Family to be deported back...

[freakyfreaky]

to Armenia after 15 years in U.S.

http://www.azcentral.com/12news/news/articles/deportationfamily02192008-CR.html

[freakyfreaky]

Family deported, 13 year old daughter remains in U.S. http://www.azcentral.com/12news/news/articles/deportationfolo02192008-CR.html

[crusader1492]

I find their plight a bit exagerated. They can't afford a ticket? They will have to live on the streets?

If that is the case, it seems that their life in the USA was not that good either. They have nothing to show for their 15 years in the US?
Most likely they are exagerating for sympathy purposes...hoping the government will let them stay.

Anyway, they might be in for a pleasent surprise once they reach Armenia. It is not the same country that they left.

[freakyfreaky]

Yeah, except that they won't have their daughter. And, who knows why they left in the first place if they were seeking asylum.

That they would live from paycheck to paycheck in the U.S. is not that far-fetched. Seen a foreclosure sign lately?

But, if they were exploiting their daughter (i.e. can't afford the ticket) to garner sympathy or financial gain, then they are truly sad.

[Sip]

Very sad and scary indeed.

[crusader1492]

Yeah, except that they won't have their daughter. And, who knows why they left in the first place if they were seeking asylum.

That they would live from paycheck to paycheck in the U.S. is not that far-fetched. Seen a foreclosure sign lately?

But, if they were exploiting their daughter (i.e. can't afford the ticket) to garner sympathy or financial gain, then they are truly sad.


They may have been seeking "political asylum", but I would bet that was because it was the only means for them to gain citizenship. In other words, their claims were probably phoney...nothing against them, btw. This method of gaining US citizenship is commonplace from people all over the world...it just did not work out this time for this Armenian family.

Anyway, I hope they do well in Armenia...like I said, Armenia is not the same place that it was back when they left in 1993.

[freakyfreaky]

Crusader,

How old were you in 1993? And, have you ever been to Armenia between 1991 and the present and, if so, how many times, when, and, for how long on each occasion?

I am wondering how someone, who may have never been to Armenia, knows so much about how it has changed in less than a score.

[crusader1492]

I visited Armenia in 1995 after college for two weeks (I actually met and took a picture with LTP who was president at the time:laugh:). I revisited 10 years later and from 2005 - 2007, I have been back and forth stayng a cumalative time of about 9 months.

How about you? What is your experience with Hyestan?

[freakyfreaky]

Blood and marriage.

[freakyfreaky]

another family to be deported to Azerbaijan from UK, does not want to go to Armenia. http://www.thisisbristol.co.uk/displayNode.jsp?nodeId=145365&command=displayContent&sourceNode=145191&contentPK=20546867&folderPk=83726&pNodeId=144922

[crusader1492]

another family to be deported to Azerbaijan from UK, does not want to go to Armenia. http://www.thisisbristol.co.uk/displayNode.jsp?nodeId=145365&command=displayContent&sourceNode=145191&contentPK=20546867&folderPk=83726&pNodeId=144922

I can understand why she does not want to go to Azerbaijan, but the reason she states for not wanting to go to Armenia is curious:

"Ms Vardanyan, 32, is terrified that if she is sent to Azerbaijan she will be killed because of tensions between there and Armenia.

And she is worried they would be persecuted in Armenia because of her family's links with Turkey, two countries locked in conflict."

...what exactly are her "links" with Turkey? The Article does not explain.

I get the distinct feeling that she is just another self hating-Armenian that needs to assimilate as fast as possible into British culture.

Spare up..please!

[crusader1492]

another family to be deported to Azerbaijan from UK, does not want to go to Armenia. http://www.thisisbristol.co.uk/displayNode.jsp?nodeId=145365&command=displayContent&sourceNode=145191&contentPK=20546867&folderPk=83726&pNodeId=144922

I can understand why she does not want to go to Azerbaijan, but the reason she states for not wanting to go to Armenia is curious:

"Ms Vardanyan, 32, is terrified that if she is sent to Azerbaijan she will be killed because of tensions between there and Armenia.

And she is worried they would be persecuted in Armenia because of her family's links with Turkey, two countries locked in conflict."

...what exactly are her "links" with Turkey? The Article does not explain.

I get the distinct feeling that she is just another self hating-Armenian (probably traitorious one too) that needs to assimilate as fast as possible into British culture.

Ms Vardanyan said: "I will kill myself if I have to go back to Armenia or to Azerbaijan."
Spare us...please!

[Armanen]

It's probably the "beautysavesworld" b**** from youtube. :D

[crusader1492]

It's probably the "beautysavesworld" b**** from youtube. :D

That's why we should all help her stay in Britian. Armenia does not need another judas.

