*facepalm*

There are no words to describe how I feel at this moment in time. I’ve been betrayed by my government, and the relationship that has spanned nearly half my life has been called into question. I don’t expect perfection from anyone, but for the love of bacon why can’t we count on a certain level of competence from people that have the power to change lives? In my last post I spoke of mistakes; I acknowledge that we are all wrong from time to time and I consider errors to be a part of the learning process. The problem is, you can only learn from your mistakes if you acknowledge their existence in the first place.

I’m sure by now you’re wondering what blunder was committed that has me so upset. As you might recall I received a case update regarding the I-130 petition that said initial processing, a status which made me quite angry. The USCIS has rescinded the approval of our I-130 petition pending an interview with them. I understand that there was a breakdown in the process and that our petition was approved after a swift kick in the ass from Senator Franken, but this is almost too much. It is the policy of the USCIS to interview every couple that files the I-130 petition while the beneficiary is in removal proceedings, or if the couple has been married less than 2 years at the time of filing. Alberto and I had only been married 3 months when the I-130 was filed, in the midst of his removal proceedings, so you see there is a reason for this development.

Although USCIS policy gives them a valid reason to call into question the validity of our relationship, it does not explain why it took 3 and a half years and the filing of 2 applications using that approval for the mistake to be discovered. Alberto was in jail here in Minnesota for the entire time that we were trying to get his status adjusted; his file was supposedly reviewed in regards to the I-485 application and I-601 waiver. Does the non-status of this petition mean that the I-485 and I-601 filings were invalid and I can get my fees back or reuse them? My knowledge of the jackassery that the USCIS delights in points to ‘no’ on both counts; it seems they are incapable of the most basic measures of human decency.

Now I have to sit here and twiddle my thumbs while I wait for an appointment letter with the government shutdown looming. I have heard that since the USCIS is run using the filings fees we pay to support their processes, they will not be ruthlessly cut back or even closed during this temper-tantrum thrown by grown adults who should know better than to act like toddlers. My official position on the shutdown is as follows; you cause it – you don’t get paid. If that were the case it never would have happened in the first place. We need term limits, annihilation to their ability to pass personal pay raise legislature, and salary caps on the Washington fat cats. There should also be some stipulation that the rich and privileged should not be paid, since they don’t really need the pay check to survive. Sometimes they all need to be reminded that they represent their constituents and not the lobbyists, special interest groups, corporations, or the agendas of the party they were elected under.



“It is to be regretted that the rich and powerful too often bend the acts of government to their own selfish purposes.”
   ~   Andrew Jackson



Ciao