Immigration and Nationality Technical Corrections Act of 1994

{{Short description|Act by the US Congress}}

{{Infobox U.S. legislation

| name = Immigration and Nationality Technical Corrections Act of 1994

| fullname = An Act To amend title III of the Immigration and Nationality Act to make changes in the laws relating to nationality and naturalization.

| acronym = INTCA{{Cite web |url=https://cite.case.law/f3d/62/311/#p314 |title=Campos v. INS, 62 F.3d 311 |page=314 |date=August 4, 1995 |work=U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit |publisher=Harvard Law School}}

| nickname =

| enacted by = 103rd

| effective date = October 25, 1994

| public law url =

| cite public law = {{USPL|103|416}}

| cite statutes at large = {{USStat|108|4305}}

| acts amended = Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952
Immigration Act of 1990

| acts repealed =

| title amended =

| sections created =

| sections amended =

| leghisturl =

| introducedin = House

| introducedbill = {{USBill|103|HR|783}}

| introducedby = Rep. Romano L. Mazzoli (D-KY){{Cite web |title=Representative Romano L. Mazzoli |url=https://www.congress.gov/member/romano-mazzoli/M000291 |publisher=U.S. Congress |access-date=2021-12-06}}

| introduceddate = February 3, 1993

| committees = House Judiciary Committee, Subcommittee on International Law, Immigration, and Refugees

| passedbody1 =

| passeddate1 =

| passedvote1 =

| passedbody2 =

| passedas2 =

| passeddate2 =

| passedvote2 =

| conferencedate =

| passedbody3 =

| passeddate3 =

| passedvote3 =

| agreedbody3 =

| agreeddate3 =

| agreedvote3 =

| agreedbody4 =

| agreeddate4 =

| agreedvote4 =

| passedbody4 =

| passeddate4 =

| passedvote4 =

| signedpresident = Bill Clinton

| signeddate = October 25, 1994

| unsignedpresident =

| unsigneddate =

| vetoedpresident =

| vetoeddate=

| overriddenbody1 =

| overriddendate1 =

| overriddenvote1 =

| overriddenbody2 =

| overriddendate2 =

| overriddenvote2 =

| amendments =

| SCOTUS cases =

}}

The Immigration and Nationality Technical Corrections Act of 1994 (INTCA or H.R. 783), {{USStatute|103|416|108|4305|1994|10|25}}, was an act by the United States Congress "to amend title III of the Immigration and Nationality Act to make changes in the laws relating to nationality and naturalization."{{cite web|title=Pub. L. 103-416 Immigration and Nationality Technical Corrections Act of 1994|url=http://www.uscis.gov/ilink/docView/PUBLAW/HTML/PUBLAW/0-0-0-7752.html|publisher=United States Citizenship and Immigration|accessdate=18 March 2012}} Introduced by Romano Mazzoli, the act amended the Immigration and Nationality Act by allowing the acquisition of United States citizenship from either parent for persons born abroad to parents, only one of whom is a United States citizen.{{cite web|title=Immigration and Naturalization Service|url=https://www.justice.gov/eoir/vll/fedreg/1996_1997/fr05jy96-6.pdf|publisher=Department of Justice|accessdate=18 March 2012}}

The INTCA also prospectively expanded the definition of "aggravated felony", under which non-citizens were subject to deportation,{{cite web|title=III. Deportation Law Based on Criminal Convictions Before 1996|url=https://www.hrw.org/en/node/10856/section/5|work=Forced Apart|publisher=Human Rights Watch|accessdate=18 March 2012}} by adding more criminal convictions.{{Cite web |url=https://www.justice.gov/sites/default/files/eoir/legacy/2014/07/25/3270.pdf#page=2 |title=Matter of B, 21 I&N Dec. 287 |page=288 n.1 |date=March 28, 1996 |work=Board of Immigration Appeals |publisher=U.S. Dept. of Justice |quote=Congress expanded the definition of the term 'aggravated felony' in the Immigration and Nationality Technical Corrections Act of 1994.... However, the 1994 Act specifies that its amendments to section 101(a)(43) of the Act shall apply only to convictions entered on or after October 25, 1994.}} (emphases added) Some of these new additions related to crime of violence, theft, ransom, child pornography, racketeering, prostitution, tax evasion, fraud and alien smuggling.{{Cite web |url=https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/STATUTE-108/pdf/STATUTE-108-Pg4305.pdf#page=16 |title=Title II—Technical Corrections of Immigration Laws: Sec. 222. Expansion of Definition of Aggravated Felony |pages=16–18 |work=U.S. Congress |publisher=U.S. Government Publishing Office}}{{cite web|title=III. Deportation Law Based on Criminal Convictions Before 1996|url=https://www.hrw.org/en/node/10856/section/5|work=Forced Apart|publisher=Human Rights Watch|access-date=18 March 2012}}

The act was signed into law by President Bill Clinton, who said in his signing statement that act would correct the injustice towards persons born outside of the United States, and only one of whose parents was a United States citizen. Prior to the act, such persons could only acquire citizenship if that parent was the father.{{cite web|title=Statement on Signing the Immigration and Nationality Technical Corrections Act of 1994 |url=http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/index.php?pid=49363#axzz1pQDdX86N|work=The American Presidency Project|publisher=University of California, Santa Barbara|accessdate=18 March 2012}} The act amended this condition to allow acquisition of US citizenship when either of the parents was a US citizen.