With congressman's help, woman with ailing husband gets citizenship

A Central Islip woman forced to miss an immigration interview due to her husband's respiratory problem will get to become a citizen after intervention from a local congressman.

Melida Gutierrez Longley, wife of Chris Longley, had been denied citizenship after the couple had to skip a hearing when he began running low on oxygen, Rep. Steve Israel (D-Huntington) said. Longley, 44, says he suffered lung damage as a result of time spent passing out water to rescuers after the 9/11 attacks.

"I was shocked," Israel said. "This is a guy who risked his life and sacrificed his lungs to help rescue workers at Ground Zero. I've never heard of a denial of citizenship based on lack of oxygen and that's what this would have amounted to."

Chris Longley, then co-owner of Water Pure and Simple, a bottled water company, says the toxins he inhaled caused him to suffer from a disease that requires him to be on 'round the clock oxygen. His wife, a Colombian citizen, helps care for him but also works as a team leader at Nature's Bounty.

On June 15, the couple went to Manhattan for her naturalization interview. They were told they would have to wait while workers searched for the files, Longley said. He said he told immigration workers he was running out of oxygen and would have to leave soon. After what Longley said was more than four hours, Longley was on his second and last tank of oxygen and the couple left.

They were told by workers that papers finalizing the procedure would arrive in the mail, Longley said. However, on June 29, the couple received a letter saying Melida was "ineligible" for citizenship because officials believed she lived at a different address than her husband. The two have been married for eight years and have lived in the same home since, Longley said.

"I lost it," Longley said. "I screamed. I couldn't believe it." Longley said he contacted Israel's office about the situation.

Israel's office got the case reopened and explained the error in addresses. As a result, Melida's citizenship application was approved, Israel said Wednesday. An official from Citizenship and Immigration Services said she could not comment on specific cases because of privacy issues.

Melida is now scheduled to take her naturalization oath on Aug. 19, the congressman said.

Thursday, Israel visited the couple's home and presented Melida with an American Flag and a copy of the U.S. Constitution. "In this moment, I can't believe it," Melida said at her home. "I was very scared. Finally, I feel happy. I love this country."