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Tsegay Tegegn and his older Brother, Zemene. Zemene is studying for his Ph.D at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. Tsegay won the green card lottery, but is stuck in Ethiopia because the US embassy refuses to schedule visa interview by deadline 9.30.24.
Brother of PhD Student in Cleveland Wins Golden Ticket Out of Ethiopia, Only to Be Defrauded by US Embassy Refusing to Interview Before Deadline 9/30/2024.
In the private sector, what the US State Department is doing, would be considered consumer fraud. It takes people's money, particularly those from Africa, without any intention of finishing the case.” - Richard T. Herman, Esq, OH, UNITED STATES, September 12, 2024 /EINPresswire / -- Mr. Tsegaye Sisay Tegegn, a citizen and resident of Ethiopia, won the Green Card Lottery in 2023. Not only was it his dream to come to the U.S., to join his brother, Zemene Tegegn, who is a Ph.D. Chemical Engineering Student at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland , but he also sought sanctuary from the ethnic and religious violence plaguing his beloved homeland.
After winning the lottery, he paid the filing fees, filled out all the forms, and has patiently waited since the Summer of 2023 for his immigrant visa interview at the US Embassy in Addis Ababa. He paid the US State Department fees, with the reasonable expectation that the Department of State was willing to adjudicate the immigrant visa petition in a timely, fair, and non-arbitrary manner.
However, the U.S. Embassy has refused to schedule his immigrant visa interview, or to transfer to another post. If he is unable to secure the visa by 9/30/2024, the visa opportunity expires and is gone forever.
Attorney Richard Herman, who represents Mr. Tegegn before the Department of State, and has long represented several Ethiopian Orthodox Churches in the Midwest, says "if the Government did not have the intention or the capacity to fulfill this basic function, it should have properly warned Mr. Tegegn, prior to his paying the filing fees, that it had no intention or capacity to timely adjudicate the petition. No such warning or advisal was provided.
In the private sector, what the US State Department is doing, would be considered Consumer Fraud. It takes people's money, particularly those from Africa, without any intention of finishing the case."
Attorney Herman, also states: "This is outrageous, fraudulent, and discriminatory conduct by the State Department. In addition to outright misrepresentation, there is the strong stench of institutional racism. If Mr. Tegegn were white and from Sweden, just to pick a random European country, his Diversity Visa interview would be scheduled, timely, and without a hiccup. Ironically, the US "Diversity" Lottery Program, which is intended to increase the nationality diversity of incoming immigrants, does not value diversity, and in fact, actively discriminates against those of color."
With the assistance of Attorney Jath Shao, from the Herman Legal Group , Mr. Tegegn has recently filed a lawsuit in Federal District Court in Cleveland, against the State Department, alleging that it has violated his due process rights to fairly and timely adjudicate his visa petition (Case number1:24-CV-01399).
Thus far, the position communicated by the State Department is that it will fight the lawsuit.
Due to the present dangers in Ethiopia, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service has has designated Ethiopia under the Temporary Protected Status program, providing sanctuary to many Ethiopians already in the U.S., such as Mr. Tegegn's uncle, who also resides in Cleveland.
As argued by the Herman Legal Group's lawyers, the just and fair resolution, in order to fulfill Deptartment of State's legal and moral duty, would be to schedule Mr. Tegegn's immigrant visa immediately, whether in Addis Ababa or a nearby Embassy.
Mr. Tegegn's brother, Zemene, states: "It's incredibly frustrating and bewildering that despite my brother doing everything required over a year ago, his case remains stuck in bureaucratic inaction. The lack of response or urgency from the authorities has left our family in emotional and financial distress. If my brother is able to come and join me, I can finally focus on my PhD studies, as his situation has been a continuous source of distraction and anxiety."
Father Ermias B Weldeyohannes, a Priest at the Debretsion Medhanealem Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church in Chicago, states: "We are deeply disappointed in the Department of State's refusal to timely and fairly adjudicate Mr. Tsegaye Tegegn's immigrant diversity visa prior to the deadline of September 30, 2024. Mr. Tegegn followed all of the rules, he paid the fees, and filed all the paperwork. We believe that all immigrants who win the Green Card Lottery, regardless of their identity. It is only fair and just that the US Embassy reconsiders its position and immediately schedules his visa interview.”
Richard Herman, Cleveland Immigration Lawyer
Herman Legal Group, LLC
+1 216-375-0231
email us here
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