Here is a story about how not to deal with the US Embassy in Bogota and what can happen.
Jesse,
I just talked to Angela in Bogota.What a crazy deal.
Here is what she told me combined with my take on it.
She already had a tourist visa for her and her daughter.She only went in to the US Embassy in Bogota to try and get a student visa also.With a student visa she could stay here without having to leave the country every 6 months and re enter or overstay
her tourist visa,and get banned from the US doing so.Also she wanted to get a non work social security number so she could get a California drivers license.I think that is possible by other means.
What she didn't understand and I think still doesn't is she already had something they would never give her now,a tourist visa.To get a tourist visa now you almost have to be old or independently wealty.They are instructed to not give one to anyone who might want to come here to work,which we know is just what she wanted to do.These long lines of Colombians standing there for hours,99% get turned down flat I think.
So Angela lines up at the Embassy at 7.00 AM.She gets to the window at 6.00 PM.
Sounds like she already had an attitude at this point.Never ,never, have an attitude with these people.The guy probably already had an attitude when she showed up.Here is this woman who already has what he would not give her again,he has been turning down Colombians all day long.And she is asking for, demanding or arguing for something he would not give her anyway.These people have huge authority.You argue with me you not only don't get the student visa,which she was not going to get anyway in my opinion,but I am going to take away the tourist visas you already have,which is just what he did,even taking the pages out of her and her daughters passport.She should have never gone near the US Embassy,especially not with any kind of attitude.She really screwed herself here.I know,she waited in line for 11 hours,she had a reason to be upset.But you can't approch them like that,or they will do what they did to her.
She is not interested in being in the US accept as totally legal so alot of other options
like I told you about we can forget.It sounds l;ike she is moving ahead with her life in Bogota and is angry about this but has given up coming here.Rocio says she makes very good money as an interpreter and can do OK there.She does not have the motivation to get out that alot of Colombians have.
Is this fixable?Very difficult I think.If she was the wife or a fiancee of a citizen you might be able to get political,write or call your congressman or senator.But as a Colombian she has no rights to anything here without a legal connection to a citizen.I don't think immigration would do anything for her,but its worth a try.She did loose what she already had.They mistreated her.Maybe immigration will look in to it but I think not,she is a Colombian.
The other option is to do a fix that would require someone,probably an American employee of the Embassy to fix it for her.If it was a Colombian only deal,no problem,$$$ local will solve.But this gets tougher but is possible.I don't know if you are following the story of the 1000 or so Koreans who,through immigration "consltants"bribed a local INS guy.He got caught,he turned in the "consultants"who are being prosecuted.The INS guy made a deal for no prosecution if he turned in those guys.The 1000 koreans are all facing deportation.Two local congreemen are on their side.Their defense is they didn't know the money they paid was for a bribe but thought it was just a fee the consultants charged.Still being decided.Some of them have been here 10 years.
I am going to give thios story to a number of people including an immigration attorney I know.Maybe someone will have some ideas.
Pete
