Cheserek and Citizenship

[bruce3404]

This article will appear in tomorrow's Register Guard:

http://registerguard.com/rg/sports/35758719-81/healthy-edward-cheserek-seeks-u.s.-citizenship-a-shoe-contract-and-his-next-race.csp

I think it's appalling that apparently no work had been done (or followed up upon) in an attempt to get his US citizenship earlier. While it wouldn't have been the responsibility of the his coaches to get him citizenship, at least someone in his support group could have pointed him in the right direction. I spoke with Ches about citizenship last year in Birmingham and he just said that "it was coming along". Apparently, it wasn't. If the article is accurate, he won't be able to compete in an OG until 2024 or a WC until 2023. In 2024, he'll be 30. That's gonna hurt him contract-wise. If I were him, I'd join the Army. As he says, "My main focus is to set myself up for the future.”
The quickest path is this:
Section 328 of the INA applies to all members of the U.S. armed forces and those already discharged from service. An individual may qualify for naturalization if he or she has:

Served honorably in the U.S. armed forces for at least one year,
Obtained lawful permanent resident status, and
Meets the other general requirements for naturalization

I went onto the Army website and Ches would meet the standards; the website is vague about what sort of commitment is required.

[Black September]

Ultimately, it is his responsibility and he should have been on top of gaining citizenship. Having been through it, I have no sympathy for his situation.

[26mi235]

Apparently the Army (armed forces) are in the process of tightening the links to citizenship (why am I not surprised).

[gh]

Apparently the Army (armed forces) are in the process of tightening the links to citizenship (why am I not surprised).

yes, we posted this to the front page on July 4

http://www.npr.org/2017/07/03/535342867/pentagon-considers-canceling-program-that-recruits-immigrant-soldiers

[bruce3404]

Ultimately, it is his responsibility and he should have been on top of gaining citizenship. Having been through it, I have no sympathy for his situation.

To some degree I agree with you, but let's remember that he was a college kid with a heavy workload both academically and on the track and, for all we know, he may have thought that his prep school sponsors were still pursuing his citizenship (and yes, he could have asked them). I just find the whole thing incredibly unfortunate and can only hope that this doesn't affect his market value as an athlete, but I don't see how you get a big shoe contract when you can't compete on the big stages during your prime.

[gm]

Nothing is stopping him from running for Kenya.

[tm71]

Nothing is stopping him from running for Kenya.

The competition in the events he wants to qualify in is definitely deeper at the Kenyan trials

[18.99s]

Nothing is stopping him from running for Kenya.

Except the few, I mean several Kenyans who are faster than he is.

[18.99s]

He was trying to obtain a green card in the "extraordinary ability" category, which has a high barrier to entry for obvious reasons, and it wasn't gonna happen without the continued involvement of lawyers throughout the process.

As a college student not allowed to accept money for competing, he surely couldn't afford the legal fees on his own, and NCAA rules probably restricted him from receiving assistance with those fees from anybody outside the university and his family.

[18.99s]

Green card isn't the same as citizenship; the standard eligibility criteria for citizenship includes having a green card for at least 5 years.

So even if he got a green card tomorrow, he still couldn't become a US citizen until 2022, unless he took a faster-than-standard path such as joining the military or marrying a US citizen.

[spikes007]

Well, it could be worse. If he was from a "Muslim" country (Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria or Yemen) he would have even more limitations. He lucked out that there is a Trump Hotel in the works in Mombasa, Kenya.

[Juicy News]

Given that the Kenya is surprisingly weak in the 5000m currently, he has a shot to make the team in 2019, no?

[Gordo]

You all should realize that nike is the primary one at fault on all this citizenship for the Kenyan. Who do you think paid his way to this country in the first place. Who paid for all his high school period and how did he show up at Oregon. Are you all so nieve to believe nike was not involved all this way. Come on, he wore nike since arriving in the US to this date. It is an ncaa rule that all athletes have to find a way to get to the US on their own. It has been historical since the Kenyans started coming here in the 70's that the shoe company provides a ticket. This is all such bs.

[bruce3404]

I don't think any of us are "nieve", but maybe a few are naive, not least yourself with all this Nike "conspiracy" crap. Save it for the Alex Jones show. And while you're at it, Google "Edward Cheserek HS Photos" and then tell me "he wore Nike since arriving in the US". Simple fact is that Nike sponsors dozens of Kenyan athletes; why would they feel the need to import any, especially relative unknowns as was Ches when he entered the US?

[26mi235]

Are you aware of how he came to the US? He had never run a competitive race, I think, and came on an academic program where he had scored very high. [He did have to run a long way to get to the testing location but that is the only really running-related aspect of his getting to the US.

Also note that there is a thread on Bush in the Historical Forum started by Joe Kovacs. You might be interested in reading that thread. I was at the end of high school when UCLA won that first big dual with USC; it was televised in the LA area (I went to Alhambra, not too far up the road from Fullerton.