I am a Fremont resident and would like to share a story about the impact of immigration delays on my family. For more than two years, I worked to bring my mother Yenetihun Kassato to the United States so she could spend time with me and her grandchildren.
I followed every rule. I paid every fee. I gathered every document requested. I waited patiently through every stage of the immigration process, believing that if I did everything required, my family would eventually be reunited.
As the months turned into years, we continued waiting. My children kept asking when their grandmother would arrive. My mother kept hoping she would finally get the chance to hug her grandchildren, attend birthdays, share family meals, and make memories that every family deserves.
Then my mother died. She passed away on June 8, 2026, while her case was still caught in the system. The greatest tragedy is not the money I spent or the paperwork I completed. It is the time we lost. My children lost the chance to know their grandmother more deeply. I lost the chance to share ordinary moments with my mother. She lost the opportunity to spend her final years surrounded by family.
Immigration debates often focus on policies, numbers, and politics. What is often forgotten is that behind every file is a family. Behind every delay is a person whose time is limited. My mother’s case is now over, not because it was resolved, but because she is gone.
I am sharing this story because I do not want other families to experience the same loss. Family reunification should mean more than paperwork. It should recognize that parents age, grandparents grow older, and opportunities to be together can disappear forever.
No decision can bring my mother back. But perhaps her story can remind us that delayed reunification is not simply an administrative issue—it can become a permanent loss that no family should have to endure.
To my Mommy, the system failed us, but it could never take away the love we shared. I will carry you in my heart every day and cherish every memory. Until we meet again, I love you always.
Senayt Weldegebrial
Fremont
