open letter to Officer Covington

[venusfire503 54]

Officer Covington,

Five years ago today, my Moroccan fiancé and I arrived in PHL. He was coming here on his K1 visa. You took him into the room to interview him, and then you wanted to talk to me. You were extremely rude. You told me to send him back to Morocco instead of marrying him. You told me I wouldn’t be in any trouble if I did. You said at the very least, I should put off the marriage as long as possible to give myself time to change my mind. You said Moroccan men are notorious for marrying “women like us” – older, unattractive, overweight, but who had a little money. You told me he’d beat me up, take my money, and leave me within 2 years, and you’d be surprised if he didn’t.

Well, guess what. He’s still here. Because of the economic environment in this country, we (like many others) are barely scraping by, even though we’re both working. I’m a few years older, and a few pounds heavier than I was in 2006. I’m not unattractive, though – I don’t know anyone who would look beautiful after sitting in an airport for 2 days, then flying for many hours. He has his citizenship. He’s never hit me. He didn’t take money. And again, he’s still here.

You were SO wrong, and I want you to know that.

So, can you explain yourself? Can you explain why he’s still with me? All of the reasons you assumed he was with me are gone – the money, waiting for the green card, waiting for citizenship, etc. He has absolutely no financial or immigration related reason to stay with me now. As a matter of fact, he’d probably be better off financially if he did leave. His income alone would support him better than our combined incomes support the two of us and my children from my previous marriage.

OH MY! Could it be that he’s a decent person, and actually LOVES me? Could it be that he really DID come here just to be with me? Imagine that!

You said something about stopping by to tell you you were wrong if he didn’t leave, but I really have better things to do than drive to the airport to try to find you. Maybe this message will get to you some other way.

And I hope you find peace in your life, because apparently you don’t have any. Or at least you didn’t on December 23, 2006.

Happy Holidays.

venusfire

P.S. I’m SO glad I ignored your ‘advice’.

[MIBEN 83]

love this, always wonderful to read these stories of success happy for you and your family...

[phatz31 2]

i can't believe he said such things, am so happy for you

[Boiler 43,430]

There are always exceptions to the rule, but that does not change the rule.

[TimeTravel 78]

Glad to know that you made your own wise decision. May God bless you both!

Send this letter to them thru regular mail.

[Samantha78 117]

FABULOUS!!! I hope you really send this in....they need to see that they can be wrong. Everyone needs a reality check here and there

[Max1gk 68]

Some of these CBP officers ignore how tough is to get a visa from countries like Morocco...or they think that people simply show up at the USEM in Casablanca,ask for the K-1 and they get it right away with a big "congratulations!" and a smile at their face?..mah Congrats for your journey!

[Miss smarty pants 84]

And again, hes still here.

I'm happy for you both. It really is great to see these stories.

Edited December 23, 2011 by Miss smarty pants

[Josie-Be-Happy 11]

Outstanding post. It's very nice to hear and see how successful marriages stands up through all of the triumphs. Best wishes and Merry Christmas.

Thank you for sharing your experience.

[nicky&imad 16]

WOW!!! that was super rude of him and i'm glad u trusted your instincts and stuck it out. Congratulations on your 5 year anniversary And a VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS

[JeanneVictoria 55]

Very nice post!!! My husband and I also arrived in the states 4 yrs ago today!!! Yep, he's still here and we've

been married 5 yrs!

He's accomplished so much in such a short time and i'm very proud of these accomplishments. He also is a

citizen and a MBA candidate in Finance, graduating in May 2012.

I say to everyone, don't let anyone discourge you!! Takes patience and understanding. Wishing everyone a

Merry Christmas!

Again, thanks for this wonderful post!!

Edited December 23, 2011 by JeanneVictoria

[tirzaray 4]

Honestly, you should, take the time and do it but I do understand your time is valuable to be wasting on unethical professionals like this officer. It is not their job, much less duty to classify who we choose to marry. They are here to protect us and keep us safe. What, does this creep think such men do not exist in our country? Thank you for sharing with all of us that are waiting for USCIS to dictate our future...

[together4evr 360]

Awwww so sweet. I am very happy for you both. May God Bless you in your struggles and continue the blessing of love and life together. Any marriage is hard. A marriage of mixed cultures is even harder. I admire both your strength. Forget about the officer. He really does not deserve your time or energy.

[Stu4Lee 66]

Did you register a complaint, official or otherwise, 5 years ago ?

[souleymon 27]

Good you didnt allow unknown Failure determine your life.Happy you guys are still together, forever