N400 question, was I deported?

murph1031

Registered Users (C)
I am in the process of filing for naturalization. I have a question about something on the form. In 1989 I was arrested for obtaining a false US passport. The case ended up with the charges been dismissed. On my FBI record its shows as been dismissed. We never went to an immigration court. We agreed to leave the country of our own free will. Two years later we won the lottery and received our green cards. The process was delayed for apx. a year because we reveled the false passport case, but after everything was checked and cleared we where issued our green cards. I have since renewed twice, with no problems.
I now think its time to become a citizen. This is the only scar on my record, and yes it is a pretty big scar. My question relates to the questions on the N400

"have you ever been placed in removal, exclusion rescission or deportation proceedings"

I never attended an immigration court or judge. After our hearing at the FBI court, at which an immigration agent was in attendance, the charges where dropped and we agreed to leave the country within 30 days. Nobody meet us at the airport and as far as I know no restrictions where placed on our passport. It would seem like if there was, then we would not have been issued our green cards two years later.

So do you think I'm safe to answer no to this question, or should I answer yes just to be on the safe side. I have included all the info of the arrest and charges on the application.
 
Given that you will answer YES to the arrested question and provide the related paperwork, they can't accuse you of hiding something if you answer No to the removal/deportation question. They can review that documentation and change the removal/deportation answer to YES if they see fit.
 
Thank you for your reply. One more question as far as the documentation goes. I got a copy of my FBI records. The charge is listed on there. It lists the date, agency (FBI), case #, and charge. It also listed the sentence, which was "Dismissed". Will this paperwork be enough or do I need to find the full record of the case? And if I do, where would I start looking for this info? The attorney I used has since passed away, and his law firm no longer exists, so I can't go there.
Thank you for your help
Rob
 
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