Human Flower Project
Compelling: Flowers Bear a Protest to the Immigration Office
After a recent cut-off of U.S. work permits, immigrants pile on flowers faster than the federal immigration office can deflect them.
Flowers sent in protest to U.S. Immigration Services
head off to Walter Reed Army Medical Center—oops!
Photo: Xiyun Yang, for The Washington Post
Every hostess knows: when fresh flowers arrive, you take off your oven mitts, put down your wine, dropping everything to get those beauties into a clean vase of water.
An immigrant rights group representing highly skilled workers is counting on that reflex this week, as it asks supporters to send white flowers to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) office in Washington. “The spontaneous flower protest began to take off Tuesday from information posted on a Web site based in New Jersey — www.immigrationvoice.org,” one Jersey paper reported. Actually, there was nothing “spontaneous” about it (though the delivery of fresh flowers, marvelously, has a way of seeming that way). Immigration Voice masterminded its floral demonstration after a plan to permit employer-sponsored green cards fell through July 2. The measure would have smoothed the way for high-tech workers to gain legal work status in the U.S. but the USCIS reversed itself and announced that no such applications would be taken.
USCIS Director Emilio Gonzales greets a new citizen
Sept. 2006 at an Ellis Island ceremony
Photo: USCIS
The group asked that supporters send white flowers to USCIS Director Emilio Gonzalez over three days, July 10, 11, and 12th (there’s still time!), giving clear instructions both for ordering flowers and contacting national media. Immigration Voice, unfortunately, recommended using wire services; may we suggest that you contact a real florist in the D.C area instead—here are just a few.
The floral protest may very likely have been inspired by Lage Raho Munnabhai, an Indian movie. In the film, “character Munna Bhai wins over the tough Dr. Asthana by means of chain deliveries of flower bouquets,” applying to personal conflict Mohandas Gandhi’s non-violent opposition to British rule.
“Soumendra Samal, a resident of Monroe (New Jersey) who moved to the United States in 1999, sent flowers Tuesday to the USCIS. ‘I am silently trying to protest against what’s wrong,’ he said.”
We’ve read that by noon yesterday, 200 arrangements had already arrived at the immigration services office. Director Emilio Gonzalez issued the following statement: “I understand that individuals are planning to send flowers to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) beginning on Tuesday, July 10. USCIS has made arrangements to forward those flowers to our injured service members recuperating at Walter Reed Army Medical Center and at Bethesda Naval Hospital.”
Cut flowers aren’t like angry emails. Since they’re alive (or recently were), you can’t just ignore or delete them. But Gonzalez’s re-routing the blooms to Walter Reed, however noble it first appears, is an ill-considered deflection. White flowers in much of the world (including the corner of it where we grew up) are for funerals, just what one does NOT send to someone in the hospital.
The other Statue of Liberty
Aiki Beach, Seattle, WA
Photo: 360digest
Congratulations to Immigration Voice on this fine demonstration. It appears to have succeeded at least in drawing attention to the issue via some major newspapers and news wires. But in the remaining 24 hours of your protest, please direct your floral “voices” to unwire, and speak to the immigration services office through the many real florists in D.C.
USCIS
20 Massachusetts Avenue NW
Washington D.C. 20529
Phone number: 202-272-1330
And here’s the message Immigration Voice recommends:
“Kindly do not return our I-485 petitions in July and honor the original DOS visa bulletin
[ first-name last-name ] – An employment based immigrant.”
And we at Human Flower Project suggest adding: “By the way, don’t route these flowers to Walter Reed. White flowers like these are associated with mourning and are inappropriate for people convalescing.”