N-400 approved, but a TERRIBLE experience. Should I complain?

[lesleypowers 3]

Hi all,

 

Had my N-400 interview today and was recommended for approval, although I couldn't do a same day naturalization because "their computer system was down". I am not an overly emotional person and have only had positive experiences with staff and officers at this same field office before, but my officer today was so nasty she actually reduced me to tears. I have relayed it to a few friends who are not involved in the immigration system and they are all pushing me to complain, but I'm not sure if it's worth it or not really. Just wanted to relay it here to see if any of you lot find this to be unusual.

 

I like to think I am a polite and friendly person, and communication has never been a concern during my immigration process as English is my first language. However this officer had it in for me from the get go. If for whatever reason she couldn't understand me she would repeatedly SHOUT at me and had a very aggressive manner. On the two occasions I asked if she could clarify something for me, her eyes practically rolled back in her head with disdain. Unpleasant, but not grounds for complaint. However, once I had passed the exam and gone through the yes/no questions, she began requesting all manner of documentation that was not required on the invitation. She scanned the letter and said "well I don't issue these. I can see they didn't ask for it, but I don't care." I am a woman married to another woman so I couldn't say if that had anything to do with it, but she began requesting all manner of proof of our relationship which I had already provided when I submitted my N-400 application. Again she agreed with me that nowhere in my paperwork did it state I should bring these things along. There was no reason for her to believe our marriage isn't legitimate. I had to practically beg to turn my phone on in order to show her the documentation as a pdf. When I found documents she would repeatedly tell me they weren't what she was looking for despite clear evidence to the contrary, and then request another document. When I showed her them on the screen she would put me through a strange rigmarole of zooming in and out repeatedly despite all the pertinent information being clear on the screen. She told me I would not be approved if I could not provide sufficient evidence for her. Just to reiterate, I already provided all of this information when I submitted the initial N-400 app. Also there was very little signal in the building and she was getting very clearly frustrated and impatient as I worked as quickly as I could to pull up the information she requested. If I had been unable to get my phone working I would have been denied.  Ultimately I was approved which was great, but she again got angry with me as she requested that I surrender all the government identification I had ever been given (old employment card etc)- I said I hadn't brought it as it wasn't listed on the letter, and she said "DID YOU LEAVE IT AT HOOOOOME" in a childlike mocking of my accent. On the way out she was very rude to me and at one point laughed in my face as I got a little disoriented looking for the exit.

 

All in all it was an extremely hostile experience. Perhaps I sound paranoid but this woman really was just incredibly cruel and unpleasant to me. I was really excited for this experience and left feeling drained and panicked. Just wanted to share and see if this is a typical experience or not, as it was very different from my adjustment of status interview.

[Lucky2Lucky 2,526]

I would report it if I were you. I would probably wait until I was naturalized  however. I’m sorry you had that experience.

[lesleypowers 3]

1 minute ago, Luckycuds said:

I would report it if I were you. I would probably wait until I was naturalized  however. I’m sorry you had that experience.

Oh yeah, I'll definitely wait until the Naturalization ceremony! I also forgot she quizzed me beyond my 6 questions on specific lines from the pledge of allegiance which I don't think is supposed to happen? Blah. I am grateful to have the privilege of having English as a first language and that I keep all my important documents saved to my phone; I dread to think how she might treat someone with a communication barrier between them. 

[FlashLG 152]

She sounds like someone who is unhappy in life, and who gets a kick out of the limited power her job gives her.

Sorry you went through that and glad you're all sorted!

[ThaOne 101]

1 hour ago, lesleypowers said:

Hi all,

 

Had my N-400 interview today and was recommended for approval, although I couldn't do a same day naturalization because "their computer system was down". I am not an overly emotional person and have only had positive experiences with staff and officers at this same field office before, but my officer today was so nasty she actually reduced me to tears. I have relayed it to a few friends who are not involved in the immigration system and they are all pushing me to complain, but I'm not sure if it's worth it or not really. Just wanted to relay it here to see if any of you lot find this to be unusual.

