Barackface

Tuesday, December 23, 2014

Immigration: Exploring Non Legal Options

Official photographic portrait of US President Barack Obama (born 4 August 1961; assumed office 20 January 2009) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

To: Congressman Crowley
From: Paramendra Bhagat (Elmhurst, Queens 11373-2713)
Date: December 22, 2014
Subject: My Ongoing For Six Years Open Immigration Case (Alien 095 156 466)

Hello Congressman. I live in your district. My name is Paramendra Bhagat. I came to America for college in 1996 and have not left the country since. I married my college girlfriend (she proposed), officially the smartest student at my school, the number one liberal arts college in the South, Berea College. I got a green card from that. My marriage ended a few years later.

I was the only Nepali among 300,000 Nepalis across America to have worked full time for Nepal’s democracy movement in the 2005-06 period. (http://demrepubnepal.blogspot.com) I also got myself elected student body president at Berea within six months of landing as an international student, first time in college history a freshman had done that. In 2007 I also became the first full time volunteer in New York City to presidential candidate Barack Obama. (http://democracyforum.blogspot.com) I personally know people like Congressman Hakeem Jeffries from before he went to Albany.

While working days, nights and weekends for the democracy movement in Nepal, the deadline for my green card renewal came and went, and I did not even notice. I was so into my work.

I have had an open immigration case since 2008. I have showed up in court every few months, as asked. That has gone on for six years now. I like to joke my trial has now lasted longer than Nelson Mandela’s! My Harvard Law School graduate lawyer Rudrakumaran Visuvanathan has represented me. Nepal is still going through its political transition, and it would be a major safety issue for me to show up there right now. But I have not been able to convince the court, I guess. And I am getting hints I am about to lose my case.

You would do me the favor of a lifetime if you could please intervene and help me out. It is my knowledge that Senators and Congressmen can legitimately intervene in cases like mine and make things happen. If it is within your powers, please help me back renew my green card that I had. If you could do that, enough time has passed that I would be in a position to apply for my citizenship by now. And if I could get there, I could vote for the first time. I would sure vote for you! And much more.

Like I said, you would be doing the favor of a lifetime to me. I am an early stage tech entrepreneur. My team is working on an Augmented Reality Mobile Game that we think is a billion dollar idea. (http://technbiz.blogspot.com) We are building a super social network. My goal is to use and build, build and use digital tools so as to do all I can do to help cure global poverty.

With much hope.
Paramendra Bhagat.

Mehbooba Mufti

A Muslim woman as Chief Minister of the state of Kashmir ---- this is what I love about democracy. It throws up pleasant surprises like this. Before today I had never heard of her. I think this is amazing. I think other parties should throw outside support to her and let her do her thing. She is the people's choice.

Hindus in Pakistan and Bangladesh fare worse than Muslims in India ---- but that is no excuse for the fact that there is not equality for the Muslims in India. Equality is the goal and it has be achieved. That is the only way India can play a central role in the so-called War On Terror. India has to show Muslims can be equal, vibrant members of a dizzyingly diverse democracy. India has to show the way. The only way the War On Terror can conclude is by a total spread of democracy across the Muslim world. America is not in a position to have that central impact. It is too far away. It does not have enough Muslims.