This assumption belies the reality that, for many, these paths have largely been “barricaded or removed.” Recently, in Colindres v. United States Department of State, the D.C. Circuit upheld a consular officer’s decision to deny a visa to Edvin A. Colindres Juarez, a father and spouse to U.S. citizens. Nearly thirty years ago, Edvin A. Colindres Juarez, a Guatemalan citizen, entered the United States “without inspection.” Since then, he has married a U.S. citizen, Kristen H. Colindres, with whom he had a daughter in 2008. Colindres Juarez waited for “[n]early a year” in Guatemala while the consulate considered his visa application, which it ultimately denied. As part of the process, Colindres Juarez complied with a request to submit his Guatemalan criminal record, which “came back clean,” and attended multiple interviews.

Source: Los Angeles Times May 10, 2024 21:01 UTC