 

I like to think I am a polite and friendly person, and communication has never been a concern during my immigration process as English is my first language. However this officer had it in for me from the get go. If for whatever reason she couldn't understand me she would repeatedly SHOUT at me and had a very aggressive manner. On the two occasions I asked if she could clarify something for me, her eyes practically rolled back in her head with disdain. Unpleasant, but not grounds for complaint. However, once I had passed the exam and gone through the yes/no questions, she began requesting all manner of documentation that was not required on the invitation. She scanned the letter and said "well I don't issue these. I can see they didn't ask for it, but I don't care." I am a woman married to another woman so I couldn't say if that had anything to do with it, but she began requesting all manner of proof of our relationship which I had already provided when I submitted my N-400 application. Again she agreed with me that nowhere in my paperwork did it state I should bring these things along. There was no reason for her to believe our marriage isn't legitimate. I had to practically beg to turn my phone on in order to show her the documentation as a pdf. When I found documents she would repeatedly tell me they weren't what she was looking for despite clear evidence to the contrary, and then request another document. When I showed her them on the screen she would put me through a strange rigmarole of zooming in and out repeatedly despite all the pertinent information being clear on the screen. She told me I would not be approved if I could not provide sufficient evidence for her. Just to reiterate, I already provided all of this information when I submitted the initial N-400 app. Also there was very little signal in the building and she was getting very clearly frustrated and impatient as I worked as quickly as I could to pull up the information she requested. If I had been unable to get my phone working I would have been denied.  Ultimately I was approved which was great, but she again got angry with me as she requested that I surrender all the government identification I had ever been given (old employment card etc)- I said I hadn't brought it as it wasn't listed on the letter, and she said "DID YOU LEAVE IT AT HOOOOOME" in a childlike mocking of my accent. On the way out she was very rude to me and at one point laughed in my face as I got a little disoriented looking for the exit.

 

All in all it was an extremely hostile experience. Perhaps I sound paranoid but this woman really was just incredibly cruel and unpleasant to me. I was really excited for this experience and left feeling drained and panicked. Just wanted to share and see if this is a typical experience or not, as it was very different from my adjustment of status interview.

It's very understandable that you are upset, but you ended up getting what you wanted right? It should be happiness. You won't have to deal with her again (lol others will). There are some angry, sometimes racist and sometimes even anti immigration people who work in... immigration. That's life. She couldn't come up with anything to justify a denial, because then you could challenge it, so maybe her next best thing was to give you a hard time. This is coming from someone who is hot tempered (me), but seriously I would let it go.

Now if really it pisses you off too much or feel that you really have to do it, at least wait after your oath. At this point it would be your word against hers and who knows, if they open an investigation, maybe they will put your oath on hold pending the investigation and who knows, possibly reschedule another interview for the sake of transparency. As you may know there are major backlogs going on, you don't want to have to wait months again. You got what you wanted, you will never see her again.

[millefleur 5,047]

I'm sorry you had to go through with that....what an unpleasant person. If you don't mind sharing, what field office was this?

[xyz12345 260]

Sorry to hear about your experience. It should have been tears of joy!

 

Don't they have recordings of these interviews?

[GEOntificator 282]

19 hours ago, lesleypowers said:

Hi all,

 

Had my N-400 interview today and was recommended for approval, although I couldn't do a same day naturalization because "their computer system was down". I am not an overly emotional person and have only had positive experiences with staff and officers at this same field office before, but my officer today was so nasty she actually reduced me to tears. I have relayed it to a few friends who are not involved in the immigration system and they are all pushing me to complain, but I'm not sure if it's worth it or not really. Just wanted to relay it here to see if any of you lot find this to be unusual.

 

I like to think I am a polite and friendly person, and communication has never been a concern during my immigration process as English is my first language. However this officer had it in for me from the get go. If for whatever reason she couldn't understand me she would repeatedly SHOUT at me and had a very aggressive manner. On the two occasions I asked if she could clarify something for me, her eyes practically rolled back in her head with disdain. Unpleasant, but not grounds for complaint. However, once I had passed the exam and gone through the yes/no questions, she began requesting all manner of documentation that was not required on the invitation. She scanned the letter and said "well I don't issue these. I can see they didn't ask for it, but I don't care." I am a woman married to another woman so I couldn't say if that had anything to do with it, but she began requesting all manner of proof of our relationship which I had already provided when I submitted my N-400 application. Again she agreed with me that nowhere in my paperwork did it state I should bring these things along. There was no reason for her to believe our marriage isn't legitimate. I had to practically beg to turn my phone on in order to show her the documentation as a pdf. When I found documents she would repeatedly tell me they weren't what she was looking for despite clear evidence to the contrary, and then request another document. When I showed her them on the screen she would put me through a strange rigmarole of zooming in and out repeatedly despite all the pertinent information being clear on the screen. She told me I would not be approved if I could not provide sufficient evidence for her. Just to reiterate, I already provided all of this information when I submitted the initial N-400 app. Also there was very little signal in the building and she was getting very clearly frustrated and impatient as I worked as quickly as I could to pull up the information she requested. If I had been unable to get my phone working I would have been denied.  Ultimately I was approved which was great, but she again got angry with me as she requested that I surrender all the government identification I had ever been given (old employment card etc)- I said I hadn't brought it as it wasn't listed on the letter, and she said "DID YOU LEAVE IT AT HOOOOOME" in a childlike mocking of my accent. On the way out she was very rude to me and at one point laughed in my face as I got a little disoriented looking for the exit.

