Citizen’s Children Wrapped in INS Red Tape

Charles Nassif and his wife, Beverly, left their Costa Mesa home well before sunrise Thursday to drive to a federal government building in Los Angeles. They were determined to be first in line.

From 5 a.m. on, the Nassifs stood waiting for the Immigration and Naturalization Service’s offices to open, as did many behind them.

“I’m probably the only guy there [in line] with an American passport,” a frustrated Charles Nassif would say later.

He understood that thousands of families had serious immigration issues. His, though, was rather urgent.

On Jan. 15, his wife flew to England because her father was gravely ill. She took the children, ages 8 and 10, so they could say goodbye to their grandfather, who died four days later.

They stayed for the funeral Jan. 27, then prepared to return home the next day.

Beverly Nassif was permitted to leave. The kids were not.

He doesn’t recall his exact words, but Charles Nassif says when the INS opened for business at 7 a.m., he said something along the lines of: “Here’s my American passport. Here’s my birth certificate. May I please have my children back now?”

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What a pain it must be sometimes, enforcing the rules. Oh, the hard-luck stories immigration officials must hear every day.

If it isn’t a little Cuban boy, caught in an ideological tug of war, then it’s someone fighting unjust deportation, such as the two young men for whom a California senator requested permanent U.S. residency just last week.

Many INS authorities must wish they could snip through red tape whenever they feel like it, make everybody happy. They can’t.

Occasionally, though, it is wonderful when a little common sense prevails. The law is the law, sure, but there is also the spirit of the law to consider. Separating children 8 and 10 from their parents, home and school isn’t exactly guarding America’s borders.

“What are they going to do?” Charles Nassif, 52, said after appealing to the INS. “Rob a bank?”

Neighbors and friends of the Nassifs had gathered at their house Wednesday to offer support. They included teachers from Davis Middle School and College Park Elementary, where Reece, 10, and Hayley, 8, are enrolled, and representatives from the PTA, to which Beverly Nassif belongs.

The family has lived in Costa Mesa for five years. Lori Hammarlund, who has known the Nassifs since renting them an apartment when they moved here from England, calls them “my dearest friends.” She particularly praises the way Charles holds two jobs--one as a maintenance worker--to support the family.

Beverly Nassif is a British subject. She filed an application for permanent U.S. resident status more than a year ago, but the INS hasn’t processed it yet.

Charles Nassif was born in Massachusetts. His father was an American citizen, a World War II veteran and a Boston firefighter.

After his father’s death, Charles moved to England at age 13 to live with his mother. He remained there many years. His kids were born there.

“But you tell me,” he asks. “What nationality am I?

“I’m an American. I moved back because this is where we wanted to raise our kids.”

Beverly’s father’s cancer was diagnosed as terminal just before Christmas. He had little time left. Charles’ wife was unaware that the children’s travel rights could be restricted if they returned to England.

In Manchester, authorities denied the kids permission to return to the United States on their mother’s British passport. They had to stay with an aunt. “They’re devastated,” Charles said. “I can hardly speak to them on the phone because they break down.

“Reece asks me, ‘Am I illegal?’ I try to tell him, ‘You’re not illegal, son. You’re undocumented.’ ”

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Five days ago, Beverly Nassif went to the U.S. Embassy in London to explain her kids’ situation. She was told nothing could be done for six to nine months, when paperwork could be processed.

Beverly Nassif flew home Wednesday alone.

All looked lost. By early Thursday afternoon, Charles Nassif was frantic. “We’re thinking of packing up and moving back to England,” he said. “What choice do we have? I’m just bumping into walls here.”

Some stories have no happy endings. But some do.

About 5 p.m., 12 hours after standing in that line, Charles and Beverly Nassif were contacted by a representative of the INS. Special dispensation had been granted. Their kids will fly home today.

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Mike Downey’s column appears Sundays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Write to him at Times Mirror Square, Los Angeles 90053. E-mail: mike.downey@latimes.com