It is my great
hope that the members of this board will allow Ms. Mary Bristol to remain
in America during the time it takes to process her application for permanent
residency because of her past and current circumstances.
My client
was born and raised on the small tropical island of Montserrat in the Caribbean
Sea. It is the kind of place that fits our view of what paradise must be like
-- waves of turquoise water rolling onto white, sandy beaches lined by palm
trees bending gently in the wind.
But there has been trouble in paradise
ever since the first eruption of Soufriere Hills five years ago after centuries
of inactivity.
One eruption destroyed her home, burying it under heaps
of ash and dust. It nearly killed her too, but she survived.
But my
client was not going to rebuild her life from scratch, certainly not at her
age. So she turned to her family, and found help right here in the United
States.
Her daughter and her family welcomed her with open arms, and
she had soon decided to make America her final home.
But it is never
as easy as it sounds since she has to leave this country so that she may apply
to live in it. Enforcing this regulation would cause her and her family unnecessary
and undue hardship.
Yes, my client does hold citizenship in Canada.
Her son currently resides there. So she could easily file her application
from there, and live with her son while awaiting the outcome.
This
is not a good option, however. For one thing, she has not lived in Canada
for many years. So she may find it difficult to live there. More importantly,
my client is an elderly lady who does require a fair amount of attention,
medical and otherwise.
Her son, however, would not be able to care
for her in any case, since he is suffering from a major illness that requires
others to care for him.
Ms. Bristol is also a person of considerable
means who is more than capable of supporting herself financially. So she would
not be an unnecessary burden to this country. In fact, she does not want any
help from anybody. She only wishes to be near her daughter and her family.
In
conclusion, Mary Bristol had to endure and overcome a tremendous amount of
emotional and physical hardship.
She now lives in the comfortable and
comforting presence of her daughter. And this is where she should remain,
since any other arrangement would cause undue and unnecessary hardship for
her and the rest of her family. Thank you for your time.