20120601_Teen Stuck in Mexico Over Visa Mix

8/17/2019 20120601_Teen Stuck in Mexico Over Visa Mix

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Teen Stuck in Mexico Over Visa Mix-up Is

Allowed to Come Back to U.S.

By Lylah M. Alphonse, Senior Editor, Yahoo! Shine

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By Lylah M. Alphonse, Senior Editor, Yahoo! Shine | Parenting – 20 hours ago

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Frankfort High School senior honor student Elizabeth Olivas, 18, gets a hug from her father,Pascual Olivas, left, …

s things looked grim and the media took notice, the !"S" State #e$artment sent out a message%hursda&' Elizabeth Olivas, the 18(&ear(old honors student )ho had been stuck in *e+ico

because of a scheduling mistake, )ould be allo)ed to return home to ndiana after all"

Her la)&er, Sarah *oshe, received a te+t message from the teen after a seven(hour(long-humanitarian $arole- hearing in *e+ico' -.!S% /O% O!% 0S *2 H#S" *

3O*/ HO*E4 %H5 2O! SO *!3H, * SOO HPP24-

%he ndiana$olis Star re$orted that !"S" Senator 6ichard 7ugars office hel$ed arrange the

hearing, and ndiana congressmen *ike Pence and %odd 6okita sent letters to the consulate onOlivas behalf on %hursda&"

9 never got angr& as much as )as frustrated,: Olivas, salutatorian of her class, told the

ne)s$a$er u$on her return in time to deliver her s$eech at her Saturda& graduation" t )as herfirst time back to *e+ico since she came to the !"S" 1; &ears ago" -%his is the onl& life ve

kno)n,: she said"

6elated' Surge in child immigrants strain su$$ort net)ork

n immigrant )ho came to the !"S" illegall& )hen she )as


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She thought that she had done the math" ?ut it turned out she )as off (( b& a single da&"

So )hen the )inter homecoming @ueen )ith the A"BCD /P (( )ho is the salutatorian at her high

school graduation in ndiana this )eekend (( )ent to *e+ico on $ril 1D, she )as told that she

)ould not be allo)ed to even a$$l& for a !"S" visa for three &ears" %he legal calculators that sheand her la)&er had consulted hadnt taken into account the fact that >1 is a lea$ &ear, and her

grace $eriod had run out a da& earlier" !nless the& could $ersuade the government to give her a

s$ecial )aiver, she )ould be barred from returning to the onl& home shes reall& kno)n"

-Ge must s$eed ever&thing because cannot be here an& longer,- the teenager )rote in an email

to her la)&er" Ghats going on #id &ou hear from the consulate &et-

- )ould never have sent her had had an& @uestion in m& mind,- her la)&er, Sarah *oshe, told

*S?3"com" -t )as a ver& innocent mistake… )e )ere a)are )ithin da&s essentiall& and tried

ver& hard to )ork in that time frame, but to no avail"-

*oshe sa&s that she )aited until )hat she thought )as the last da& of the grace $eriod because

she didnt kno) ho) long it might take to get an a$$ointment once for the visa and didnt )ant tomiss too man& da&s at school" She has at least I letters of su$$ort to go )ith her ;>>($age

)aiver a$$lication, *oshe said, and )as sta&ing in 3hihuahua, *e+ico, )ith her $aternal

grand$arents, )hom she had never met before no)"

%hough *oshe sa&s that Olivas father has medical conditions that )ill get )orse if his daughter

is not allo)ed to return, getting the )aiver )asnt eas&" %he $rocess usuall& takes t)o to three

months, and the !S3S rarel&, if ever, chooses to e+$edite a$$lications"

-Ge cant take $eo$le out of line and bring them to the front,- *aria Elena(!$son, a

s$okes)oman for !S3S, told the ndiana$olis Star" Ghile she sa&s that she s&m$athizes )ithOlivas situation, -%here are a lot of $eo$le seeking )aivers, and it is first come, first served"-

Olivas has alread& missed her $rom and her academic a)ards ceremon&, but ho$ed to make it tograduation on Saturda&" She did her home)ork online and her grades are still high" Even the

$rinci$al of her school in Frankfort, ndiana, )ants her home"

http://usnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/05/31/11990755-teen-stuck-in-mexico-over-leap-day-error-may-miss-graduation-speech?litehttp://usnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/05/31/11990755-teen-stuck-in-mexico-over-leap-day-error-may-miss-graduation-speech?litehttp://usnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/05/31/11990755-teen-stuck-in-mexico-over-leap-day-error-may-miss-graduation-speech?litehttp://usnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/05/31/11990755-teen-stuck-in-mexico-over-leap-day-error-may-miss-graduation-speech?lite


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202500712.html
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20120601_Teen Stuck in Mexico Over Visa Mix

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