For 20 years, Gloria García built a life in California. She worked, raised three children and followed every rule in her quest for legal permanent residency. Today, the 42-year-old Mexican mother sits in a small rented room in Tijuana, waiting for a decision that was supposed to come months ago.

“I was one step away from my green card,” she said in a video call. “Now I’m far from my family, and I don’t know when this will end.”

Story Highlights

• Gloria García, 42, moved from Zacatecas, Mexico, to California in 2003.

• Began family-based green card process in 2019; only consular interview remained.

• U.S. Consulate Ciudad Juárez sent her case back to USCIS for review.

• Six months stranded in Tijuana, apart from husband and two older children.

• Youngest daughter Isabella, nearly 3, stays with her due to health needs.

• Attorneys cite growing immigration backlog and stricter consular scrutiny.

A Life Built in California

García emigrated from Zacatecas at age 19. Over two decades she became part of the Santa Ana community, marrying U.S. citizen Tomás Ortega and raising three children — Alyssa, 21; Tomás, 18; and Isabella, almost 3. She is the only noncitizen in the family.

Her path to legal permanent residency began in 2019 when Ortega filed an I-130 petition, the first step of a family-based green card. A temporary waiver was granted, clearing the way for the last step: an interview at the U.S. Consulate Ciudad Juárez.

“I believed everything was finally in order,” she said.

Consulate Sends Case Back to USCIS

In March, García appeared for her scheduled interview in Ciudad Juárez. According to her attorney, Fernando Romo, consular staff unexpectedly asked to re-examine her divorce documents, even though U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services had already approved them.

“They wanted to make sure everything was in order,” Romo said. “But they already did so in the final step.”

Romo expected a decision within ten days. Instead, the State Department returned the file to USCIS for further review. Six months later, García is still waiting.

A Growing Immigration Backlog

The setback comes amid a nationwide immigration backlog. As of July, USCIS reported 2.4 million pending applications for family-based residency, 80% of them stalled for more than six months.

Immigration lawyers who are not involved in García’s case say the climate at U.S. consulates has shifted.

“We’re seeing a different attitude in the consulates,” Romo said. “A stricter attitude, looking for any detail to deny or question the process.”

Kathia Quiros, another immigration attorney, noted that scrutiny is greater in some cases: “Officers are reviewing everything the USCIS office does and finding new reasons to delay cases.”

José Gutiérrez added that even minor technical issues can force applicants abroad to wait months: “People are being forced, at best, to spend months outside the United States.”

Waiting in Tijuana With Her Youngest Daughter

After the consulate’s decision, García moved from Ciudad Juárez to Tijuana to be closer to her family in California. She now rents a modest room in a working-class neighborhood and cares for Isabella, who has ptosis, an eye condition that prevents her from focusing.

“We decided Isabella would stay with me because we couldn’t afford day care and she needs special attention,” García said.

Her husband and two older children remain in Santa Ana. The separation has already lasted six months.

“It’s very difficult to leave my children,” she said. “Even though they’re adults, we’ve always been together. My daughter wakes up in the night crying, looking for her dad.”

Milestones Missed, Celebrations at the Border

García has watched family milestones through her phone. She attended her son’s high school graduation by video call.

Her husband and children briefly crossed into Tijuana in July to celebrate Alyssa’s 21st birthday. They shared a meal of wings and recorded a short video smiling together — a clip García treasures.

Family Feels Emotional and Financial Strain

“The family is a team; the team has to be together,” Ortega said. “The distance affects us, emotionally and financially. Wherever you are, you have to keep paying bills.”

Alyssa said the separation is a daily burden: “We’ve always depended on our mother, not so much physically but emotionally. Sometimes I can’t go through my day without thinking about the fact that we’re in this situation.”

A Plea for Prompt Review

García maintains she has complied with every requirement of the family-based green card process. She asks only that immigration authorities review her case promptly so she can return legally to her home in California.

“That’s what the president wants, for us to do things right,” she said. “We’re doing the best we can.”

Alyssa has not lost hope. “Half of me is proud that my mom is fighting honestly and correctly,” she said. “I’m very proud of her.”

Gloria García’s struggle underscores how a single delay in the family-based green card process can upend lives and deepen family separation. After two decades in California and following every step toward legal permanent residency, she now waits in Tijuana with her youngest child while her case sits at the U.S. Consulate Ciudad Juárez and USCIS. Her story highlights the human cost of the nation’s growing immigration backlog — and the uncertainty facing families who are trying to do everything by the book.

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