Suggestion for media coverage

[amwo 0]

Hi All,

I have been thinking about contacting the Associated Press reporter who did the article on IMBRA and asking her if she would like to do a follow up. What if we ALL contacted her/the AP about doing a follow up?

Here is the article (posted here because it is starting to be deleted from websites):

Lara Jakes Jordan, Associated Press Writer

Agency Paperwork Glitch Delays Weddings

June 13, 2006

WASHINGTON (AP) - True love waits for no one - except maybe the Homeland Security Department. Red tape has put wedding bells on hold for about 10,000 U.S. citizens seeking visas for their foreign brides and grooms as the department works on new paperwork for their applications.

The form change was required as part of a law, enacted in March, to protect foreign mail-order brides from abusive American spouses. But Homeland Security missed its deadline three months ago, putting the visa applications of thousands of law-abiding lovers in limbo.

The department said Tuesday it would send out additional forms to the visa seekers for more information that should satisfy the new law's protections.

But the bureaucratic entanglement has trashed wedding plans for many couples before they could get anywhere near the altar.

"We were ready to get married this year, but I can't really make a date until we get the approval," said Bill Hall, 41, a construction foreman from Burlington, Vt. He applied two months ago for a visa for his fiancee, Debbie, to emigrate from Canada with her two sons. In separate interviews, the couple said they have been dating for six years.

"We're just kind of here, in limbo," Hall said. "And it's kind of aggravating _ it's a real simple thing they have to do, and they're making more of it than they need to."

He said his application, sent to Homeland Security in April, "never got approved. It's just sitting there."

The tale of these 10,000 belated nuptials illustrates a bureaucratic response to what all sides agree is a well-intentioned law to protect women.

Advocates estimate that as many as 15,000 foreign women annually meet their American husbands through for-profit marriage brokers. That number, provided by the Virginia-based Tahirih Justice Center, marks a sharp rise from a 1999 estimate by the former Immigration and Naturalization Services of 30,000 women who came to the United States through a marriage broker during the previous five years.

Spurred by stories of foreign women _ largely from Eastern Europe and Asia _ being abused or even murdered by their U.S. husbands, Congress in December approved new protections for mail-order brides. They included amending the application form for so-called fiancee visas with two new questions: Whether the romance was arranged by an international marriage broker, and had the U.S. citizen ever been accused of a violent crime or convicted of three or more alcohol- or drug-related crimes.

President Bush signed the law on January 5, putting Homeland Security under order to draw up the new paperwork. But the forms weren't finished by March 6, when the law took effect _ resulting in the department shelving all fiancee visa applications written on the old forms that were received after that date.

Chris Bentley, a Homeland Security spokesman, said about 10,000 applications are currently being held because they did not address the criminal or marriage broker issues.

"They did not have all of the information needed to determine whether someone qualified or not," said Bentley, who works for the department's Citizenship and Immigration Services.

He added: "It's certainly an inconvenience brought about by the new requirements of the law."

Homeland Security said Tuesday it would send additional forms to the estimated 10,000 couples in wedding purgatory to get answers to the questions about criminal pasts and marriage brokers. But it said it was still waiting for the White House Office of Management and Budget for approval of those forms and the new application.

OMB spokeswoman Andrea Wuebker did not have details immediately on the additional forms, but said the new applications were approved Monday in an emergency clearance process. It was not clear when the new applications would be distributed to the public.

Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., rapped Homeland Security for getting cold feet about quickly processing the new regulations that she helped write.

"Security and safety should be their top consideration but their long visa process delays are putting a lot of people's lives on hold," Cantwell said in a statement.

Hall, the lovelorn Vermonter, said he's frustrated with the visa delays for people trying to follow the law at a time the Bush administration is grappling with giving other benefits to immigrants who have slipped into the U.S. illegally.

"I thought it was ironic," Hall said. "And I find it unfair."

[Dean iWait 0]

Sound like a great idea to me.

[robhankins 0]

Hi All,

I have been thinking about contacting the Associated Press reporter who did the article on IMBRA and asking her if she would like to do a follow up. What if we ALL contacted her/the AP about doing a follow up?

Here is the article (posted here because it is starting to be deleted from websites):

Lara Jakes Jordan, Associated Press Writer

Agency Paperwork Glitch Delays Weddings

June 13, 2006

WASHINGTON (AP) - True love waits for no one - except maybe the Homeland Security Department. Red tape has put wedding bells on hold for about 10,000 U.S. citizens seeking visas for their foreign brides and grooms as the department works on new paperwork for their applications.