 

All in all it was an extremely hostile experience. Perhaps I sound paranoid but this woman really was just incredibly cruel and unpleasant to me. I was really excited for this experience and left feeling drained and panicked. Just wanted to share and see if this is a typical experience or not, as it was very different from my adjustment of status interview.

Without reading the entire post my friendly advice to you would be to leave it be. If you approved and everything is ok there is no need to revive the case or have them add any notes to it. I think when it comes to the USCIS that is the best thing to do.

[whiterose123 95]

20 hours ago, lesleypowers said:

Hi all,

 

Had my N-400 interview today and was recommended for approval, although I couldn't do a same day naturalization because "their computer system was down". I am not an overly emotional person and have only had positive experiences with staff and officers at this same field office before, but my officer today was so nasty she actually reduced me to tears. I have relayed it to a few friends who are not involved in the immigration system and they are all pushing me to complain, but I'm not sure if it's worth it or not really. Just wanted to relay it here to see if any of you lot find this to be unusual.

 

I like to think I am a polite and friendly person, and communication has never been a concern during my immigration process as English is my first language. However this officer had it in for me from the get go. If for whatever reason she couldn't understand me she would repeatedly SHOUT at me and had a very aggressive manner. On the two occasions I asked if she could clarify something for me, her eyes practically rolled back in her head with disdain. Unpleasant, but not grounds for complaint. However, once I had passed the exam and gone through the yes/no questions, she began requesting all manner of documentation that was not required on the invitation. She scanned the letter and said "well I don't issue these. I can see they didn't ask for it, but I don't care." I am a woman married to another woman so I couldn't say if that had anything to do with it, but she began requesting all manner of proof of our relationship which I had already provided when I submitted my N-400 application. Again she agreed with me that nowhere in my paperwork did it state I should bring these things along. There was no reason for her to believe our marriage isn't legitimate. I had to practically beg to turn my phone on in order to show her the documentation as a pdf. When I found documents she would repeatedly tell me they weren't what she was looking for despite clear evidence to the contrary, and then request another document. When I showed her them on the screen she would put me through a strange rigmarole of zooming in and out repeatedly despite all the pertinent information being clear on the screen. She told me I would not be approved if I could not provide sufficient evidence for her. Just to reiterate, I already provided all of this information when I submitted the initial N-400 app. Also there was very little signal in the building and she was getting very clearly frustrated and impatient as I worked as quickly as I could to pull up the information she requested. If I had been unable to get my phone working I would have been denied.  Ultimately I was approved which was great, but she again got angry with me as she requested that I surrender all the government identification I had ever been given (old employment card etc)- I said I hadn't brought it as it wasn't listed on the letter, and she said "DID YOU LEAVE IT AT HOOOOOME" in a childlike mocking of my accent. On the way out she was very rude to me and at one point laughed in my face as I got a little disoriented looking for the exit.

 

All in all it was an extremely hostile experience. Perhaps I sound paranoid but this woman really was just incredibly cruel and unpleasant to me. I was really excited for this experience and left feeling drained and panicked. Just wanted to share and see if this is a typical experience or not, as it was very different from my adjustment of status interview.

omg that's horrific ! I'm so sorry you went through that  I think you should wait until after your naturalization ceremony then file for complaint hopefully it will help so this doesn't happen to other people.. 

[retheem 568]

20 hours ago, lesleypowers said:

Hi all,

 

Had my N-400 interview today and was recommended for approval, although I couldn't do a same day naturalization because "their computer system was down". I am not an overly emotional person and have only had positive experiences with staff and officers at this same field office before, but my officer today was so nasty she actually reduced me to tears. I have relayed it to a few friends who are not involved in the immigration system and they are all pushing me to complain, but I'm not sure if it's worth it or not really. Just wanted to relay it here to see if any of you lot find this to be unusual.

