Where do you go for help................

[Girona40 0]

It seems that it's just us and our attorney now, trying to resolve the problem with our case.

The congresswoman, who offered to do all she could to help, prior to the election, is totally ignoring us now. None of her staff will respond to phone calls or e-mails from either myself or my husband in the past month! We have written weekly to ask if they have any news. I guess there isn't - but we haven't even had the courtesy of a "Nope, Nothing!" reply.

Our senator has not responded to us either - not even when the entire town we live in signed a petition asking him to help!

Listening to his speech after he was re-elected, waffling on about how he never forgets who he is representing in the Senate, every citizen of WV (yeah right!), just made me want to scream. He doesn't give a sh*t about this family!

I had a call from the Justice Department the other day, in response to a letter I wrote a member of their Legal Counsel. The woman I spoke with was very sweet, but didn't know the difference between a visa and adjustment of status! It was a waste of time - she said "I'm glad I called, you taught me a few things about the immigration process today!"

Where are you supposed to go for help, when you are trying your best to avoid a lengthy Court battle, or is that why the Courts are so overloaded with cases - nobody can interpret the law without going to a Judge?

I'm tired.

[Kez/JWolf 6]

If all else fails go to the press.... tell them your elected officials are not helping that should stir things up...

Good Luck

Kez

[LaL 418]

is it possible for you to go and see them personally? its easy to ignore when you dont have personal contact. also, you could state in your dealing with the press in your opinion how your elected officials have failed you in that prior to their election they were all ears, then once elected - ignored.

gosh girona, i really hope you get some heavy help with this. unreal.

[Girona40 0]

We have written to numerous newspapers - only local ones, I admit. They don't seem interested either. Unless the content of your letter has "Illegal Immigration" in it they don't want to know either. It seems that the only press interest, at this time, is in Amnesty or the Guest Worker Program.

I wrote, on Friday, to the Editor of the Washington Post. I am not expecting a reply. The Charleston Daily Mail was another one - bearing in mind that our congresswoman and senator both have offices in the town.

I put a blog on FoxNews - whilst everyone that posted on that is sympathetic, nobody is able to offer any constructive advice to get this aired.

If we were to go personally to our representative's offices, it is a 4 hour drive - not knowing if they are in that day is an issue. Trying to get an appointment is impossible, since none of their staff is responding to any e-mails or phone calls. I guess they have something on the caller-ID that puts our name up. I have a sneaking suspicion that they have been told not to answer calls from us! So, this is almost impossible.

I think, next week, I am going to put a letter together and "mass mail" as many newspapers as I can, for what good it will do.

I just wish there was some official out there that was actually interested in how badly we are being treated.

Like I said, previously, I am getting tired and I am rapidly running out of steam.

[MissStacey 1]

I have also done many of the things you have, to no avail. I learned the hard way, most people just don't seem to care. With the state Louisiana is in, and so many people not wanting to go back, I'm trying my hardest to get there again.

[MissStacey 1]

Maybe we could all pick somewhere- CNN? And flood them with our EMails. Maybe the White House, why not go straight to the top?

Edited December 9, 2006 by Wilhelmina

[motu 5]

Maybe the White House, why not go straight to the top?

There was the story on VJ last year about someone writing to Laura Bush and either because of that (or inspite of that) their case was expedited. Why not give it a shot, you have nothing to lose at this point? Good Luck

[Killer_Clown_2009 0]

I think the mass mailing is a good idea. If your state reps won't respond to you, I am sure the media would be happy to report that.

[Girona40 0]

Maybe the White House, why not go straight to the top?

There was the story on VJ last year about someone writing to Laura Bush and either because of that (or inspite of that) their case was expedited. Why not give it a shot, you have nothing to lose at this point? Good Luck

I will try writing to Laura Bush - as you say "What have we got to lose?" However, I don't hold out a lot of hope.

We have written to the President, via the White House website. The letters were obviously scanned for specific words, they see "immigration" and forward it to the USCIS, who write back telling you they are aware of your concerns regarding "illegal immigration"!!! No mention of "illegal immigration" anywhere in my letter.

We have a friend, who attends the same church as us, who actually works at the White House. She wrote a letter to the President and had it hand-delivered to his office. They did exactly the same thing - forwarded it to the USCIS! We got a phone call that time, from the USCIS, telling us that our case was "pending". NO SH*T SHERLOCK! I had to tell her what was happening with our case, that it was with the AAO and she said that there was nothing they could do - but, whatever happens, don't let my son get married - that would mess everything up. Like it isn't already messed up!!!

Okay, Laura Bush, is the next one on my list. I will get on to that tomorrow, going to the cinema this afternoon with my son and his girlfriend - the one he can't marry!!! lol

Thanks Guys - it is nice to know that I can get on here and vent sometimes. If I didn't have this outlet, I think I would go totally insane. Nobody else wants to listen and nobody else seems to understand. Even family members just don't get it. The more complicated the case gets, and the more research we do into the sections of the INA etc., that apply, the less we feel we can talk to anyone, because they can't relate to what the hell we are talking about!!! lol

[MissStacey 1]

I got one off to ####### Cheney. I also sent one to Ray Nagin, Kathleen Blanco and David Vitter in Louisiana. I wrote a nice heartfelt letter, so who knows?

