Client Stories: Adriana

Adriana, a recipient of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) from El Salvador, first came to the United States 30 years ago, and has since raised two children. As a TPS recipient, she faced uncertainty about her ability to stay in the US permanently, as the inclusion of El Salvador on the list of protected countries became a political flashpoint over the last few years. So she saved up what money she could to apply for permanent residency and avoided taking personal trips, even to see her mother, who had been separated from her for 30 years.

Adriana received devastating news - her mother had suffered a stroke, and began receiving hospice care. As a recipient of TPS, Adriana has the right to travel to see her mother, but only upon filing a formal application with USCIS, which normally would take months that Adriana wasn't sure her mother had. Adriana had had one last chance to say goodbye.

We worked to request an emergency appointment from USCIS, gathering what documents the family had available on short notice, and met with Adriana and her family at the downtown USCIS office. The outcome of our request would be uncertain - despite Adriana's best efforts, they were unable to obtain any medical records showing evidence of a stroke. After several hours of waiting, we met with an officer to explain the situation, advocating for USCIS to consider the situation a medical emergency, showing letters and pictures and explaining the circumstances in which crucial documents were missing. Thankfully, the officer was understanding, and Adriana was able to purchase a plane ticket that day to reunite with her mother.

Our office was thankful to be able to be part of this process of family reunion, and continues to work to ensure that Adriana will be able to have the right to stay reunited with her daughters in the US so that her cycle of generational trauma will be broken.