Hello All Asylees
My friend whole family got OCI in 2006 from SF consulate. He is an asylee and his wife and family derivative asylee. I somehow managed to get this copy of letter below. We need to take this fight in our hands and not depend on this babus of SF consulate. Based on this letter each one of us, our friends, our family members and relatives must send copied letter to the Secretary of DHS, to our CA senator Barbara Boxer and to our local Congressman. We are now US citizens and help is available specially when it comes to Human Rights and discrimination. I am also planning to write to Obama so that he can discuss this matter when he visits India this November. USA takes Human Rights and Discrimination very seriously. Please send all these letters within the next 7 days so to create a strong impact:
Secretary Janet Napolitano
Department of Homeland Security
U.S. Department of Homeland Security
Washington, DC 20528
September 1, 2010
RE: Discrimination based on Asylum codes
Dear Secretary of Homeland Security
Recently there have been cases reported to us that the Indian Consulate in San Francisco is denying visas to US citizens of Indian Origin based on the asylum codes. The issuance of Indian Visas is the sole prerogative of the consulate and we do not want to interfere in their decision making process.
The consulate is requesting all visa applicants of Indian Origin to submit copies as per the link below:
cgisf.org/visa/visa.html
Copies of documents like Green Card/EAD/I-130 and the Indian Passport on which first entered USA at the time of naturalization required in support of our applications can be obtained by request from USCIS under the freedom of Information ACT.
These documents have codes (AS6, EB2, B1/B2, H1, etc.) only to be interpreted by US Government officials. These codes are being used to discriminate US citizens and US residents who have sought asylum. These are the people who had left their home countries because of an immediate threat to their lives based on their caste, religious belief, Honor Killings, etc. The only reason they came to USA was to LIVE in peace. There are times they need to visit their country of birth for their old ailing parents/friends or relatives and for other impending religious, social/cultural purposes. Many of these people have been detained at Indian airports because of these category codes, tortured and forced to pay handsome amount of US dollars to be freed.
We have some recommendations for your USCIS department but I am confident that your officials will have better solutions to end this discrimination:
1. The above documents like Green Card/EAD/I-130 and US Visas should not carry these category codes in Print. These codes should be changed and embedded in the magnetic/electronic strip only to be decoded by US government officials.
2. If any US citizen makes request for a copy of above documents under FOIA, the copy provided by the USCIS should have these category codes defaced.
3. The law which makes it punishable to make copies of Naturalization Certificate, GC, EAD, I-130 except for US government purposes should be implemented.
Your sincere thought and help will be highly appreciated by the human society.
Sincerely
Vice President – Pacific Region
American Desi Rehabilitation
no news frm my side..give ur cousin some support frm my side.. As i also postponed my wedding lol!! but really CG made her mind not to give visas to A status n wants clearance frm india n there is no processing time..our files r piled somewhere on indian desk!! n who knows when they ll get to it!!!