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A Gift From Gandhi
The flowers sent to USCIS were transferred to U.S. soldiers recovering at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center.
(By Xiyun Yang -- The Washington Post)
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"Only someone with the saddest mind can do this," said Ashish Mundada, 31, an information technology consultant who works in New York City. Mundada had persuaded his wife to cancel a trip back to India for a sister's wedding to take advantage of what seemed like a brief window of opportunity. Mundada, like many other protesters, said he did not want any favors, just that his application be fairly considered.
The flowers were inspired by a popular Bollywood film, "Lage Raho Munnabhai," in which the main character turns to the ways of Gandhi to solve his problems. The movie has stirred Indians at home and abroad to try to emulate Gandhi, who died in 1948, a year after India achieved independence.
"The only way to get the other party to acknowledge your grief is to do something nonviolent, to show some compassion," said Bindingnavale, who works for MedImmune.
But in America, lawsuits and hearings also hold sway.
Crystal Williams, deputy director for programs at the American Immigration Lawyers Association, suspects that there may still be open slots in the annual green card quota.
"They lied. That's the simple part of it. They lied to keep from having to take these applications," Williams said. The association's sister organization is filing a lawsuit to force the government to accept the filed applications.
"The system is deeply broken," Williams said.
Rep. Zoe Lofgren, (D-Calif.), the chairwoman of the Subcommittee on Citizenship, Refugees, Immigration, and Border Security, says she plans to hold a hearing on the issue and is pressing USCIS to accept the recently filed applications.
"They have really messed this up," she said. "The Department of Homeland Security is not known for overarching efficiency, but this is a new low."
Businesses are also unhappy. Many depend on the highly educated foreigners. Google and Microsoft have lobbied Congress on behalf of just such skilled workers.
Elizabeth Stern is a corporate attorney with Baker & McKenzie, a firm that counts many financial service and IT companies among its clients. She said she has heard from corporate clients who are fed up with U.S. policies.
" 'This is just not worth it,' they say. 'I'll just move to England,' " Stern said.
