NY Times covers GC backlogs in front page article

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Dear NY Times,

I am one of I-485 applicants and I have just read the article: Wait for U.S. Residency Soars Over 18 Month Span” by NINA BERNSTEIN published April 6, 2004.

I really appreciate NY Times for following up on this immigration issue.

My family and me have suffered a lot, financially and emotionally, due to the US CIS permanent residency backlog. Our I-485 case is pending for Over 21 months!

But the processing trend is very much disturbing right now in California Service Center. People have been waiting for more than 26 months for their approval. Now, we are hearing that cases that are filed in late 2002 and early 2003 are being approved leaving early 2002 cases, like us, without approvals.

Could you please investigate and write up a follow up story on this article.

Regards,
 
My Letter to the NY Times Editor

As a green-card applicant, waiting for over 26 months to get the green card, I am appalled by Mr. Yates' non-chalant attitude toward the delay. This is a good example of the kind of service we are receiving from USCIS after paying $255 as processing fees. Timely processing of green-card applications filed by honest, hard-working, tax-paying, legal immigrants is of no less importance compared to the security of this great nation. USCIS should have hired additional work force to perform the necessary security check and made sure that nothing else suffered. Mr. Yates, if you were in charge of an airport, would you move many of the pilots into security check and reduce the number of airplanes flying out of the airport? Please remember that justice delayed is justice denied.
 
email sent

I am one of I-485 applicants, waiting for a Green Card since October 2002, and I read the following article:
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/04/06/n.../06VISA.html?hp
Wait for U.S. Residency Soars Over 18 Month Span
By NINA BERNSTEIN
Published: April 6, 2004

It describes:
"The delays in processing some of these cases have clearly been as a result of moving so many of our employees, especially in the service centers, into security checks," said William R. Yates, associate director of operations for Citizenship and Immigration Services, in Homeland Security. "We don't apologize. We have identified a number of persons who represented a threat to the United States."

While I fully agree and totally adhere to the current administration policy in fighting terrorism and supporting all the strict security measures, I strongly object against Bill Yates' utterance "We don't apologize."
Mr Yates is totally missing the point that we are experiencing a unfair treatment by the administration, with consequences such as:

-need to pay about 200$/year in fee (per person) to get temporary documents such as Travel Permission and Employment Authorization temporary cards (temporary replacements for Green Card)
-no choice of changing job (with no salary increase)
-if fired, then need to pack (wife + 2 kids) and sell all I own. All in a short time of period.
-home loan refused (personal experience with e-Trade)
-loan rates higher because lack of Green Card (personal experience with Bank of America)

And all the above is fair for Mr. Yates?
I am sorry I can't accept such a comment from a Government representative.

WAC 03-005-xxxxx:mad:
 
My letter

Dear Sir,
It is with great interest that I read the article "Wait for US Residence soars..." http://www.nytimes.com/2004/04/06/nyregion/06VISA.html

I find it interesting that the increased wait times are attributed to increased security checks as Mr. Yates so kindly points out. However, I am not able to comprehend the logic behind this. I hope Mr. Yates understands that the people who apply for "adjustment of status" and various other petitions are already in the US. It is in the interest of the USCIS and the United States to speed up the checks and decrease the processing times in order to identify and deport potential terrorists. I can in no way identify with a policy that increases the threat of terrorist attacks by allowing potentially dangerous people to stay longer than they should with pending applications.

Regards
 
TO: The Editor, The New York Times

With regard to your article "Wait for U.S. Residency Soars Over 18 Month Span" by NINA BERNSTEIN published on the 6th of April 2004, I applaud the NY Times for exposing the misery that green card applicants go through.

Mr. Yates of Homeland Security was appalling and obtuse in his comments; obtuse because it is dangerous to lose track of green card applicants in the US and appalling because he has no conception of the hardship and suffering.

Green cards are approved RANDOMLY which is unfair. People wait for over 30 months, while others are approved much earlier. For proof of this please visit www.immigration.com. The thousands of individuals who meet on this online portal share their miseries, post their approval and application dates. The portal recently filed a class-action lawsuit against the immigration-services.

Please continue to cover this story, and elaborate on the unfair process of random application processing.
 
Sent email to NY Times...

Dear Editor,

I appreciate your effort to throw some light on the struggle of legal immigrant community. I myself a computer professional, working in US for last 7 years and waiting for 'Adjustment of status/485' application for more than 26 months! We are the professional community, wanting to live an American Dream, and fueling American economy and communities with our services. In fact I am rendering my professional expertise to protect American people from a chemical disaster. So I am very disappointed to read Mr. Yates comment, "We don't apologize..." and offended by his attitude towards law abiding, tax paying, and legal immigrants like me. I believe he should apologize for making such irresponsible comment. CIS has charged us fee to process this case and must allocate required resources to expedite the processing.

Thanks and God Bless America!
 
Email sent:
--------------------
Dear NY Times,

Thank you for your article by Nina Bernstein about immigration delays that I-485 applicants like me and my wife have had to endure for the last 24 months – with no light in sight. I do hope that your paper continues to follow-up on this issue as the delays are actually getting worse. This does not even factor in the chaos that would result if current proposals for the illegal immigrants are put into effect.

I was particularly appalled by the comments of William R. Yates, associate director of operations for Citizenship and Immigration Services. It is clear that he does not have any idea of the hardship we have had to endure, or worse still, he does not care.

We are all legal, hard working immigrants who pay more than our fair share in taxes, social security payments etc., - minus the benefits, along with the seeming callous disregard from government officials like Mr. Yates. I am just waiting for this nightmare to end.

Sincerely,
xxxxxx

wac 02 205xxxxx
 
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