The Third Circuit has determined that a non-citizen who was erroneously granted a certificate of citizenship, which was not revoked for 21 years, cannot use the doctrine of equitable estoppel to obtain a declaration of citizenship from a federal court. “It is unfortunate that the government erroneously issued Lall a Certificate of Citizenship in the first place. And it is inexcusable that it quickly discovered its error but failed to correct it for over twenty-one years. Of course, it is Lall’s own subsequent criminal conduct that has brought the consequences of the government’s dereliction down on his head. Still, that dereliction has fundamentally changed Lall’s identity and place in the world. He turns to us for assistance, but we cannot provide the relief he seeks. Not every wrong is ours to right. “
The full text of Lall v. Department of Homeland Security can be found here: