Inshalllah
I was updating my resume the other day and tried to describe what it is I do. Mostly it falls under 'other duties as necessary.' For example:
A few weeks ago a kid came in to register accompanied by his mother and a white-haired white man. This is pretty unusual, because we don't have a lot of white people in our school - especially not ones accompanying African students.
As we learned more about the family, it became clear that this was a unique case that would take lots of time and advocating on behalf of this family.
Very succinctly: the student who came to register was abandoned here in September by his father who drove him over the border and to his mother's apartment building, put him on the elevator and said 'She lives on the ____ floor. Good luck.'
That is just one tiny part of the story. The student had been in his father's custody for 5 years prior, was schlepped around all over the world, and by all accounts, was treated pretty horribly by the man who had previously abandoned his mother and sisters in an African country where he figured no one would chase him for child support.
So, we have a child who is in this country illegally - ok, kind of complicated. But what is turning out to make it RIDICULOUS is the fact that this child was born in our neighbor to the south.
The fact that he holds a US passport is turning out to be a huge hurdle that no agency can wrap its mind around, despite the fact that Immigration says any child who is already in the country and is with their parent who is a permanent resident (his mother is), or citizen, is allowed to go to school (I know, I spent a half hour on hold with them last week) without a study permit.
I don't want to get into to too many particulars, except to say that every twist and turn in this situation continuously comes back to the country of birth of this boy, and it is INFURIATING to have to jump through created hoops because no one seems to realize that this is a CHILD who was ABANDONED here - he had no choice about coming! Plus, he is a MINOR! If anything, he is a refugee, not an 'international student' who owes fees to the school.
Finally, after metaphorically throwing my hands up in the air last week, I googled 'immigration lawyer' for my city and ended up talking to someone who graduated law school with my brother. Small world? A gift? We'll see. I hope so.
Thankfully, my principal at school is a compassionate man who understands all too well the red tape runaround refugees and immigrants have to deal with. Also, thankfully, we have someone at school whose job is to support students exactly like this, so he is working his butt off, translating for mom and making phone calls and following up. He and I talk constantly to update each other, and between us we pass 'Inshallah' like a mantra - it will be by the grade of God that we get this figured out.
Other duties as assigned! Yup, that's me!
A few weeks ago a kid came in to register accompanied by his mother and a white-haired white man. This is pretty unusual, because we don't have a lot of white people in our school - especially not ones accompanying African students.
As we learned more about the family, it became clear that this was a unique case that would take lots of time and advocating on behalf of this family.
Very succinctly: the student who came to register was abandoned here in September by his father who drove him over the border and to his mother's apartment building, put him on the elevator and said 'She lives on the ____ floor. Good luck.'
That is just one tiny part of the story. The student had been in his father's custody for 5 years prior, was schlepped around all over the world, and by all accounts, was treated pretty horribly by the man who had previously abandoned his mother and sisters in an African country where he figured no one would chase him for child support.
So, we have a child who is in this country illegally - ok, kind of complicated. But what is turning out to make it RIDICULOUS is the fact that this child was born in our neighbor to the south.
The fact that he holds a US passport is turning out to be a huge hurdle that no agency can wrap its mind around, despite the fact that Immigration says any child who is already in the country and is with their parent who is a permanent resident (his mother is), or citizen, is allowed to go to school (I know, I spent a half hour on hold with them last week) without a study permit.
I don't want to get into to too many particulars, except to say that every twist and turn in this situation continuously comes back to the country of birth of this boy, and it is INFURIATING to have to jump through created hoops because no one seems to realize that this is a CHILD who was ABANDONED here - he had no choice about coming! Plus, he is a MINOR! If anything, he is a refugee, not an 'international student' who owes fees to the school.
Finally, after metaphorically throwing my hands up in the air last week, I googled 'immigration lawyer' for my city and ended up talking to someone who graduated law school with my brother. Small world? A gift? We'll see. I hope so.
Thankfully, my principal at school is a compassionate man who understands all too well the red tape runaround refugees and immigrants have to deal with. Also, thankfully, we have someone at school whose job is to support students exactly like this, so he is working his butt off, translating for mom and making phone calls and following up. He and I talk constantly to update each other, and between us we pass 'Inshallah' like a mantra - it will be by the grade of God that we get this figured out.
Other duties as assigned! Yup, that's me!
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