Support Don's Fight Against Unfair Deportation

In August of 2022, Don was deported from the U.S. following our return flight home from Europe after arriving into Philadelphia International Airport. He was treated like a criminal and issued a 5-year bar of entry.

Here are the facts:

Don and I have been married since 2003 and have 5 children between the ages of 6-20.

All the kids and I are US citizens

Prior to Don's deportation, our marriage had already been recognized by the U.S. government and I had already been issued an approved I-130 Petition

Prior to his deportation, Don had submitted form I-485 to Adjust his status in the U.S. as a lawful permanent resident and full bio-metrics were completed

In the deportation document called "Notice to Alien Ordered Removed", it states that Don was found to be "inadmissible to the United States under the provisions of section 212(a) of the Immigration and Nationality Act... in proceedings under section 235(b)(1)"

Don was gainfully and legally employed for 12 consecutive years in Europe prior to arriving in the States in 2021 and applying for an adjustment of status

Don has a Masters degree in business management

Don and I served as volunteers for many years in the earlier part of our marriage, both abroad as well as in the U.S. back in 2008 and 2009 during which time Don had been issued an R1 visa for the States

Note: Don has never been charged or convicted of a crime and he has no criminal record in ANY country

It was truly heartbreaking and a traumatic experience for the kids and I to see Don in holding, then taken away from and forced to return to Europe without any warning.

Three months prior to our travel abroad, Don informed the USCIS of our need to travel and requested permission (and Don did all that was asked of him with email documentation serving as proof). All these original documents were in our possession upon our return to the U.S.

But now, after multiple failed attempts to find ways of reuniting Don with us back home in the States, I withdrew our kids from school and we joined Don in Europe. It has been a very hard and challenging 2 years since this experience, but we are grateful for the loving support of family and friends, and for the many people who have come along side us in this journey.

Currently, we're in need of an approved waiver to override the 5-year bar of entry. It is known as form I-601.

Here's the latest:

Why is it so hard to legally immigrate to the United States? *This is a case of outright injustice. Barriers of entry should be removed immediately for close family members like Don.

And here's perhaps the most frustrating thing. A week after Don's deportation, I appealed to my congress person and requested to have his case expedited, but was told that there are many doctors who also wanted to move to the States. BUT MY KIDS DON'T NEED ANOTHER DOCTOR, THEY NEED THEIR DAD!

Why should a father be torn away from his children in this way? The United States of America is dependent on strong families and decent, honest, and hard working citizens that simply want to contribute to society and follow their dreams. This situation is not consistent with the foundational values held dear to our nation.

We would be so so grateful for the help of anyone reading this who is in a position to do anything to speed up the process of Don's waiting time related to form I-601.

We would also value the financial support of anyone willing and able to contribute to the many unforeseen costs related to our time outside of the U.S. such as:

With heartfelt thanks in advance!

Anna and the kids on behalf of our beloved Don