< back
INS REFUSES TO ALLOW CANADIAN TO COME TO US TO CARE FOR DYING RELATIVE
Every day the INS denies people entry into the US.  In many case there is nothing shocking about the denials.  Critics of the agency, however, claim that in at least one case, the actions of the INS seem almost calculated to deliberately inflict emotional pain.  One such case involves Teresa Lavender, a Canadian citizen who was on her was to the US to visit her aunt, who is dying of cancer.  
INS agents at the Edmonton (Alberta) International Airport denied Lavender entry, saying that she was an intending immigrant and would take a job away from a US worker.  Lavender was going to return to California, where her aunt lives, to continue caring for her.  She had only recently returned to Canada after spending a few months with her aunt.  This trip, which was intended to last only a few weeks, was extended as the aunt’s health went into serious decline.  Lavender’s uncle is legally blind and cannot care for his wife. 
According to the INS, even though Lavender was not being paid for caring for her dying aunt, she was receiving benefits in the form of food and lodging.  The INS agent handling her entry has taken a hard line toward this transaction, and told Lavender that as long as her aunt is alive, she will not be allowed to enter the US.  They also informed her that her entry for the funeral is by no means assured.