The form change was required as part of a law, enacted in March, to protect foreign mail-order brides from abusive American spouses. But Homeland Security missed its deadline three months ago, putting the visa applications of thousands of law-abiding lovers in limbo.

The department said Tuesday it would send out additional forms to the visa seekers for more information that should satisfy the new law's protections.

But the bureaucratic entanglement has trashed wedding plans for many couples before they could get anywhere near the altar.

"We were ready to get married this year, but I can't really make a date until we get the approval," said Bill Hall, 41, a construction foreman from Burlington, Vt. He applied two months ago for a visa for his fiancee, Debbie, to emigrate from Canada with her two sons. In separate interviews, the couple said they have been dating for six years.

"We're just kind of here, in limbo," Hall said. "And it's kind of aggravating _ it's a real simple thing they have to do, and they're making more of it than they need to."

He said his application, sent to Homeland Security in April, "never got approved. It's just sitting there."

The tale of these 10,000 belated nuptials illustrates a bureaucratic response to what all sides agree is a well-intentioned law to protect women.

Advocates estimate that as many as 15,000 foreign women annually meet their American husbands through for-profit marriage brokers. That number, provided by the Virginia-based Tahirih Justice Center, marks a sharp rise from a 1999 estimate by the former Immigration and Naturalization Services of 30,000 women who came to the United States through a marriage broker during the previous five years.

Spurred by stories of foreign women _ largely from Eastern Europe and Asia _ being abused or even murdered by their U.S. husbands, Congress in December approved new protections for mail-order brides. They included amending the application form for so-called fiancee visas with two new questions: Whether the romance was arranged by an international marriage broker, and had the U.S. citizen ever been accused of a violent crime or convicted of three or more alcohol- or drug-related crimes.

President Bush signed the law on January 5, putting Homeland Security under order to draw up the new paperwork. But the forms weren't finished by March 6, when the law took effect _ resulting in the department shelving all fiancee visa applications written on the old forms that were received after that date.

Chris Bentley, a Homeland Security spokesman, said about 10,000 applications are currently being held because they did not address the criminal or marriage broker issues.

"They did not have all of the information needed to determine whether someone qualified or not," said Bentley, who works for the department's Citizenship and Immigration Services.

He added: "It's certainly an inconvenience brought about by the new requirements of the law."

Homeland Security said Tuesday it would send additional forms to the estimated 10,000 couples in wedding purgatory to get answers to the questions about criminal pasts and marriage brokers. But it said it was still waiting for the White House Office of Management and Budget for approval of those forms and the new application.

OMB spokeswoman Andrea Wuebker did not have details immediately on the additional forms, but said the new applications were approved Monday in an emergency clearance process. It was not clear when the new applications would be distributed to the public.

Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., rapped Homeland Security for getting cold feet about quickly processing the new regulations that she helped write.

"Security and safety should be their top consideration but their long visa process delays are putting a lot of people's lives on hold," Cantwell said in a statement.

Hall, the lovelorn Vermonter, said he's frustrated with the visa delays for people trying to follow the law at a time the Bush administration is grappling with giving other benefits to immigrants who have slipped into the U.S. illegally.

"I thought it was ironic," Hall said. "And I find it unfair."

I think it is a great idea. Lara can take all our input and write what she gleans from us all. Nothing grabs a senator's or a representative's attention like a little press. At that point, gravity will take over; everything rolls downhill. Can you post her email address?

[Mike n Huong 1]

Sounds like a great idea!!!! Count me in. Let me know what you would like to do.

[kitkat1 5]

This is a GREAT idea. Do you know how to contact her and will you take the lead to get in touch with her?

[MN&UK 0]

Some of us are workiing on an open letter addressing the effects of the delay that we intend on sending out to the newswire, all members of Congress, targeted media outlets - so if you can get this AP reporter's email address, please post, etc.

We will circulate it here for feedback.

We should contact the spokespeople for the USCIS and OMB too to have them get a status report. Good to note the Senator who spoke out on our behalf. That is an identified ally. So if you want to contact her to let her know we appreciate her support and to let her know that things have not improved as yet, that would be good. Just fax her DC office a nice letter.

Thanks for the post!! All these leads are great. I think I am going to set up a Google Alert with keyword IMBRA so I can spot these articles and identify more allies.

Cheers everyone.

