Metro

Deported!

U-M Hillel official to be escorted out of U.S.

Art Aisner
Special to the Jewish News

oel Marcovitch hoped to spend
Passover leading college students
through a series of seders, help-
ing them feel connected to their Jewish
roots even if they couldn't be home with
family.
Instead, the former assistant director of
the University of Michigan Hillel packed
up his two-bedroom condominium on the
outskirts of Ann Arbor and prepared to be
deported to his native England due to an
administrative error that was no fault of
his own.
On Sunday, April 19, Marcovitch will
board a plane, escorted by U.S. Customs
agents, and return to London jobless,
unsure if or when he'll be back.
It's hardly how the 31-year-old expected
to end the school year, much less his six-
year stay in the United States.
In late March, Marcovitch flew into
Washington, D.C., after leading a handful
of U-M students on an alternative spring
break program where they built shelter for
Argentina's underprivileged.
Each member of the group passed
through U.S. Customs, except Marcovitch.
It wasn't the first time border agents
questioned his visa status or well-traveled
passport. But this time, his R-1 visa, com-
monly known as a religious-worker per-
mit, was deemed invalid. He was detained
and likely headed toward the next plane
back to Buenos Aires, his most recent
departure, they said.

"Here I am, paying my taxes, doing my part to
strengthen communities and talking to students
about staying in Michigan. And I'm being
thrown out of the country for a mistake I had
nothing to do with."

Joel Marcovitch

The Inside Story

During eight hours of questioning,
Marcovitch repeatedly explained that
he had a mortgage, a job and a serious
girlfriend waiting for him Michigan, and
federal authorities allowed him tempo-
rary entry pending a hearing with Detroit
immigration officials.
They officially placed Marcovitch on
parolee status, a rare limbo-state where he
didn't come here illegally, but legally wasn't
allowed to stay, said Betina Schlossberg,
his Ann Arbor-based attorney.
With her help, Marcovitch learned that
the U.S. Consulate in London should never
have granted him a new R-1 visa in 2007.
Marcovitch initiated the process to pre-
empt expiration in 2008. His new visa

was valid until 2012 and he says got him
across U.S. borders more than 50 times
without a problem until his arrival in D.C.
Federal authorities sympathized with
Marcovitch's situation, but could do noth-
ing to reverse it under the law, Schlossberg
said. Though he cooperated fully and
was never accused of visa fraud, recent
changes to the law made it impossible for
him to stay.
"Here I am, paying my taxes, doing my
part to strengthen communities and talk-
ing to students about staying in Michigan.
And I'm being thrown out of the country
for a mistake I had nothing to do with,"

Marcovitch said.
U.S. Customs officials did not return
calls from the Jewish News.

A Shocking End

Since the R-1 visa only allowed him to
work in the United States as part of a
non-profit, religious organization, he was
immediately forced to leave Hillel and
legally barred from seeking other employ-
ment here.
Faced with home foreclosure and grow-
ing attorney fees, Marcovitch felt more
distressed by an unnerving sense of leav-
ing behind unfinished business with his

students.
The situation shocked members of both
the local Jewish and campus Greek com-
munities that relied on Marcovitch as a
liaison to student life in Ann Arbor, said
Michael Brooks, Hillel's executive director.
It also motivated current and former
students alike.
Jordan Acker, a 2006 U-M graduate now
studying law at American University in
Washington, D.C., began lobbying friends
on Capitol Hill.
"It's just unfair that a huge part of U-
M's Hillel was taken away by a mistake
made by the consulate in London;' said
Acker, a Huntington Woods native. "I
understand the purpose of the law, but if
they make the mistake, the onus should
be on them."
Daniel Horwitz of West Bloomfield, a
recent U-M graduate now in his second
year at U-M Law School, also mustered
support from current and fellow students.
"Obviously, the different departments
weren't talking with each other, but this is
a mistake that should be corrected before
his whole life is turned upside down."
Horwitz said.
U.S. Sen. Carl Levin, D-Detroit,
quickly responded to the situation with
a letter highlighting the negative impact
Marcovitch's loss would have with
Passover and the end of the academic year
looming.
The outpouring of support couldn't,
however, stop the process. But it did buy
Marcovitch crucial time to get his affairs
in order and say proper goodbyes to the
people he connected with most during
nearly three years in Ann Arbor.
It also laid a strong foundation for a
new H-1B visa, which allows temporary
employment in a specialty occupation,
Schlossberg said.
Though facing an uncertain future,
Marcovitch said he remains a bit humbled
by it all, especially the reaction from stu-
dents.
"I came to this country literally with
$150 and two bags:' Marcovitch recalled
about starting his chase to achieve the
American dream at the Hillel of Broward
and Palm Beach in Florida.
"These guys really stepped up for me
and it felt good to realize you had an
impact on students. I want to come back
and finish my job."

❑

April 16 2009

A9

