CAMEROON COUNSELOR'S FAMILY: VISA AND STATUS

UNCLAS USUN NEW YORK 000357

SIPDIS

SIPDIS
SENSITIVE

FOR IO/UNP - S. EDMONDSON, L/DL, AF/C

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: OFDP PREL KREC CM
SUBJECT: CAMEROON COUNSELOR'S FAMILY: VISA AND STATUS
ISSUES IN AFTERMNATH OF WIFE'S ARREST FOR FELONY INJURY TO
A MINOR CHILD

REF: 2007 USUN NEW YORK 00316


1. (U) Entire text is sensitive but unclassified.


2. (U) USUN seeks Department's views in this complicated case.

3.(SBU) USUN met April 15 with Cameroon Mission Counselor
Nganje Kinge Monono and his wife, Priscilla Jemea Misodi
Nganje Kinge, who seek USUN assistance. Reftel describes in
detail the case of diplomat Monono, who sent his wife
Priscilla and children to live in Frisco, Texas. He refused
to move them back to NY as demanded by USUN. The wife was
picked up for beating two of her step-children. She claimed
diplomatic immunity, but USUN confirmed that she lost her
immunity and her legal status in the U.S. because she failed
to reside with her husband, even after USUN warned the family
and the Cameroon Mission of the requirement that she do so.
Priscilla turned herself over to the police in Texas. She was
arrested and charged with assault, bodily injury and family
violence with a bond set at 10,000 USD. She was released on
bail arranged by her husband.


4. (SBU) The entire family--father, mother, and five children
(the three oldest are his from a prior marriage) returned to
Cameroon. The diplomat Monono and two youngest children (born
to Monono and Priscilla) then returned to the US on G-1
visas. The father now resides in Jersey City, NJ and works at
the Cameroon Mission. The other three children are in
Cameroon, hoping to return to the US on G-1 visas. The wife
returned on a B-1 visa to face charges. She was sentenced to
80 hours of community service (60 completed),anger
management classes (completed),a batterer's workshop for 24
weeks (12 weeks completed),and an additonal year of
probation (until mid-2009). She can complete the community
service in a week, the batterer's workshop in 12 weeks, and
would like then to return to New Jersey to live with her
husband for the duration of her probation, if Texas so
permits. The two children in the U.S. on G-1 visas reside
with her in Texas.


5. (SBU) The wife's authorized stay in B-1 status expired on
April 11. The two children who entered the US on G-1 visas
are probably out of status because they are not residing with
the father in New Jersey, but with their mother in Texas. The
mother, temporarily in New York, is going to Texas on
Saturday and will inform her probation officer that her
authorized stay has expired and she appears to be out of
status (her work authorization also expired). She also faces
a July 15 court date in Texas for not respecting the bail
bond, because she failed to appear for her court date,
allegedly because she could not get a visa from Amembassy
Yaounde in time.


6. (SBU) The diplomat Monono would like his wife's probation
to be transferred to New Jersey after she finishes her
community service and batterer's workshop. He would live in
New Jersey with his wife and the two children presently in
the US on G-1 visas. If probation is transferred from Texas
to New Jersey, the wife would travel once a month to Texas to
check in with her probation officer until she finishes her
probation. She recognizes that she would have to leave the US
to apply for a G-1 visa. Once they are living in New Jersey
togather, and their visa status and legal status are settled,
they would like the other three children to be issued G-1
visas in Yaounde so that they may join their parents.
Khalilzad