U.S. denies mother visa to see dying daughter
SAN JOSE >> After 33-year-old Trinh Phan was diagnosed with terminal lung cancer, she shared her final wish with family members: to see her mother again.
But her mother, Nguyen Thi Hoa, lives in Vietnam — and the U.S. Embassy & Consulate there last month rejected her request for a temporary travel visa. Embassy officials, family members say, feared Hoa would stay in the U.S. for good.
Phan — who immigrated to the U.S. from Vietnam in 2003 and lives in San Jose — last saw her mother in 2012. Aside from her husband and son, she has only one other family member in the U.S. — a cousin in Dallas. As her condition rapidly deteriorates, loved ones are trying des-
perately to reunite mother and daughter, calling on local politicians and community members to lend their voices.
“We don’t have any time left at this moment,” said Kandice Nguyen, Phan’s sister-in-law, who is acting as a family spokesperson. “Every minute that goes by, you see a drastic change in her condition. We’re not going to lose hope, but we don’t know if we’re going to have this last wish fulfilled and we’re very concerned about that.”
Revisit case?
Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren’s office is working with the consulate and the U.S. State Department to see if officials can revisit Hoa’s case. The family this month started a petition calling on the consulate and President Donald Trump to issue Hoa a visa.
“They claimed that Trinh’s mother was unable to convince the consulate that her only desire to enter the United States was to visit her dying daughter,” said the petition by Katherine Le, Nguyen’s daughter, which had collected more than 15,000 signatures as of Monday afternoon. “In actuality, this is truly the ONLY reason why her mother urgently needs a temporary visa to visit the United States.”
In an Aug. 17 letter to Lofgren, the family detailed the severity of Phan’s condition and her mother’s failed request for a visa. Lofgren last week responded with her own letter to President Trump, in which she requested a visitor visa or humanitarian parole for Hoa.
“I feel compelled to do what I can to bring this case to the attention of the U.S. State Department and the U.S. Embassy in Vietnam and urge them to reconsider because Mrs. Phan deserves to be reunited with her mother during her final days,” Lofgren said in a statement Monday. “I am hopeful that, along with my efforts, the outpouring of compassion and support from Mrs. Phan’s neighbors, friends, and community will help bring a favorable and timely resolution to this matter.”
Through coordinated efforts by Lofgren’s office and the State Department — and after submitting a second visa application late last week — Hoa has been granted an expedited visa interview, Nguyen said. On Thursday, the 57-year-old will have an opportunity to further explain to the consulate her daughter’s medical condition and exactly why she wants to travel to the U.S. The State Department declined to comment on the manner, citing federal privacy laws. The U.S. consulate in Vietnam, located in Ho Chi Minh City, did not reply to requests for comment.
Phan — who’s married to Young Nguyen and has an 8-year-old son, David — became a “proud” U.S. citizen in 2010, according to family. She was diagnosed with Metastatic Stage 4 lung cancer and Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome in July, a rapidly progressive disease seen in critically ill patients, according to the American Lung Association. The main complication resulting from this condition is fluid leaking into the lungs, making breathing “difficult or impossible,” according to the lung association.
Dependent on oxygen
Phan, a nonsmoker, is in the ICU at O’Connor Hospital in San Jose, where she has lost about 25 pounds and is fully dependent on oxygen, Nguyen said. She’s been given no more than a few months to live.
“Her lungs have completely collapsed,” said Nguyen. “It’s quite a dire and daunting situation for our family.”
Meanwhile, Nguyen said the family is filled with gratitude at the outpouring of support that they’ve received from community members.
“Our objective in the end is to reunite Trinh with her mother,” said Nguyen. “We will go to all ends to ensure those conditions are met.”