It sounds to me like the embassy is just doing their job:
As it stands now, John David Ruiz isn’t a citizen of any country.
John is the newborn son of Camp Casey transition center employee Juanito Ruiz, a former soldier whose application for his son’s passport and record-of-birth abroad was denied because of what the U.S. Embassy in Seoul considers questionable circumstances.
Ruiz said his four previous marriages and his foreign wife’s unexpected pregnancy shouldn’t count against the infant.
“I married badly, so what? Why are we using this against my son?” Ruiz asked. “I have no doubt whatsoever that the child is mine.” [Erik Slavin - Stars & Stripes]
Basically this guy has to get a DNA test to prove the child is his in order to get the proper paperwork for his child. The test costs $1,640 bucks. If the guy is adamant about getting his child US citizenship he should just pay to get the DNA test done.
More over at Marmot’s Hole.
9:53 pm on October 10th, 2007 1
If only his wife had come to the U.S. illegally to have the baby, it wouldn’t be an issue.
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12:21 pm on May 11th, 2009 2
I personally know JR, and met his wife and son for the first time in my office at Camp Humphreys about 7-8 months ago. I also assisted him in battling thru this colossal mountain of red tape and BS…nobody should have to contend with such a sociopolitical unraveling of common sense; so I took it upon myself to “do the right thing” at his request. And I’d do it again, given the opportunity – because right-is-right and wrong is, well, you guessed it: WRONG!!! I recall growing up and reading about such notions as a “man without a country” but that’s a different spin on another sort of military servitude. For a child to be denied the chance to obtain citizenship – particularly with his father being a US citizen himself – that’s wrong…and that’s why I fought side-by-side with JR to correct this situation. That’s my take on it, and an-neong-hee-kae-sae-yo!!!
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2:07 pm on May 11th, 2009 3
If the child is nationless, it is because the parents have chosen not to have the child registered as a citizen of the Philippines, which confers citizenship through either parent. Proving motherhood requires no DNA test.
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6:06 pm on May 11th, 2009 4
Along with the requirement for one of the parents to be a US Citizen, he also has to show he (the father) has lived in the US for I believe 5 years. I hope the four previous marriages were not just an attempt to get green cards for 4 women. This has occured in the past here in Korea.
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6:57 pm on May 11th, 2009 5
Perhaps it wouldn’t be a bad idea to get the DNA test, just for GP. JR admits he married badly, perhaps it was worse than he suspects…
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10:35 pm on May 11th, 2009 6
Comments duly noted, even if they do stray a bit from the gist of the matter; however, I think the subsequent respondents are missing the point: a child was born, as the offspring of someone who is acknowledged as a bona fide US citizen, and the extended arm of the US State Dept seemingly didn’t do “the right thing.” Don’t add any more to the scenario, other than the fact the AMEMB was less than cooperative in sorting thru the issue and making a determination from ALL the documentation and correspondence that the child should be deemed a US citizen also, by virtue of being JR’s progeny. As mentioned in my previous comment I’ve seen the boy and he’s undeniably his “father’s son” so no DNA test is necessary – but that’s not the real issue at-hand here. The audit trail of evidentiary paperwork says he’s legit, and even though it took a lot of unneeded grimacing and gnashing of teeth finally the right thing happened…the child was given his birthright as an American citizen, and it is a big deal, I believe. Some things I think are both undeniable and common sense, so there’s no need to belabor the point. One unseen aspect of all this is the treatment received by this family from the AMEMB in Seoul, who believed it was acceptable to add another (expensive) stumbling block just to make this process even more difficult for the applicant(s) – I’m sure if it were your child in this case you would have felt the same angst and tension, as well. Imagine what it means not to have a passport, to be able to travel to either of the parents’ homelands…this was a real debacle which unfortunately dealt with the cold hard fact that the machine broke down, likely due to an individual perception of “what right looks like.” To be absolutely sure, I’m familiar with the facts – you’re merely offering up conjecture and opinion.
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10:43 pm on May 11th, 2009 7
Oh, BTW (in case I failed to mention) – the boy, John David Ruiz, was given US citizen just a short while after this blog appeared first in the fall of 2007. It just goes to show that common sense and identification of a problem area go a long way toward ultimate problem resolution.
