The letter-writer's challenge is satisfy beyond doubt the INS official reading the letter that writer knows the person written about intimately, and thus is capable of assessing the 'authenticity' of the marriage.* How creepy that? Your friends are forced to ask you to officially pass judgment on their marriage. Everything about the INS is creepy at best, and criminal at worst.
* This is a wonderful marriage of mutual love, service, support, devotion, shared interests, spiritual beliefs and senses of humor.
Bad typo in my first comment. It should have read like this:
Strange serendipity.
This just went up on the NYer site, and I'm writing a letter to the INS testifying that the marriage of my Haitian friend and her Polish-American husband is an authentic marriage.
The INS rejected their previous letters because my friend was referred to by 'government' name, including her husband's last name.
The INS is so hard on Haitians seeking citizenship. Not the way they treat, o say, Cubans.
It is still wrong -- their first letters testifying to the authenticity of their marriage were rejected because the letters referred to my friend by her 'friend' name (i.e. the name people who know her well use), and her own last name, instead of her 'government' name and her husband's name.
Please, tell me why that should be grounds for rejection? That letter writers call my friend by the name that her friends call her by should confirm how well the writers know her -- the opposite of what the INS says.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThe letter-writer's challenge is satisfy beyond doubt the INS official reading the letter that writer knows the person written about intimately, and thus is capable of assessing the 'authenticity' of the marriage.* How creepy that? Your friends are forced to ask you to officially pass judgment on their marriage. Everything about the INS is creepy at best, and criminal at worst.
ReplyDelete* This is a wonderful marriage of mutual love, service, support, devotion, shared interests, spiritual beliefs and senses of humor.
Bad typo in my first comment. It should have read like this:
ReplyDeleteStrange serendipity.
This just went up on the NYer site, and I'm writing a letter to the INS testifying that the marriage of my Haitian friend and her Polish-American husband is an authentic marriage.
The INS rejected their previous letters because my friend was referred to by 'government' name, including her husband's last name.
The INS is so hard on Haitians seeking citizenship. Not the way they treat, o say, Cubans.
Love, C.
I emailed the Bomb article to mtself to read later.
ReplyDeleteAre you on Facebook?
Not on Facebook, no.
ReplyDeleteWhy do you ask?
It is still wrong -- their first letters testifying to the authenticity of their marriage were rejected because the letters referred to my friend by her 'friend' name (i.e. the name people who know her well use), and her own last name, instead of her 'government' name and her husband's name.
ReplyDeletePlease, tell me why that should be grounds for rejection? That letter writers call my friend by the name that her friends call her by should confirm how well the writers know her -- the opposite of what the INS says.
This is deeply disturbing.
I reluctantly went on Facebook. It would be useful for you, to get readers.
ReplyDeleteRen -- You say you went reluctantly. So why, then, did you go? There must have been a reason.
ReplyDeleteHow would more readers be useful to me, do you think? Puzzled.
Thank you!
Love, C.