Lynn C. Woolsey: “today I support and applaud the House's final passage of the ``Family Immigration Sponsor Act.'' And, I thank my…”

“today I support and applaud the House's final passage of the ``Family Immigration Sponsor Act.'' And, I thank my colleague, Mr. Calvert, for his work on this issue. A family in my district, with a tragic story, has become a well-known example of why this bill's passage is necessary. Mrs. Zhenfu Ge, a 73-year-old Chinese national, came to the United States in 1998 to help care for her dying daughter and her daughter's children. Her daughter-- my constituent Yanyu Wong--requested that her mother be allowed to stay in America to take care of her grandchildren. Following the rules of the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS), my constituent immediately submitted the appropriate paperwork to sponsor her mother's petition for a green card so she could stay in the United States. Sadly, on April 15, 2001, Yanyu Wong lost her fight against cancer. This was only 11 days before the INS was scheduled to grant Mrs. Ge's permanent resident status. In a desperate attempt to keep his mother-in-law in the country, my constituent's husband petitioned to be Mrs. Ge's new sponsor. However, INS law mandates the sponsor be another adult blood relative. Without an adult blood relative left alive to sponsor her, Mrs. Ge was told that she must go back to China and restart the visa process.”