Lessons Learned from a US Consul
The following is adapted from Pro-American Immigration by Dr. George Farag.
The day I took the oath of office to become a United States diplomat was one of the proudest days of my life. I took the same oath that our first secretary of state, Thomas Jefferson, took over two centuries ago. As a US consul, our government entrusted me with the power to approve or deny people to come to America. It was a responsibility that I took very seriously.
I interviewed thousands of people who applied for visas to America. Some were nervous, while others were relaxed. Some wanted to visit friends in Chicago, and others wanted to live in California. Some were honest, and some were not so honest.
In each visa interview, I learned something. I gained a deeper understanding of the nature of human beings, honed my decision-making skills, and saw the importance of strong policy. I had a behind-the-scenes look into the situations abroad that influence our lives at home.
I will present some of the lessons I learned about immigration while I was a US consul. These lessons led me to identify holes in immigration laws that don’t benefit Americans and informed my approach to pro-American immigration.
Lesson One: There Are Gaps in Our Immigration Policies
I trained to become a US consul at the Foreign Service Institute (FSI) in Arlington, Virginia. We studied immigration law and nonimmigrant visa regulations. The foundation of our studies was the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA).
The INA was enacted in 1952 and provides the legal structure for immigration. It has been amended many times over the years. It contains many of the most important provisions of immigration law. The INA is in the US Code, which is a collection of all the laws of the United States.
We learned questioning techniques to conduct efficient interviews. We became experts at making swift decisions. Security of the homeland was our main focus, but we also had to maintain an openness to people who wanted to legally come to America.
While working at embassies abroad, I made decisions on thousands of visa applications. As I put my training into practice, I found that there are gaps in our visa policy. For example, parents use tourist visas to give birth in America. Additionally, afterward, they are still able to qualify for further tourist visas in the future. Sponsors of family-based immigrants are only required to have income that is less than the threshold to receive food stamps. Even green card holders who are not living in the US can still sponsor other immigrants to come to America.
These gaps are not helpful to Americans nor aligned with the intention of the immigration law. This is problematic.
Lesson Two: Foreign Visa Applicants Are Savvy
Foreign visa applicants are very knowledgeable of US immigration law. I found that most foreigners know more about our immigration law than the average American. They know about the loopholes in our policies and use them to their advantage. Foreigners know that if they give birth in the US on a tourist visa, their child will become an American — which will benefit both the child and the parent.
Foreigners who have green cards know that they don’t have to live in America to maintain their legal permanent resident status. They know that if they have a green card, they can help other family members immigrate to America. It does not matter if they are living in another country — and, if they have a green card for five years, they can qualify for even more benefits.
They know that these loopholes are not what the law intends and don’t function in the interest of the American people. But they also know that they are not acting illegally — they are following the letter, but not the spirit, of the law.
Immigrants also know and exploit the immigration laws for their own advantage.
Conclusion
Serving the United States as a diplomat was challenging and rewarding. Being a consular officer gave me unique insight into the immigration process. I learned that there are gaps in our immigration laws. Furthermore, the requirements to immigrate to America do not always reflect immigration law. These gaps are not in the interest of the American people.
Knowledgeable foreigners all over the world are exploiting these gaps. We need immigration laws that cannot be manipulated. Americans want to know their government can control the flow of immigrants based on America’s needs.
We expect our elected officials to take action in the interest of the United States, but this may be a long time coming. Our lawmakers continue to use the refrain of comprehensive immigration reform. This type of legislation will not happen anytime soon.
Instead, we can take matters into our own hands. We can propose new regulations that enforce our laws in a more pro-American manner. To reach this vision, we need to first understand how people become Americans. Having this foundation is important to understanding the gaps in our immigration policy.
You can learn more about finding common ground in America’s immigration strategy in Pro-American Immigration, now available on Amazon.
DR. GEORGE FARAG is a former US diplomat and consul who immigrated to America. After the attacks of 9/11, George joined the diplomatic corps to serve his country. In that role, he decided on thousands of visa applications from people seeking to come to America. He was on the Consular Affairs Crisis Response team that evacuated 15,000 Americans during the 2006 Lebanon War and was among the first US diplomats to enter Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom. George is the recipient of the Department of State’s Superior Honor Award, the Meritorious Honor Award, and the George P. Schultz Consular Certificate. To get in touch with George, please visit georgefarag.com.