 

I like to think I am a polite and friendly person, and communication has never been a concern during my immigration process as English is my first language. However this officer had it in for me from the get go. If for whatever reason she couldn't understand me she would repeatedly SHOUT at me and had a very aggressive manner. On the two occasions I asked if she could clarify something for me, her eyes practically rolled back in her head with disdain. Unpleasant, but not grounds for complaint. However, once I had passed the exam and gone through the yes/no questions, she began requesting all manner of documentation that was not required on the invitation. She scanned the letter and said "well I don't issue these. I can see they didn't ask for it, but I don't care." I am a woman married to another woman so I couldn't say if that had anything to do with it, but she began requesting all manner of proof of our relationship which I had already provided when I submitted my N-400 application. Again she agreed with me that nowhere in my paperwork did it state I should bring these things along. There was no reason for her to believe our marriage isn't legitimate. I had to practically beg to turn my phone on in order to show her the documentation as a pdf. When I found documents she would repeatedly tell me they weren't what she was looking for despite clear evidence to the contrary, and then request another document. When I showed her them on the screen she would put me through a strange rigmarole of zooming in and out repeatedly despite all the pertinent information being clear on the screen. She told me I would not be approved if I could not provide sufficient evidence for her. Just to reiterate, I already provided all of this information when I submitted the initial N-400 app. Also there was very little signal in the building and she was getting very clearly frustrated and impatient as I worked as quickly as I could to pull up the information she requested. If I had been unable to get my phone working I would have been denied.  Ultimately I was approved which was great, but she again got angry with me as she requested that I surrender all the government identification I had ever been given (old employment card etc)- I said I hadn't brought it as it wasn't listed on the letter, and she said "DID YOU LEAVE IT AT HOOOOOME" in a childlike mocking of my accent. On the way out she was very rude to me and at one point laughed in my face as I got a little disoriented looking for the exit.

 

All in all it was an extremely hostile experience. Perhaps I sound paranoid but this woman really was just incredibly cruel and unpleasant to me. I was really excited for this experience and left feeling drained and panicked. Just wanted to share and see if this is a typical experience or not, as it was very different from my adjustment of status interview.

Get your naturalization certificate first. Anything else can come later

[Quarknase 1,072]

I'm sorry you had to go through this. Which field office was this? Your timeline isn't filled out.

 

I would write everything down IN DETAIL now that the memory is fresh. Wait for your oath ceremony, and then file an official complaint (after re-reading and editing to make it as objective as possible).

I disagree with others stating that you got what you wanted and shouldn't worry about anything else. This behavior is unacceptable and if anything can be done that she gets training on proper behavior so others don't have to experience what you've been through, then a complaint would maybe trigger this.

If you feel like she was mocking the fact that you are in a same gender marriage, I would put this in as well.

 

Congratulations to passing the interview!

[Randyandyuni 2,682]

20 hours ago, Luckycuds said:

I would report it if I were you. I would probably wait until I was naturalized  however. I’m sorry you had that experience.

This would be my approach also

[Calicolom 266]

21 hours ago, lesleypowers said:

Hi all,

 

Had my N-400 interview today and was recommended for approval, although I couldn't do a same day naturalization because "their computer system was down". I am not an overly emotional person and have only had positive experiences with staff and officers at this same field office before, but my officer today was so nasty she actually reduced me to tears. I have relayed it to a few friends who are not involved in the immigration system and they are all pushing me to complain, but I'm not sure if it's worth it or not really. Just wanted to relay it here to see if any of you lot find this to be unusual.

 

I like to think I am a polite and friendly person, and communication has never been a concern during my immigration process as English is my first language. However this officer had it in for me from the get go. If for whatever reason she couldn't understand me she would repeatedly SHOUT at me and had a very aggressive manner. On the two occasions I asked if she could clarify something for me, her eyes practically rolled back in her head with disdain. Unpleasant, but not grounds for complaint. However, once I had passed the exam and gone through the yes/no questions, she began requesting all manner of documentation that was not required on the invitation. She scanned the letter and said "well I don't issue these. I can see they didn't ask for it, but I don't care." I am a woman married to another woman so I couldn't say if that had anything to do with it, but she began requesting all manner of proof of our relationship which I had already provided when I submitted my N-400 application. Again she agreed with me that nowhere in my paperwork did it state I should bring these things along. There was no reason for her to believe our marriage isn't legitimate. I had to practically beg to turn my phone on in order to show her the documentation as a pdf. When I found documents she would repeatedly tell me they weren't what she was looking for despite clear evidence to the contrary, and then request another document. When I showed her them on the screen she would put me through a strange rigmarole of zooming in and out repeatedly despite all the pertinent information being clear on the screen. She told me I would not be approved if I could not provide sufficient evidence for her. Just to reiterate, I already provided all of this information when I submitted the initial N-400 app. Also there was very little signal in the building and she was getting very clearly frustrated and impatient as I worked as quickly as I could to pull up the information she requested. If I had been unable to get my phone working I would have been denied.  Ultimately I was approved which was great, but she again got angry with me as she requested that I surrender all the government identification I had ever been given (old employment card etc)- I said I hadn't brought it as it wasn't listed on the letter, and she said "DID YOU LEAVE IT AT HOOOOOME" in a childlike mocking of my accent. On the way out she was very rude to me and at one point laughed in my face as I got a little disoriented looking for the exit.