[Girona40 0]

I got one off to ####### Cheney. I also sent one to Ray Nagin, Kathleen Blanco and David Vitter in Louisiana. I wrote a nice heartfelt letter, so who knows?

Let's hope that some of these letters will actually turn the light bulb on in someone's head!

[heishe 2]

Call the other Senator?

[MissStacey 1]

I sent another to CNN.com. News story ideas.

[zyggy 9]

Quite honestly... other than holding your hand and giving you updates and maybe raising their voices a little bit to get a simple answer or two, there is little an elected representative can do to help your case... You're dealing with the executive branch of the governent here.. only the heads of the executive branch can help you...

The USCIS Ombudsman, USCIS Director, District Director, DHS Secreatry.. these are the people that can help you...

But the person who can rellay help you is your attorney... if USCIS is dragging their feet, your attorney can always file a mandamus suit for you... sometimes it's the courts that have to be the stick in terms of your case... That's why finding a good attorney is so important... they can literally make or break you..

[Girona40 0]

Quite honestly... other than holding your hand and giving you updates and maybe raising their voices a little bit to get a simple answer or two, there is little an elected representative can do to help your case... You're dealing with the executive branch of the governent here.. only the heads of the executive branch can help you...

The USCIS Ombudsman, USCIS Director, District Director, DHS Secreatry.. these are the people that can help you...

But the person who can rellay help you is your attorney... if USCIS is dragging their feet, your attorney can always file a mandamus suit for you... sometimes it's the courts that have to be the stick in terms of your case... That's why finding a good attorney is so important... they can literally make or break you..

It may be the Executive Branch that executes the laws and statutes, but these laws and statutes are the one's that CONGRESS wrote and the PRESIDENT approved. CONGRESS have oversight authority of the EXECUTIVE BRANCH. So, I can't agree that our elected representatives cannot help.

There are instances where Private Bills are proposed to remedy situations not too different to ours. They can amend the law to include K visas in the CSPA. They can make inquiries or have discussions with the Executive Branch and its departments.

So our congressional representatives do have some sway over the Executive Branch - this is known as "Checks and Balances".

The USCIS Ombudsman, the USCIS Director, the District Director and Secretary of the DHS have all been contacted by either myself or my husband.

The Ombudsman made it clear that they were not able to help, they could not even answer the question "where in statute does it say a K-2 must be under 21 at the time of adjudication of his AOS application?" After corresponding with them for two years, they finally decided that they cannot discuss the case of any particular applicant (my son) - he has to contact them himself. He did this, several times, and they never even replied to him.

We wrote to Emilio Gonzales, the USCIS Director, and the letter was simply passed to the Washington DC USCIS District Office, who sent the standard "illegal immigration concern" letter. WE HAVE NEVER EVEN MENTIONED ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION IN ONE LETTER TO ANYONE! This just proves to me that they don't even read what you send them!!!

The District Director in Washington DC actually met with us, along with her Adjudications Officer. Phyllis Howard is a beaurocrat that knows little, or nothing, of immigration law. I say this because she had not understanding of her own discretionary powers, when it came to adjustment. She kept looking over to her Adjudications Officer and asking "Is that correct?" Then when we asked her to show us where in statute it said that a K-2 has to be under 21 at the time of adjudication, she went into another room (we could see her through the glass partition) and her Adjudications Officer frantically thumbed through various books. They came back and said "It's implied", but couldn't show us where "it's implied". Their answer that day was to send it to the Administrative Appeals Office for a "certified decision". We had pointed out that in other District Offices they adjudicate similar cases positively - in favour of the applicant. Her response to that was "A Certified Decision from the AAO will ensure that ALL District Offices follow the direction of the Certified Decision in future, which will put us all on the same page!" She could have ended this whole situation for us then and there, but chose not to. At the end of our meeting, she joked with my husband. She asked him if he wanted a job at the USCIS in Washington DC, because he is "just the type of person we are looking for!" She was laughing - I wasn't!

The Secretary of the DHS, Michael Chertoff, received a letter from us, last year - no response from him or his office. Must admit we didn't expect one.

So, with all due respect, I don't agree with your post. We vote in our elected officials and they are there to help the individuals that put them on Capital Hill. If it weren't for us, they wouldn't be there and Senator Byrd wouldn't be saying he never forgets who he is there representing - the individual families of WV!

Senator Rockefeller has a guy called Wes Holden who works in his office, he has called me a few times and we have chatted on the phone, at length, about the situation and he can't see how it should ever have arisen. But his stance was "If Senator Byrd's office are involved, we won't do anything!" What the hell kind of response is that?

Sorry, but when you have been dealing with this for 4 years it tends to get you a little upset and that is what I am right now.