[freakyfreaky]

Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals tells Board of Immigration Appeals to reconsider Armenian individual's asylum application because asylum not based on retaliation by fellow Armenians because her "mother was a cook" but because her mother was a "turk". http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/05/14/BAI210LPON.DTL

http://vlex.com/vid/31924954 (Ninth Circuit opinion)

http://immdaily.com/pdfs/Grigoryan%20II%209%202-5-08.pdf (same)

[crusader1492]

Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals tells Board of Immigration Appeals to reconsider Armenian individual's asylum application because asylum not based on retaliation by fellow Armenians because her "mother was a cook" but because her mother was a "turk". http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/05/14/BAI210LPON.DTL

http://vlex.com/vid/31924954 (Ninth Circuit opinion)

http://immdaily.com/pdfs/Grigoryan%20II%209%202-5-08.pdf (same)

So her father married a Turk...I see being a judas runs in her family. I'm glad she is staying.

[Anonymouse]

An interesting case. Not a surprising decision by the Ninth Circuit. It's one of the most liberal circuits in the country.

[TomServo]

And she is worried they would be persecuted in Armenia because of her family's links with Turkey, two countries locked in conflict."

...what exactly are her "links" with Turkey? The Article does not explain.
Azerbaijan I can understand, but she's obviously lying about her connection to Turkey.

[crusader1492]

Azerbaijan I can understand, but she's obviously lying about her connection to Turkey.

You're probably right. This shameless woman would do and say anything (including feining suicide and and labeling her kids half-Turkish) in order to stay in the US.

[Armanen]

You're probably right. This shameless woman would do and say anything (including feining suicide and and labeling her kids half-Turkish) in order to stay in the US.


Keep the xxxxx here, otherwise she will end up getting killed somehow with her "turkish" mentality in Armenia.

[freakyfreaky]

High school valedictorian, mother, father, younger brother to be deported back to RA; appeals have run out. http://www.fresnobee.com/263/story/637728.html

[Federate]

High school valedictorian, mother, father, younger brother to be deported back to RA; appeals have run out. http://www.fresnobee.com/263/story/637728.html
From the article: Arthur hasn't seen Armenia since he was 2, and he doesn't want to return. The thin, rather shy teenager doesn't speak Armenian and barely understands the language when it's spoken to him.

Wow, a very good job by the parents to preserve the kid's Armenianness. Barely understanding the language. At least he'll learn to be an Armenian when he gets deported.

[freakyfreaky]

If you haven't noticed the "Valedictorian being deported" story has gone national.
http://www.cnn.com/video/#/us (1 min 18 sec. segment on CNN Morning News today - scroll down in the dialog box to the right or use the thumbprints below the videoscreen to located story)
http://blogs.usatoday.com/ondeadline/2008/06/after-graduatio.html?csp=34
http://www.fresnobee.com/263/story/641556.html (lawmaker, Armenian activists lend support)

Support flows for Bullard High studentLawmaker, Armenian group, peers respond to plight of valedictorian.By Vanessa Colón / The Fresno Bee06/02/08 22:31:51
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Arthur Mkoyan, the Bullard High School valedictorian who may be deported before he can fulfill his college dreams, got a boost Monday in his efforts to remain in this country.

Mkoyan, whose story was featured in Monday's Bee, drew immediate support from a local Armenian advocacy group and fellow Bullard High students -- and a promise from Rep. George Radanovich to take a second look at his request for help.

On Monday, Arthur said, he was showered with questions and offers of help from students and teachers at school, who hadn't known of his plight. His home phone has been ringing off the hook as friends and supporters called. Television news reporters were trying to get an interview most of the day, Arthur said.

The shy 17-year-old with a 4.0 grade-point average said he is overwhelmed by the sudden attention.

"It makes me feel good people care," he said.

Arthur will graduate from Bullard High June 10 as a valedictorian. He'd like to stay in the United States and attend the University of California at Davis, where he has been accepted for the fall.

But the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement ordered Arthur and his mother to leave the U.S. by late June and return to Armenia, a country Arthur hasn't seen since he was 2.

Arthur's family fled from the old Soviet Union and has been seeking asylum since 1992. Ruben Mkoian, Arthur's father, applied for asylum but was rejected. Mkoian, who spells his name differently from his son, appealed to the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco. He lost his appeal. Mkoian is currently at a detention center in Arizona.

On Monday, as news of the family's plight spread, Arthur's family was contacted by the Armenian National Committee of Central California. Hilda Santikian, the committee's chair, said her group is exploring how it can help the family.

