Some things never change.............
Matter of C-, 8 I&N Dec. 421 (Asst. Comm'r 1959) [Reg'l Comm'r & DD Denial Affirmed] involved the clear need to meet all of the requirements (prerequisites) for derivative citizenship. The claimant was born abroad to a USC who could not transmit citizenship and an alien parent. When the child was first admitted to the U.S. she was a toddler, under 2 years old, in her USC mother’s company and was apparently presumed to be a USC and waived across the U.S.-Canadian border. However that was not correct and years later when a certificate of citizenship was sought it was determined that she never became an LPR and had no lawful entry for derivative citizenship purposes upon her dad’s naturalization in 1949. The DD’s denial came when she was 17 years, 11 months, and 1 day old. If the parents had not been so lazy about it, they would have had time to obtain lawful status for her and thereby derivative citizenship. Dad naturalized in 1949 when she was 8 years old. This is a very relevant cautionary tale even today in 2012.
Lazy parents harm their children!
See also:
http://www.slideshare.net/BigJoe5/updated-amicus-brief-on-the-merits-of-delice-n600-case [A case from last year.]