Sponsor Files Complaint Against Immigration Board & CIO

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Victims advocate, Mrs Ipu Lefiti, has filed a complaint with the Department of Public Safety alleging harassment by the Immigration Board and Chief Immigration Officer, Peseta Dennis Lutu.

Mrs Lefiti is the immigration sponsor of Ms. Merlie Gumanab, a citizen of the Philippines who won an appeal of the Immigration Board denial of her application for amnesty.

Ms Gumanab alleged that her denial of advances from the Chief Immigration Officer was the reason why her application for amnesty was rejected.

Mrs Lefiti accuses the Immigration Board and the Immigration Chief of trying to prevent the renewal of Ms Gumanab ‘s Immigraiton ID.

Mrs Lefiti said at least a month before Ms Gumanab’s immigration ID expired, she did the paperwork for renewal of her ID.

She made several visits to the Immigration Office and each time she said she was given the run around and excuses on why the ID could not be processed.

Mrs. Lefiti says the Immigration Board finally scheduled a hearing for Ms Gumanab except the date for the hearing was past the expiration date of her ID.

Mrs Lefiti said she didn’t understand why Gumanab had to appear before the Immigration Board when other people needing ID renewals whom she sponsored didn’t need to.

Eventually, the ID was issued after Mrs Lefiti alerted the Attorney General of the delays and run around they were getting.

But on more than one occasion after Ms Gumanab was given a new ID, Mrs Lefiti said officers of Immigraiton called her to come to the Immigration Office with the ID.

She said she found out from questioning immigration agents that the Chief Immigraiton Officer instructed to remove Ms Gumanab’s new ID.

The last call she received to go to the Immigration Office was last Thursday.

Mrs Lefiti decided to file a complainst against the Immigraiton Chief and members of the Board for on going harassment, bullying and threatening behavior.

She said, “We cant live like this where the Immigraiton Board or Chief Immigraiton Officer can summon us ad lib.

“Their tactics are escalating leading me to believe their desperation will lead to their forcibkly trying to wrestle away Ms Guamanb’s ID possibly injuring her or myself. ”

She said Ms. Gumanab lives in fear of being forcibly taken from the territory against her will.

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