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9:46 am on May 12th, 2009 8
Wow! 18 months later this is still news! I am John’s father. What Mr. Satterfield states above is all fact. My wife and I know that we can never repay him for all of his assistance. Approx 4 months after our paperwork was rejected, my son received his citizenship documents. It was an uphill battle but the end result was worth all the effort. I see some remarks above stating I should have taken the DNA test for $1600. Stats & Stripes researched this, and found a few other hospitals that could do the same tests for about $300. Another individual above stated that the mother wouldn’t have to prove that the child was hers. We presented the birth certificate, and the AMEMB rep told us that didn’t even prove my wife was his mother. Interesting comments, but now you see what we were up against at the AMEMB? There is too much to write here, that would really open your eyes. All I can say, is it is frightening how much power our country has, and what a shame it is, that they are wasting it directing their suspicions towards honest Americans. I pray none of you ever find yourselves in my situation……….JR
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May 12th, 2009 at 8:32 pm
I’m sure everyone here is happy that this finally worked out for you.
“…frightening how much power our country has, and what a shame it is, that they are wasting it directing their suspicions towards honest Americans.”
No doubt. So, many here should be able to understand the problems contractors have faced (and still are) with good ole CCK. Somewhat similar situations with bureaucracy run amok.
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May 13th, 2009 at 4:52 am
Most of the contractor/SOFA/visa issues that I’ve heard of have been, to one degree or another, the result of the individual contractor being careless in their initial hiring and visa-acquiring actions. Sure, it doesn’t seem like CCK was enforcing standards properly, but many of the contractors were obviously taking advantage of CCK’s shortcomings with little regard for either the possible outcome or the law.
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5:20 am on May 13th, 2009 9
This post seems like one big advertisement for – you guessed it – DAVE SATTERFIELD! Hopefully soon we can here from others about his great work.
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6:47 am on May 13th, 2009 10
Two of my favorite negative words are “sarcasm” and “cynicism” and they’re much more difficult to spell than the word “hear” – the word for being able to denote auditory sounds, not for the opposite of “there” – I don’t know who you are, “Hero” but it appears you have a problem not with the issue, but with me.
Identify yourself, and let’s see where it goes from there – I’ll gladly match my accolades vs. yours, but that’s not really what it’s all about, is it? My efforts were in the truest sense intended to help a friend so surely it’s not the matter-at-hand – it must be a personal vendetta against me that you carry with you, huh?
Yeah, I regenerated this blog trail because I found an online article that troubled me – much more than you do, to be honest – and I wanted to provide my perspective. Last time I checked, both Freedom of Speech and Freedom of the Press are alive-and-well, as far as we Americans are concerned, albeit slander and libel should be expressly omitted from these given freedoms, don’t you think?
Get on with life (they say it’s too short to be miserable) – and don’t be the little pinprick that tries to burst my bubble…I’ve probably done more notable things in the past decade than you’ve done in your entire lifetime, pal.
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9:40 am on May 13th, 2009 11
The real story (as usual) is missed…
…where does the $1600 go on a $300 DNA test.
If USFK, AAFES, etc. was involved, we would know where it goes… but I don’t rightly know about the embassy.
I would LIKE to think they are on the level… but… this sounds kinda shady.
Just for fun, I wonder what kind of price they would quote if Mr.Kim-Off-the-Street asked for a DNA test. Would it still be the Embassy-Just-Referred-Me-Price? Or something closer to the industry standard?
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May 13th, 2009 at 3:06 pm
Pretty strange isn’t it Chickenhead? We couldn’t understand it either. AMEMB personnel explained that they had made arrangements with only 2 clinics to conduct the DNA tests therefore these were the only 2 clinics they would accept the results from. ………………JR
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7:41 pm on May 13th, 2009 12
This is why I HATE the U.S. Embassy employees as a group. The feel just fine living on our base, using our PX and our commissary, while spitting on us when we need support. You have a whole group of people that are not accountable for any actions they do, or do not do.
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7:42 pm on May 13th, 2009 13
When they officially charge $90 with their notarization monopoly, one COULD assume they just like everyday high prices.
On the other hand, whenever Koreans get involved, arrangements are never as they should be… and, at least around USFK, there is this institutional blindness even when it has a serious negative affect.
If you would like some degree of satisfaction (or even revenge, depending on the outcome) have a Korean contact the two labs and inquire about a DNA test. A hour later, call up in your best Texas accent and tell ‘em the embassy sent you. Compare prices. Make a stink if necessary.
In defense of the embassy, I have always had fast and efficient (though not so friendly) service from them… although I’m skeptical about the number of Korean employees in key jobs… contrasted, for example, with the number of American employees at the Korean embassy in DC.
