Twenty Years for a Passport 🕰️

This Week’s Immigration News Highlights

• California Cannibas Farm Sees Clash Between ICE and Protesters

• Public Grows Weary of Masked ICE Officers

• Undocumented Immigrants to Lose More Public Benefits

The path to U.S. citizenship isn’t always straight or fair. This week, we share AB’s two-decade journey from temporary protection to naturalization. It’s a story of patience, love, and the real meaning of “doing it the right way.”

Twenty Years in the Making: AB’s Journey from TPS to U.S. Citizenship

You know that phrase, “Why don’t they just do it the right way?” Well, here’s what the “right way” actually looks like.

AB came to the U.S. in 2005 as a child with his parents on a tourist visa. What was supposed to be a short summer turned into something much more permanent after a devastating earthquake hit El Salvador. Their home was destroyed. Chaos followed. Going back wasn’t an option.

When TPS opened for Salvadorans, the family applied. It gave them lawful status, but no road to a green card. Just protection, and a lifetime of renewal notices, background checks, and hoping policy didn’t shift overnight.

AB grew up in Texas, worked with his dad at the shop, and fell in love. He married a U.S. citizen, and in a perfect world, that would’ve meant a green card and peace of mind. But 2020 was anything but ideal. The pandemic brought massive delays. AB’s green card took over a year longer than expected to process. And since his marriage was under two years old when it was approved, he received a conditional green card, meaning more paperwork, more proof, and more waiting.

In 2023, with a new baby at home, AB filed to remove the conditions. When it was still pending a year later, he became eligible to apply for citizenship based on three years of marriage to a U.S. citizen. So he did.

In March 2025, he walked into USCIS for a dual interview for both the I-751 and his naturalization. And that day, AB was sworn in as a U.S. citizen.

It took nearly twenty years.

This is what the “right way” looks like. It’s long, uncertain, expensive, and emotionally exhausting. But AB did it. He stayed the course. And now, he’s not just a citizen, he’s a reminder that behind every immigration case is a human story full of grit, love, and a whole lot of waiting.

That’s It!

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AB’s journey is proof that “the right way” means battling through a system layered with bureaucracy, sacrifice, and time. But in the end, his perseverance brought not just a passport, but a sense of belonging that was twenty years in the making.

Until next time, enjoy the summer vibes! 😎