Professor sues Homeland Security for delayed residency
An NDSU professor from China said the federal Department of Homeland Security is hurting his career and research opportunities by holding up his application for permanent resident status.
Xiaojiang Du said he and his wife, Fengjing Lin, applied for resident status in April 2005.
He filed a lawsuit in federal court Friday seeking to try to speed up the process.
Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff and two directors for the Citizen and Immigration Services are listed as defendants.
U.S. Attorney Drew Wrigley said Friday he had not seen the lawsuit and could not comment.
Du, a computer science professor, said he has been unable to apply for research grants that require him to be a permanent U.S. resident.
“These grants would significantly enhance the research infrastructure, science, technology and economic developments in North Dakota, and support undergraduate and graduate students at NDSU,” the lawsuit said.
Du’s lawsuit said he and his wife, who came to the U.S. in 1999, have never been arrested or convicted of any crime and “have never presented a security risk to the United States of America.”
The lawsuit said Sen. Kent Conrad, D-N.D., sent a letter to the U.S. Citizen and Immigration Services to try to expedite the application process. Conrad wrote that Du’s research abilities “are significantly hindered because of the delay.”