There is no guarantee that immigrants who are in the process of readjusting their immigration status and are forced to travel to their native countries for family emergencies will be allowed to return to the United States, even if they follow USCIS’s advance parole procedures. If an immigrant’s legal status is undetermined, he will be questioned upon arrival at any U.S. airport. If the immigrant cannot prove his legal status, he will be immediately arrested, detained, and sent back to his native country.

Though some immigrants have successfully applied for status adjustment with the help of the Catholic Social Service and League of United Latin American Citizens (CSS/ LULAC), their applications can still be rejected if they travel to their native countries and are vulnerable to being arrested.

According to immigration authorities, in the past five years, at least 20,000 immigrants who traveled to their native countries on advanced parole with pending legal status, were either deported at the airport or taken to detention centers. During the last two to three years, at least several dozens of Bangladeshis have been deported due to this situation.

On April 11, the district director of Immigration and Naturalization Services (INS), Andrea J Quarantillo, said in a press conference that there is no guarantee for immigrants to return to the United States if they travel on advance parole. Whoever wants to do this will have to take a risk. Although 90 percent of immigrants are able to return from their travels, 10 percent of immigrants unfortunately lose sight of their American dream.

“If there’s any doubt about the legal status of a person who has traveled to their native country on advance parole, he will be held and questioned,” said Quarantillo. “He may not be permitted for re-entry even if he answers the questions.

“It is not completely true that Muslims are the primary targets of this system,” said Quarantillo. “In fact, a senior officer of the Homeland Security Department is also subject to security check because of his name. People whose names are synonymous with the name of listed terrorists or dangerous criminals are also subject to thorough interviews and security checks.”