First off, let me thank Festina, Kerstein, and Robin for their comments.
Second, let me backtrack a little by retelling the story of Cousin #6. As you may recall, he came to America when he was a toddler. When he turned eighteen and joined the Army, he assumed his application for citizenship would be fast-tracked. However, even after filling out all the paperwork and following every rule, years later he found himself on the phone talking to an INS official who insisted that he come to the office for an interview.
“But I’m on active duty,” my cousin said. “In Bagdad.”
“That’s not an excuse,” the INS official said.
Yes, Cousin #6 had entered the immigration maze.
