Eduardo Aguirre
Acting Director
BCIS
425 I Street, NW
Washington, D.C. 20536.
cc.. Senator George Allen
204 RUSSELL SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
cc. Senator Tom Ridge
Department of Homeland Security
The White House
Washington D.C.
I got Tom Ridge's address from one of the official mail documents on the web for DHS.
I wrote a letter to Eduardo and then sent copies to the rest.
Here is a jist of the letter.... it's not very well written as I was upset and angry when I typed it out and mailed it. You guyz could make changes to it and personalize it a bit.
Mr. Aguirre,
First of all I would like to congratulate you on your selection as the Acting Director of BCIS. With that I would like to bring to your attention the frustration that we legal immigrants have been going through due to delays in the current green card process.
I had applied for my adjudication of status (I-485) in September 2001. I was told that I would hear a decision within a 540 day timeframe. Myself and my fellow immigrants waited patiently for our turn. The 540 days have come and gone, and to my dismay I found out that after that excruciating wait my case was transferred to the local INS. In my case Arlington, VA. Today it is taking about 18 months to schedule an interview at Arlington, VA. I have waited patiently for 18 months after filing for Adjudication (30 months if you include the labor and I-140 process) to find out that I am going to be waiting for another 18 months!!! I was encouraged to hear about the fact that my case was transferred as atleast some decision had been taken. I am impatient to go for the interview for I have nothing to hide. But another 18 months! I know of individuals who were transferred to that particular field office in July of 2002 and yet haven’t received an acknowledgment from Arlington.
This is not the plight of me alone but that of various immigrants. We are legal individuals and tax payers who have followed the letter of the law to the T, and yet are subjected to this inhumane process of indecision and waiting, whilst refugees get priority over us. We understand that this process is not very high on the list of priorities of the newly formed BCIS, security of the nation comes first as it should. However, with this letter I would like to bring to your attention our plight especially Virginia transfer cases, and perhaps hope that we are not sidelined any further than it is absolutely necessary.
I was extremely encouraged to hear about your selection as the Director, perhaps you will be successful in bringing some reform to this mammoth of an organization and relieve us of this grueling wait.