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7:48 am on May 14th, 2009 14
It’s probably a far cry from a truly democratic process but the term Politburo probably is a close fit to how these things operate, methinks. Decisions are made based on the needs of the bureaucracy, not necessarily the people; hence it is a true form of communism. As such, when the needs of the common man are overlooked or simply neglected, it generally goes badly for the whole of society. Anytime anyone is given the chance to make decisions or exploit what they believe is proper decorum or protocol, as opposed to following written policy or regulatory guidance, then we all suffer. Capitalizing on someone else’s misery has always been the final and anticipated outcome of such a political situation, and allows for the introduction of such wonderful things as extortion, graft, payola, treason, sedition, and even terrorism, so sole-sourcing a simple paternity or DNA test to limit the options of the donor is an easy matter to conveniently justify and turns out to be financially rewarding, as well. As far as an inordinate number of local nationals working at the AMEMB, it only makes sense, doesn’t it? They have a full working knowledge of both Korean immigration laws and the English language so they can achieve results in an expedient, amicable fashion, agreed? Well, I have to tell you – I had such a problem getting additional pages added to my passport at the AMEMB some time ago it was totally unconscionable…after wasting the whole day in Seoul, I went back in the afternoon only to be told I couldn’t have pages added because of a civil matter in the US that had to be remedied first. I asked them why I couldn’t have been told this four hours ago and their answer was, “We had to run the information thru our database.” Wow – that had to have taken all of 3-5 minutes, at the most. I was livid because I had a notarized memo attesting to the fact that this matter had been rectified…but, “No, Sir – our database shows that…” Before I lost my temper and said something I’d likely regret later, I collected my thoughts and my paperwork and marched right on out the door. But do rest assured that once I got outside the gate I called back and gave that processing agent a piece of my mind. A US citizen shouldn’t be treated like that on their own sovereign soil (as an embassy in any country is) but I knew I was right and that they were ridiculously stupid so got back on my bus and went home. Trouble is, I had to wait until returning to terra firma last year to add these additional pages, but I have them now, and they were inserted without so much as a flinch. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it, Comrades!!!
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11:39 am on May 14th, 2009 15
Here is a story in the same vein… something to make every thinking person think for a moment… if there are any thinking people out there.
The “civil matter” brought this to mind… and it certainly fits with the topic of bureaucracy-run-amok.
I knew a guy in the States. He was driving along a few miles per hour over the speed limit. Of course, this required a jacking by the cops… speeders are profitable, generally respect ah-thor-i-tee and don’t shoot back too often.
(For the record, I like cops. I have never had a problem with cops. But, as I am an odd guy who does unusual things, I have been jacked by them uncountable times… the results have never been unfavorable… but boy do I have some great stories).
Anyway, this guy gets pulled over and they run his ID. Bing. He was wanted in Florida for hot checks. They arrest him and, of course, tow his car (as the towing companies have a rather unethical relationship with law enforcement).
I could add that he denied everything the whole time… but what does that matter… jails are full of innocent people.
To make a long story short, it was very provable that he was not in Florida when any of these checks were written. It was provable that he was white and the check-writer was black. It was pretty obvious that his identity had been stolen since institutions place “the safeguarding of our customers’ data as our number one priority” but individuals within that institution do whatever they want… (ask me how USFK spread my personal information far and wide on at least two occasions that I know of).
So… everybody from his expensive lawyer to the judge was understanding and sympathetic… but that didn’t pay for the lawyer, bail, the towing charges, a lot of missed work or the hit on his credit report.
And, in the end, while every individual in power knew he had done no wrong… and even told him this… he had to sit through (and pay at) every step of the twisted, non-productive and slightly corrupt bureaucracy that America has become.
This was a great way for America to turn an apple-pie-eating flag-waving working stiff into a guy who would now cheer for terrorists if they would choose correct targets… and there are more and more people thinking like this as the political system coddles the freaks and hassles the normal guys (see comment about how citizenship would be easily granted if the mother had simply gone to America illegally).
While I am not terribly empathetic with JR’s social situation, I am very sympathetic with his dealings with an arbitrary and faceless bureaucracy…
…which is perpetuated by society’s quiet tolerance.
PS, Dave… your thinking generally makes sense… but some might suggest that you had a few drinks or smoked a big one before you hacked out that large meandering paragraph. Just sayin’.
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6:34 pm on May 14th, 2009 16
One thought process = one long paragraph, coz when I get an idea in my head I just start typing and where it ends, it ends. Not so sure about “meandering” though – my subject matter didn’t deviate from the political theme of the self-righteous US Embassy in Seoul, if you take a moment to reread the text…and let ‘em suggest whatever they want, but it’s highly unlikely, given I was home today and wrote this at about 8:00 o’clock in the morning. Happy trails!!!
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