February 25, 2000
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My husband, Michael Coker, 44, is a permanent resident of the United States. He is an immigrant from Sierra Leone in West Africa. He has lived here since around 1988 and worked as a nursing aide. But he was diagnosed with terminal Thymus cancer in June, 1996. Even though he had the cancer, he continued working as an aide until May of 1998 when he could work no longer. He is dying slowly by degrees. This is good in one way because we are together. It is bad because of the pain. Only Wednesday we had to visit the hospital because of his pain and dehydration. He is hanging on, so he has told me, until he can see his two daughters from an earlier marriage, Michaela (13 years of age) and Maureen (11 years of age). And that's where we have our trouble with INS. His daughters are in Sierra Leone, and they can't visit him here until INS says they may. Michael's physician, Dr. Shaun Hung, described the "significant pain and nausea" Michael experiences and said Michael would "benefit from being able to spend time with his children," and that "[t]his would help [Michael] psychologically in his continued fight ..." You may wonder why Michael doesn't travel to Sierra Leone himself. Dr. Hung wrote: "I do not anticipate that Mr. Coker would be physically able to return to Africa to see his children." So we have no choice. If Michael wants to see his children before he dies, they have to come here. With your permission, I'm enclosing Dr. Hung's letter for the record. This is how we went about it. Michael and I each asked the INS, by way of a form I-130 (immigrant petition for an alien relative), to give us permission for his daughters to come to the United States. He submitted his application in October 1998 and I submitted my application September 1999. I submitted my application in case Michael didn't make it. It is my hope to adopt his daughters as my own. Their natural mother is in agreement with the adoption. She's been wonderful. I wish I could say the same about INS. Michael is not a citizen of the United States so he is less preferred for early consideration. Sierra Leone is not a preferred country as it is a war-torn country, and the Embassy is closed, so it is less preferred for early consideration. But there is no question that Michael is a permanent resident of long standing and that these are his children and that they are under 21 and, on the merits, there is no question they deserve a visa. I'm told the INS has what they call humanitarian parole. That's based on life-threatening circumstances such as ours. Michael should be eligible for consideration under this form of humanitarian parole. There is, however, no evidence that anyone at INS is paying attention to Michael's cancerous condition. There is apparently no rhyme or reason to how they make these decisions, not any information about the standards they apply and certainly no predictable timetable. I want INS to tell us realistically if my husband will live to see his daughters and will they arrive early enough so he may participate in the adoption Michael and I want so badly.
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Bay Area Congressional Delegation
Studies Chronic Delays at Immigration Agency Statement of Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren Statement of Jennifer Dineen-Ocon Statement of Sister Marilyn Lacey Statement of Jacob and Yetta Bromley Statement of Debra Jaramillo-Coker Statement of George Windsor Jones
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