The US Department of Homeland Security on Wednesday apologized to Taiwan’s Representative to the US Jason Yuan (袁健生) for the “inadvertent issuance” of a green card in February, but the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said yesterday that the representative remained unfit for the job.
The letter, dated May 20 and signed by Douglas Palmeri, director of the Asia Pacific Office of International Affairs, confirmed that Yuan had withdrawn his application for Lawful Permanent Residency (LPR) on June 8 last year, prior to his appointment as a representative. Yuan currently holds an E1 D/S non-immigrant status and is neither a US citizen nor a green card holder, the letter said.
Palmeri said it was “unfortunate” that although Yuan had withdrawn his application for adjustment of status, a permanent resident card was “inadvertently” issued. He also used the word “apologize” to show contrition for any inconvenience or confusion that might have arisen.
PHOTO: CNA
At a press conference held at the Taipei Economic and Cultural Relations Office (TECRO) in Washington, Yuan presented another letter signed by Richard Caterisano, director of the Baltimore District US Citizenship and Immigration Service, which said Yuan was “deemed not to have held LPR” on the basis of his application for adjustment of status filed on May 13, 2004.
Yuan’s US status was called into question when he was appointed Taiwan’s top US diplomat in June last year. At the time, DPP Legislator Kuan Bi-ling (管碧玲) said she had credible evidence that Yuan held permanent US residency.
Although the Nationality Act (國籍法) and the Civil Service Employment Act (公務人員任用法) only prohibit government workers from holding foreign citizenship, President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) has promised that no one on his team would possess permanent foreign residency to avoid any appearance of disloyalty.
Yuan refuted Kuan’s claim and threatened to sue her for invasion of privacy. So far, no lawsuit has been filed.
Speculation over Yuan’s status dominated the headlines once again last week when the Chinese-language Next Magazine alleged that the representative held permanent US residency for the first eight months of his tenure.
Yuan and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) immediately cried foul and said the US government had committed an “administrative error” by granting him the status, and subsequently a green card, even though he had terminated his application for LPR in June.
MOFA spokesman Henry Chen (陳銘政) said the two letters produced yesterday should be the end of the controversy, reiterating that Yuan does not and never has held permanent residency in the US.
Kuan, however, said the letter from Palmeri only said Yuan “currently” does not hold US citizenship or permanent residency and therefore it was insufficient to prove Yuan did not hold the status before.
“‘Deep Throat’ [Kuan’s source] has been 100 percent accurate about Yuan’s status. Yuan should be recalled because he is unfit for the job because he involved both governments in his personal issues,” she said, vowing to continue her hunt for green card holders in the Ma administration.
The TECRO press release said: “As to those Taiwanese legislators who have maliciously disclosed personal and privileged information with reckless regard to the truth, the Republic of China government reserves its right to take legal action.”
The Central News Agency reported that Yuan told reporters that the US government has launched a comprehensive investigation to find out who has been leaking confidential and personal information to Taiwanese media and lawmakers.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) caucus deputy secretary-general Lu Hsueh-chang (呂學樟) yesterday threw his support behind Yuan and suggested that he file a lawsuit against Kuan for fueling the green card controversy.
ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY FLORA WANG
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