维持非移民合法身份”（着重号为原文所加））。但即使没有该修正，该法条也发挥了某种作用——而本法院不能断言其所发挥的某种作用不够充分。

III Section 1255 generally requires a lawful admission before a person can obtain LPR status. Sanchez was not lawfully admitted, and his TPS does not alter that fact. He therefore cannot become a permanent resident of this country. We affirm the judgment below.

III 第1255条通常要求个人在获得LPR身份之前须经合法准许。Sanchez未被合法准许，其TPS并不改变这一事实。因此，他不能成为本国的永久居民。我们维持下级法院的判决。

It is so ordered.

特此命令。