Eliel Rosa has worked for the past eight years to become a U.S. citizen. An asylee from Brazil, he hit another roadblock recently when his request for a green card was denied.
The reason: A spur-of-the-moment choice and a criminal record that followed.
On Jan. 6, 2021, Rosa took part in the storming of the Capitol Building after the so-called Stop the Steal rally. Photos and videos show him and fellow, now-former, Midlander Jenny Cudd in the Capitol rotunda after the mob of “patriots” had entered by force.
In all, Rosa was in the Capitol Building for 19 minutes, which in the years since have hampered his dream of citizenship.
“A few weeks ago, I was denied my green card. My wife has been denied access to her medical records. I can’t leave the country. My grandbabies in Brazil were denied visas from the American consulate, so they can’t come visit me,” Rosa told the Reporter-Telegram on Tuesday. “It’s been a nightmare.”
On Monday, Donald Trump was sworn in as the nation’s 47th president, and just a few hours back into ...
