Billings Gazette: Letter to the editor: Jon Tester is the real deal

I had the opportunity recently to contact Sen. Jon Tester regarding an immigration issue with my two sons in the Philippines. Their mother had recently become a new U.S. citizen last October, after which time she applied for their visas through the U.S. Customs and Immigration Service. Within a few months we had received correspondence from the U.S. Embassy in Manila that the two boys were under processing and would be scheduled for visa medicals and interviews.

As the wheels turned a visa medical and interview were scheduled for one son and not the other. Frantic phone calls to the embassy by my wife were not getting anywhere in terms of scheduling an interview for son number two, whose visa application/information could not be found. On Monday, Feb. 20,  we contacted Jon Tester’s office by email, he responded the next day with a release to fill out and request for information which we provided that evening. On Friday, Feb. 24, my wife received an email from U.S. Embassy in Manila that our second son had a medical and visa interview scheduled.

We applaud Sen. Tester and his staff for their incredible work to help us.

Michael J. Taylor and Melanie J. Flores

Red Lodge