Edited July 22, 2006 by MN&UK

[Alex+R 0]

Some of us are workiing on an open letter addressing the effects of the delay that we intend on sending out to the newswire, all members of Congress, targeted media outlets - so if you can get this AP reporter's email address, please post, etc.

We will circulate it here for feedback.

We should contact the spokespeople for the USCIS and OMB too to have them get a status report. Good to note the Senator who spoke out on our behalf. That is an identified ally. So if you want to contact her to let her know we appreciate her support and to let her know that things have not improved as yet, that would be good. Just fax her DC office a nice letter.

Thanks for the post!! All these leads are great. I think I am going to set up a Google Alert with keyword IMBRA so I can spot these articles and identify more allies.

Cheers everyone.

Hey MN&UK if you're interested in any kind of local media coverage, my mom and her friends work in the Star Tribune news room...she has suggested getting a columnist to write about this. What do you think

[vartan 0]

I am not MN&UK but I think that any coverage is good coverage.. if we could get together all the info we have been discussing and even having a local news room cover it .. it will be seen by other journalists.. and maybe take it from there.. who knows..

[Sheriff Uling 3]

Alex+R - Please have your contacts do whatever they can. I have been writting that the more we can get the word out the better. Maybe we can touch some opportunistic or sympathetic person/politician in power who can make something happen for us all. Thanks!

Edited July 22, 2006 by Uling

[amwo 0]

OK Kids! All press about this is great! Contact who you know, who you don't know & think might want to help, etc. local newspapers, media, goverment, etc.

I think it is a good idea to compile a petition, do a march, whatever.

But for an AP follow up? We need to make them/her WANT IT! This isn't a big issue out there in news land. But when she did her first article, it made it into many news sources, print and electronic. After that there was also a radio segment about immigration issues on NPR which did discuss IMBRA in part of it.

So I feel the best way is for the AP/her to be bombarded with "You know what"'s, hopefully creating more interest on their part to do a follow up. I do not feel a one shot deal email to the AP with all our names is going to do it. I believe if enough emails telling each of our individual stories are received, it will cause a stir. One email is easy to trash. They can pick who to interview or not interview anyone. I will be offering to be interviewed but my case might not be seen as that urgent as my fiancé is here until September (yes, immigration let him in!).

I do not have a direct email addy for her but here is the contact AP url:

http://www.ap.org/pages/contact/contact.html

and, in case someone wants to call the NYC headquarters:

1-212-621-1500 (main number)

or snail mail:

The Associated Press

Headquarters

450 W. 33rd St.

New York, NY 10001

I suggest referring the email to her with some sort of "follow up to IMBRA article" line. Let's try all having "Lara Jakes Jordan", "IMBRA" and "follow up article"or "June article" in the subject, but not worded exactly the same on each one as they might think it is a mass emailing. Mine is "Is L. J. Jordan interested in follow up to June IMBRA story." We should also space them out over days to keep a steady flow. Do we ahve enough of us to do it?

I haven't sent it yet as I am not the greatest writer and it takes me tiiiiiiime to get my thoughts on paper. (but visually I rock!!!!) So if any of you are good writers, please post any help! BUT remember we cannot use waht looks like a form letter.

I just read through this and.....am I being neurotic?

[no name 1]

I already sent a story about it to the AP Friday!

[amwo 0]

I already sent a story about it to the AP Friday!

Excellent! I'll send mine this week. Was yours about a followup?

[JenT 0]

Perhaps it wold be helpful to bring this to the attention of the AP, if they aren't aware of it already?

http://www.visajourney.com/forums/index.ph...c=22939&hl=

As far as the AP web site, what address did you direct your email to? I will write one as well....

Jen

[MN&UK 0]

Hey MN&UK if you're interested in any kind of local media coverage, my mom and her friends work in the Star Tribune news room...she has suggested getting a columnist to write about this. What do you think

Can you send contact info to me a visalimbo@yahoo.com. Thanks. We can correspond there. Thanks! I also have contacts there and know a staffer that is having similar visa woes.

[no name 1]

I already sent a story about it to the AP Friday!

Excellent! I'll send mine this week. Was yours about a followup?

yep!

Perhaps it wold be helpful to bring this to the attention of the AP, if they aren't aware of it already?

http://www.visajourney.com/forums/index.ph...c=22939&hl=

As far as the AP web site, what address did you direct your email to? I will write one as well....

Jen

I sent it to:

info@ap.org