Meanwhile, Arthur's mother, who has declined to give her name for fear of losing her job, was invited on Ray Appleton's afternoon radio show on KMJ 580 and discussed the family's situation. She said the family had sought help from Radanovich, R-Mariposa, but his office wasn't able to do anything for them.

Radanovich's office acknowledged Monday that the family first sent a letter to the congressman on April 18. A few days later, a staff member told the family that its only option was a private bill to grant legal status to individuals, but that Radanovich doesn't introduce private bills.

"He doesn't feel he should be able to pick winners or losers and who should on an individual basis stay or leave," said Spencer Pederson, Radanovich's press secretary.

Arthur's mother then turned to Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein, who has introduced private bills in the past. Feinstein is now looking at Arthur's case. Private bills are rarely introduced and often don't pass, but if a bill is introduced, deportation is halted.

Radanovich called Arthur's mother soon after her KMJ radio appearance. His staff now plans to meet with Arthur and his mom Thursday.

"We are taking a more extensive view" of the case, Radanovich said in a phone interview.

"This is a second look. ... We would be reviewing the case to see if there's anything we can do."

Arthur is surprised by all the attention. But he is trying not to let it distract him -- he has one more final exam and an essay still to write.
The reporter can be reached at vcolon@fresnobee.com or(559) 441-6313.

[robertik1]

I went to Hoover High for a brief period.

[freakyfreaky]

Valedictorian story circulated in international newsfeed.
http://www.upi.com/NewsTrack/Top_News/2008/06/04/publicity_helps_student_seeking_asylum/7672/

[Կարմիր Բ]

I get the distinct feeling that she is just another self hating-Armenian blah blah

You feel too much. Perhaps you should also try thinking. You know, cognitive function etc

[Կարմիր Բ]

From the article: Arthur hasn't seen Armenia since he was 2, and he doesn't want to return. The thin, rather shy teenager doesn't speak Armenian and barely understands the language when it's spoken to him.

Wow, a very good job by the parents to preserve the kid's Armenianness. Barely understanding the language. At least he'll learn to be an Armenian when he gets deported.

They should be deported to Armenia immediately.

[TomServo]

Isn't it peculiar how Armenians in the Middle East and even Turkey are able to preserve their language and heritage, yet a first generation immigrant like Arthur and his parents begin to lose it within a decade of living in the United States...?

[freakyfreaky]

UPI report on "valedictorian" to be deported picked up by Moldovian newssource. http://politicom.moldova.org/stiri/eng/124573/

Story runs in North Carolina. http://www.digtriad.com/news/national_world/article.aspx?storyid=104686&catid=175

[Կարմիր Բ]

Isn't it peculiar how Armenians in the Middle East and even Turkey are able to preserve their language and heritage, yet a first generation immigrant like Arthur and his parents begin to lose it within a decade of living in the United States...?

It is related to the way of life. If you are living in an agricultural or closed society it is easier to preserve it. It also depends on whether there is a school or if there is an organized Armenian community in the area that you have moved to. If there isn't a community then the family must adapt itself to the prevailing culture in order to survive meaning that they will no longer speak armenian inside the family which is the most decisive factor to lose your mother tongue.

[Armanen]

These people have no excuse to not teach their kids Armenian, makes me sick, especially since they are in california and from Armenia.

[freakyfreaky]

Valedictorian deportation story updated, Sen. Feinstein hints at potential 'private' bill just for the family. http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/06/05/armenian.valedictorian/index.html?section=cnn_latest

[yerazhishda]

The "fact" that Mkoyan doesn't know how to speak Armenian is probably being overstated to garner sympathy from congress and the courts. They're probably saying something like "how are you going to put him in a country where he doesn't even speak the language?"

[Armanen]

The "fact" that Mkoyan doesn't know how to speak Armenian is probably being overstated to garner sympathy from congress and the courts. They're probably saying something like "how are you going to put him in a country where he doesn't even speak the language?"


So it's similar to that who*e from the u.k. who claimed she was part turdish and would be discriminated in Armenia? Either way it's a shame and I'd rather not have people associate their kind with Armenia or Armenians!

[freakyfreaky]

Valedictorian seeking letters from community, state and nation to Senator Diane Feinstein supporting his family's cause to stay in US; Armenian attorney in San Francisco to help family for free; Congressional private bill help family while possible, probably not likely to pass. http://www.fresnobee.com/263/story/652987.html

http://reason.com/blog/show/126901.html (blogger inquires about the irony in deporting a 4.0 student with no criminal record while sparing a convicted felon)