Sofia last entered the United States with her husband Carlos in 1993.   The couple crossed the U.S.-Mexican border at an international bridge which had an immigration checkpoint.   Sofia had crossed the border on countless occasions in her life using a border crossing card that she had ever since she was a little girl growing up near the Mexican border.    The couple casually walked across the bridge and a Customs and Border Patrol officer waved them into the United States, but did not physically inspect their documentation or record their entry.   

Nearly two decades later, the couple’s son, who was born a U.S. citizen in Florida, turned 21 years old and filed an I-130 family petition so that his mother and father could become residents.   We attended the mother’s residency interview at the Orlando Field Office where she recounted to the USCIS officer the story of her crossing the Mexican border at the border patrol checkpoint.   We presented a legal argument explaining why her manner of entry was considered legal for the purposes of obtaining her residency.   USCIS agreed with our analysis and approved her case, granting her lawful permanent resident status.

Tags: Adjustment Application, admission
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