Instant American

All Christopher De Leon wanted was a greencard...
instead, they gave him a
blue passport

By Anne Stephanie Cruz

TUESDAY, MAY 11.There was a lump in the throat of multi-awarded actor Christopher De Leon. The mixed feelings of dread and excitement gripped him as he and his wife Sandy set foot at the U.S. Embassy on Roxas Boulevard in Manila.

Thousands of miles away, Christopher’s mother, Lilia Dizon, was clutching her rosary and praying feverishly. And then her phone rang. She heard the voice on the other end say as clear as a bell that Christopher had gotten his U.S. passport after a 15-minute interview, and was considered a U.S. citizen since birth.

It was bitterly cold in Moreno Valley that night, but the ‘50s screen goddess Lilia Dizon was sweating. “This is the best Mother’s Day gift since I moved to the U.S.,” Lilia said, with Christopher’s citizenship coming just two days after Mother’s Day.

Unknown to many, the process of Christopher getting his blue passport from the Embassy in Manila took much more than the 15 minutes he spent there. Many people have assumed that just because Christopher was born of an American mother, this automatically makes him an American citizen.

But it’s not that simple. Lilia only had a scrap of paper where her father’s date of birth and year of naturalization were written, to back-up Christopher’s claim of citizenship. it took months of research and consultation between his family and popular immigration lawyer Michael Gurfinkel before the actor’s citizenship papers came in order.

Christopher and Sandy narrated that they originally inquired from the lawyer about visa requirements for aliens of extraordinary ability, just like what their good friend, FAMAS awardee Gina Alajar, managed to get through Gurfinkel’s help.

The green card Gina Alajar got was the highest that any foreign entertainer can get in the U.S. (Sean Connery is among the stature and caliber of entertainers who managed to get that type of green card).

“We were curious, and merely wanted to know if Christopher’s achievements were ‘extraordinary.’ But when we got to Michael’s office and he began speaking with my husband, he asked about his middle name ‘Strauss,’” Sandy said.

It turned out that Chistopher was carrying the name of his maternal grandfather, Abe Strauss. This got the lawyer to dwell more into Christopher’s family tree, and then broke the news to the couple that, based on U.S. law, he was considered to be a U.S. citizen since birth. He did not have to be petitioned by his mother, obtain a green card, wait five years to apply for naturalization, be finger-printed, or answer questions about U.S. government. Instead, he was immediately entitled to U.S. citizenship and U.S. passport.

News of Christopher’s newly-acquired citizenship has caused a stir in the Philippine showbiz industry. “The color of my passport doesn’t change who I am. I will always be a Filipino in heart, mind and spirit. I will still be working in Manila and will continue to make my kababayans proud,” the actor stressed.

The couple also had nothing but praise for Atty. Gurfinkel for making all of this possible. Sandy adds that their lawyer treated them not merely as clients, but as a friends.

“He was very patient in explaining things to us. You seldom find lawyers willing to go the extra mile for you,” Sandy said.

But not only did the lawyer walk the extra mile, he went a few steps further, for it turned out that the road towards Christopher’s citizenship was not an easy one. A lot of documents had to be presented to the Embassy to prove that Christopher was an American citizen at birth.

After being told by the family that no records of the actor’s maternal grandfather could be found, Gurfinkel himself tracked down INS archives in Washington D.C. and San Francisco, California, to trace the records of Abe Strauss.

Abe was born in Germany in 1888 and migrated to the U.S. where he became a naturalized American citizen in Nebraska in 1918.

Gurfinkel found the ancient records and presented the case to the Embassy, which agreed with his findings: Christopher was a U.S. citizen since birth.

“A lot of people mistakenly think that just because a parent or grandparent was a U.S. citizen, they are automatically entitled to a U.S. passport. That is not the case. The case must be fully documented with authentic and verifiable records, and the person must meet the strict requirements for the transmission and retention of citizenship,” the lawyer explained.

In his immigration law practice, Gurfinkel says he especially likes working with Filipino clients. “When I work with Filipino clients, I feel at home. They are very warm people who treat you like you’re one of the family, and I really do share in their joys. When we bring a child into America, my wife and I sometimes go to the airport with the parent, for the joyous reunion.

“Seeing that first hug of parent and child, after so many years of separation, really touches our hearts. That kind of feeling, knowing that I have made a difference in other people’s lives, is what makes the practice of law all worthwhile,” Gurfinkel said.

He added that he had been practicing law for over 19 years and has found immigration law to be most rewarding.

Michael Gurfinkel is the child of immigrant parents. His father was from Eastern Europe and his mother from England. They migrated to the U.S. and were met by a new and different way of life and culture. His parents worked hard to achieve the American dream, and passed on the good life to Michael and his siblings.

“Having immigrant parents and an immigrant wife has made me feel for my clients. I know that they are going through and what they’re feeling, because my family went through the same thing,” the lawyer said.

Known in Manila as the “attorney to the stars” because of the number of big name celebrities he has helped, Gurfinkel was quick to point out that his cleintele is not exclusively from the elite. According to him, his true love and passion is the common person,but notes that celebrities also provide a connection with the ordinary folk.

“I make it a point to attend the concerts of performers whom I helped obtain entertainer visas, such as Sharon Cuneta, Vilma Santos, Aga Muhlach, Vina Morales and Ogie Alcasid, to name a few. When celebrities ask for help with their entertainer visas, it is so they could legally perform and entertain their fellow Filipinos in the States. I have seen the joy and excitement in the faces of the many Filipinos in the audience. I find that rewarding,” he adds.

Over the years, Gurfinkel has helped thousands of people, not just those who retained or consulted him, but also those he had helped through his television show and newspaper column.

This scholar from Loyola Law School says he has not turned down cases because they are too difficult. “When I analyze a case, if I see there is hope, and if the client is truly eligible for the immigration benefit, I will try my best, even if they may have previously resorted to fraud in the past. However, if a person is really not entitled, I will be up front with them, and tell them there is nothing I can do,” Gurfinkel explains.

Clients have said that Gurfinkel is very honest, and does not give people false hopes for the sake of generating more fees. He doesn’t force a retainer agreement in front of them and take their money if there is really nothing that can be done. He tries to educate those who consult with him, by explaining immigration laws in plain English, and how he intends to go about the case.

As in the case of Christopher De Leon, Gurfinkel’s knack for asking more questions often leads him to routes not previously considered by the client. No wonder the phones in his offices are ringing off the hook.

But the lawyer says the success of his practice is due mainly to the partnership between him and his wife, Millie. A Business Administration graduate of Ateneo de Manila University, Millie, as office manager, makes it a point that their staff return all client calls within 24 hours, to ensure customer satisfaction.

The rationale behind this, the Gurfinkels explain, is that “people are laying their future in our hands, and are willing to pay hard-earned money, just so they could be reunited with a loved one in the States.”

As for Christopher, who is soon scheduled to perform in Los Angeles, he said he has just begun to realize the advantages of having a blue U.S. passport. He no longer has to secure an entertainer visa, but will instead be able to go to the “express” lane at U.S. airports reserved for American citizens and residents.

“I feel very honored and privileged to have helped people like Christopher De Leon, and as well as those from other walks of life, fulfill their dreams of getting into the U.S. or becoming an American citizen. Family always comes first, and that’s why I am here -- to bring families back together,” Gurfinkel concludes.