advice for talking to senators and congressmen and homeland security

[GH8283 5]

I assume, like many of you, I am feeling very powerless and frustrated. Despite any political figure refusing to do anything, I truly believe that they have the power. I also believe the workers who answer the phone at USCIS or the workers at my local Homeland Security Office know more than they are willing to say. For example, when I tell them about wait times, they know nothing about California being quicker...

So, weekly, I email my congressmen, senators, the president, and I make an appointment at the local Homeland Office. I am sure they think I am crazy. (Senator Angus Kings office does for sure, they sent me links on mental help and where I can get support for being a single mom!) I am confident when I email them, I am articulate and get my point across well. Anyhow, tomorrow I have a phone appointment at Senator Collins office and Friday I have another appointment at Homeland Security. Sometime in person, I find it difficult to think on my feet, and quick to let people walk all over me. You know that moment when you walk away and you kick yourself for not thinking to saying something? That is me.

I refuse to be silent and another number. What is happening to many of is is very unjust. If this is the way it is going to be, I want people to know my name and see my face, see my suffering, see my baby without a father every week, until he gets here.

I would like some advice and tips on how I can persuasively talk to these people in person. How can I tell them CSC is much faster when they tell me it is not true? How can I beg them for help?

On a side note I have heard from a senator and congressmen office that next week there is a big conference in DC with USCIS, that many of these office/staff workers are going to.

Thank you all.

[Pennycat 880]

I assume, like many of you, I am feeling very powerless and frustrated. Despite any political figure refusing to do anything, I truly believe that they have the power. I also believe the workers who answer the phone at USCIS or the workers at my local Homeland Security Office know more than they are willing to say. For example, when I tell them about wait times, they know nothing about California being quicker...

So, weekly, I email my congressmen, senators, the president, and I make an appointment at the local Homeland Office. I am sure they think I am crazy. (Senator Angus Kings office does for sure, they sent me links on mental help and where I can get support for being a single mom!) I am confident when I email them, I am articulate and get my point across well. Anyhow, tomorrow I have a phone appointment at Senator Collins office and Friday I have another appointment at Homeland Security. Sometime in person, I find it difficult to think on my feet, and quick to let people walk all over me. You know that moment when you walk away and you kick yourself for not thinking to saying something? That is me.

I refuse to be silent and another number. What is happening to many of is is very unjust. If this is the way it is going to be, I want people to know my name and see my face, see my suffering, see my baby without a father every week, until he gets here.

I would like some advice and tips on how I can persuasively talk to these people in person. How can I tell them CSC is much faster when they tell me it is not true? How can I beg them for help?

On a side note I have heard from a senator and congressmen office that next week there is a big conference in DC with USCIS, that many of these office/staff workers are going to.

Thank you all.

Many people have gotten to this point with our representatives. The problem is that there is no "real" proof....just Visajourney data, which USCIS claims is faked. Apparently many have tried and failed to have CSC filers take photos of their actual NOA1 and NOA2s as actual hard proof but have found no cooperation from there. So yep, we're stuck being called liars and crazy by the people we elect and pay to represent us.

If it helps at all, the helpdesk people may very well not know anything. They are not government employees, they're contractors and only know as much as the government tells *them*. They may believe us (or possibly have information) but they're powerless to do anything. Your Representatives and Senators actually have (relatively) little power in this situation, too. Those guys are legislative branch, while USCIS (and pretty much all government agencies are executive branch---meaning the President is their boss, not Congress). Usually Congress has a lot of sway with agencies because they control the government's budget and most agencies feel the need to keep them happy for that reason (and to keep bad press at bay, but you'd be hard pressed to find an agency with worse press than DHS so there's no loss there). However, USCIS is fully funded by the fees we pay for our petitions and does not depend on Congress for its money and so.... here we are.

[shell20 746]

Many people have gotten to this point with our representatives. The problem is that there is no "real" proof....just Visajourney data, which USCIS claims is faked. Apparently many have tried and failed to have CSC filers take photos of their actual NOA1 and NOA2s as actual hard proof but have found no cooperation from there. So yep, we're stuck being called liars and crazy by the people we elect and pay to represent us.

If it helps at all, the helpdesk people may very well not know anything. They are not government employees, they're contractors and only know as much as the government tells *them*. They may believe us (or possibly have information) but they're powerless to do anything. Your Representatives and Senators actually have (relatively) little power in this situation, too. Those guys are legislative branch, while USCIS (and pretty much all government agencies are executive branch---meaning the President is their boss, not Congress). Usually Congress has a lot of sway with agencies because they control the government's budget and most agencies feel the need to keep them happy for that reason (and to keep bad press at bay, but you'd be hard pressed to find an agency with worse press than DHS so there's no loss there). However, USCIS is fully funded by the fees we pay for our petitions and does not depend on Congress for its money and so.... here we are.

Well said!!

Let's be honest here it's all about the political climate at any one time. We don't count, even though we fund the USCIS through the fees we pay to them. It ALL sucks!

[GH8283 5]

wow, this really does suck!!

has anyone had luck getting any local or national news agency involved??

Edited April 8, 2015 by GH8283

[Boiler 43,359]

They are only interested in illegals.

[Pitaya 2,576]

~Moved from K1 Process to USCIS Service Centers Forum~

~Inquiry/commentary about service centers~

[Pennycat 880]

wow, this really does suck!!

has anyone had luck getting any local or national news agency involved??

Yep. There's a group of folks who got pretty far with the New York Times reporter who did this piece last year (about legal immigration being held up) but once the injunction about expanded DACA and DAPA came through she dropped it. (DACA is the program for people who were brought here illegally as children---they are looking to expand that to include a wider age range. DAPA would be for their parents).

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/09/us/program-benefiting-some-immigrants-extends-visa-wait-for-others.html?_r=0

It's partly that this is a complex and boring topic and there's not much interest in it, partly because it's not really news that a large government bureaucracy isn't working as well as it could/should and partly because the immediate reaction from most people not in this process is "so what"? Most folks just think that you're lucky to even have the opportunity to bring over a spouse/fiance and that he'####### the lottery by being so graciously permitted to move to our country and we and should just sit down and shut up about it. Folks from all ends of the political spectrum tend to react like this (albeit for very different reasons).

[Pennycat 880]

Yikes, I don't know what got blacked out but I was trying to say that "he'd won the lottery". Maybe I typed something that got picked up as a bad word instead?