Hate Doesn't Have the Last Word

On Monday, April 18th, 2022, I was surprised to receive a direct call from the USCIS office at 9:07am. I was naturally curious to see who had called, as I had never had the “US GOVT” show up on my office caller ID before and when I answered, Officer M had reminded me that I had visited her office the Thursday before with my client, Cleotilde for a hearing to appeal the verdict of her Naturalization application. Before this case, the IRC had never appealed a Naturalization decision before and we were in uncharted territory. For this particular appeal, our office had collected 455 pages worth of evidence and showed that Cleotilde (who diligently and lovingly took care of her husband through his battle with cancer) was in the United States for the last five years, showing the erroneous denial for her Naturalization application.

During the hearing, I was able to advocate for my client and name the statutes that showed that she was indeed eligible for Naturalization and had the supporting evidence to show that she met the continuous residence and physical presence requirements. Officer M was glad to see that there was so much evidence, took the time to ask clarifying questions and let us know that a decision would be made in the coming weeks. Cleotilde was in tears of relief after seeing how kindly Officer M had treated her during the hearing. I had not expected to receive a phone call from Officer M a couple of days after being in her office, and that is why I was so surprised to hear Officer M’s voice on the phone. At the time, I couldn’t help but wonder if she needed any other information for Cleotilde’s case. To my surprise, she said that she combed through all of the evidence and that the appeal was approved and wondered if my client would be able to come to her office tomorrow for a final interview, as she would like to see the case through.

It is my great joy to be able to share that on Tuesday, April 19th, 2022, Cleotilde became a U.S. Citizen. As an accredited representative I spend a lot of my time holding clients' stories, helping make sense of these stories as I carefully add the information into forms and boxes. Yet, I have to admit that there are times that I have been used to seeing USCIS as the enemy, and in my mind have dehumanized the officers that I encounter while representing clients, or while imagining the officer that would be reading a client’s application. I still hold firm to the reality that I do not agree with our current immigration system, nor do I stand for the dehumanization that this system perpetuates as it reduces real people to mere numbers and forms. However, through Officer M’s kindness, I was reminded that although I do not agree with the system, I cannot replicate the same dehumanization; for when I dehumanize another, I am perpetuating the same cycle of hate and not seeing God’s own image in the other person (however much I may disagree with them). It is my hope that as we seek to do good trouble, that as we seek to be agents of change, that we can with our presence show that hate does not have the last word.

From the Desk of Rosa Cándida Ramírez (ella/she/her)
Representante Acreditada del Departamento de Justicia | DOJ Accredited Representative