Posted on 08/31/2007 12:16:41 PM PDT by 3AngelaD
With the help of two Miami lawmakers, Killian High School honors graduate Juan Gomez and his family are trying a new strategy to avoid deportation to their native Colombia: reopening their denied asylum petition.
Speaking at a news conference, U.S. Reps. Lincoln Díaz-Balart and Mario Díaz-Balart said they believe the Gomez family could get their case reviewed again because, since being denied political asylum, some family members have been killed in Colombia. The circumstances of the killings were not disclosed by the family, but the lawmakers think the new information could be crucial in persuading authorities to have another look at their case.
''At the time that this family sought political asylum, the system here was fatally flawed,'' Lincoln Díaz-Balart said. ``The immigration bureaucracy did not understand the realities of Colombia.''...
Juan's parents arrived in South Florida in 1991 on a six-month visitor visa when Juan, 18, and his brother, Alex, 19, were toddlers. The parents eventually sought legal status, but the request was denied, a decision upheld on appeal.
Despite the ruling, the parents remained here illegally. On July 25, immigration officers arrested them at their home.
But thanks to a campaign led by Gomez's high-school friends, who rallied support from lawmakers in Washington, the family was allowed to stay and deportation proceedings were halted for 45 days. The stay of deportation expires Sept. 14.
Last month, Lincoln Díaz-Balart took the unusual step of introducing a private bill in Congress that, if passed, would allow the brothers -- not their parents -- to remain in the United Staes...
For now, Juan Gomez said he plans to start school next week at Miami Dade College's Honors College.
(Excerpt) Read more at miamiherald.com ...
We only deport the real important ones like Elian Gonzales.
Depends mostly on whether these guys are related to Jeb’s wife; or whatever?
Jeb’s wife is Mexican, not Columbian. I think it was a mistake for them to go public. Look what happened to Elvira, who would still be here if she had kept her head down and disappeared. In the long run, it doesn’t pay to taunt ICE.
Perhaps the circumstances were not particularly complementary. If the family back in Columbia was involved in narcotics, it could just be part of business as usual.
Ya think? The the violence in Columbia is related to either drugs, or FARC, or both. The rest of the country goes about its business, enjoys a stable currency, there is lots of cattle ranching and manufacturing, they make great music, good telenovelas, in sum, most keep their noses clean. It is not heaven, but it isn’t among the worst Third World hell holes, either. I am asking myself why they left in the first place, and the answer isn’t pretty.
Maybe because they're drug dealers?
We're going to give asylum to drug fugitives now?
These two butt wipes should be deport with the law breakers.
No it was because they were tenth cousins four times removed.
I think you have told this to me before and I apologize. I keep thinking she is Columbian.
“some family members have been killed in Colombia. The circumstances of the killings were not disclosed by the family”
Drug dealers dont live long
Not entirely rational.
The system in Colombia is fatally flawed.
Our system is just fine; that's why there is a system to process legal requests for humanitarian asylum, Not including, of course, families involved in shady activities in which killing is common.
Off they go!
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