 

All in all it was an extremely hostile experience. Perhaps I sound paranoid but this woman really was just incredibly cruel and unpleasant to me. I was really excited for this experience and left feeling drained and panicked. Just wanted to share and see if this is a typical experience or not, as it was very different from my adjustment of status interview.

You were approved, and you are alive. My wife had her interview, and had a very nice experience. Her friend had a very bad experience. Some of these officers treat you like a foreign person.

[ManCharsey 254]

20 hours ago, lesleypowers said:

Hi all,

 

Had my N-400 interview today and was recommended for approval, although I couldn't do a same day naturalization because "their computer system was down". I am not an overly emotional person and have only had positive experiences with staff and officers at this same field office before, but my officer today was so nasty she actually reduced me to tears. I have relayed it to a few friends who are not involved in the immigration system and they are all pushing me to complain, but I'm not sure if it's worth it or nthot really. Just wanted to relay it here to see if any of you lot find this to be unusual.

 

I like to think I am a polite and friendly person, and communication has never been a concern during my immigration process as English is my first language. However this officer had it in for me from the get go. If for whatever reason she couldn't understand me she would repeatedly SHOUT at me and had a very aggressive manner. On the two occasions I asked if she could clarify something for me, her eyes practically rolled back in her head with disdain. Unpleasant, but not grounds for complaint. However, once I had passed the exam and gone through the yes/no questions, she began requesting all manner of documentation that was not required on the invitation. She scanned the letter and said "well I don't issue these. I can see they didn't ask for it, but I don't care." I am a woman married to another woman so I couldn't say if that had anything to do with it, but she began requesting all manner of proof of our relationship which I had already provided when I submitted my N-400 application. Again she agreed with me that nowhere in my paperwork did it state I should bring these things along. There was no reason for her to believe our marriage isn't legitimate. I had to practically beg to turn my phone on in order to show her the documentation as a pdf. When I found documents she would repeatedly tell me they weren't what she was looking for despite clear evidence to the contrary, and then request another document. When I showed her them on the screen she would put me through a strange rigmarole of zooming in and out repeatedly despite all the pertinent information being clear on the screen. She told me I would not be approved if I could not provide sufficient evidence for her. Just to reiterate, I already provided all of this information when I submitted the initial N-400 app. Also there was very little signal in the building and she was getting very clearly frustrated and impatient as I worked as quickly as I could to pull up the information she requested. If I had been unable to get my phone working I would have been denied.  Ultimately I was approved which was great, but she again got angry with me as she requested that I surrender all the government identification I had ever been given (old employment card etc)- I said I hadn't brought it as it wasn't listed on the letter, and she said "DID YOU LEAVE IT AT HOOOOOME" in a childlike mocking of my accent. On the way out she was very rude to me and at one point laughed in my face as I got a little disoriented looking for the exit.

 

All in all it was an extremely hostile experience. Perhaps I sound paranoid but this woman really was just incredibly cruel and unpleasant to me. I was really excited for this experience and left feeling drained and panicked. Just wanted to share and see if this is a typical experience or not, as it was very different from my adjustment of status interview.

Sorry about what you went through and while I have no clues why she would treat you this way, just know that there's a lot of anti-immigrant sentiment in the US lately (though over 97% of people currently living in the US are different degrees of generations of immigrants themselves). It's always been here but just more overt over these past few years so don't be too surprised by these kinds of attitudes/reactions. Glad you got approved. Considering it's a government office, there's almost a 99% possibility your complaints won't go anywhere as that attitude is very common place within many of the institutions within the DHS. There's actually a TV show on Netflix about ICE called Immigration Nation and you will be appalled by the level of crudeness and arrogance the DHS guys on the show do their work and if they feel comfortable doing this publicly, it tells you it is a good reflection of the rank and file of that particular branch. 

[BBlueB 35]

Sounds like she didn't get enough sleep the night before