Articles

On November 12, 2018, Kitti Tong was walking home from work in Rockville. At the intersection of Beall Avenue and Gibbs Street, the 27-year-old was hit by a car. And in that moment, Tong says life as she knew it changed forever.

She suffered a traumatic brain injury in the accident and spent the next ten months fighting to get back on her feet. She had to re-learn how to eat and how to walk. Even now, she is still working to overcome cognitive issues that are impacting her speech.

"In essence, she can see the words in her head but they can't always come out," said Tong's friend Regina Richardson. "Memory is a very big struggle."

Now, that long road to recovery could force Tong out of the country she's called home for years.

She moved to the United States from Hong Kong when she was just 17 years old, as a student on an F1 visa. That was back in 2008. She graduated from the University of Virginia with degrees in Financial Economics and Public Policy. After that, Tong says she was recruited and hired by Choice Hotels' corporate headquarters in Rockville. She says she obtained an H1-B visa so she could work for them.

"Kitti and I worked on many project teams together there," said Richardson. "She basically handled a lot of program management, rolling out new initiatives, revenue analysis. We like to say she sliced and diced the numbers and I figured out how we got to them."

Due to Tong's current challenges with speech, Richardson did most of the talking when the pair sat down with ABC 7 for an interview.

Prior to the accident, Richardson and Tong were coworkers and friends. When it became clear that Tong's injuries had left her unable to return to work, Richardson took on the roles of guardian and caregiver. And she knew another problem was looming.

"Kitti has done everything the right way with immigration. She has no criminal record, she used no federal benefits for any of her healthcare or any of her recovery. This is all through plans she has paid for throughout her employment," said Richardson. "And Choice Hotels has been absolutely wonderful, but they are bound by rules and regulations as well. And with Kitti, at the six month mark of being out of work, she did lose employment."

Unable to maintain employment, Richardson says Tong immediately applied for a B2 visa for medical treatment, but they have not yet heard back from United States Citizenship and Immigration Services.

"As of now, we have had no response," said Richardson. "She is legal until we get a response - that is my understanding. Of course the fear is if they come back and say no when she is medically unable to travel - what happens then?"

So this week, Richardson and Tong launched an online campaign, in hopes of drawing attention to her situation and perhaps getting help from lawmakers. They're trying to spread the word on social media using the hashtag #CitizenshipForKitti.

"Citizenship For Kitti is a website to bring awareness that there's currently no remedy for people like Kitti in this situation," said Richardson. We are pleading with the U.S. government to find a permanent and long-term solution so that Kitti can continue to receive the medical care she needs."

Since Kitti now lives in Virginia, they've reached out to Senator Tim Kaine and Representative Don Beyer for assistance with her case. ABC 7 also reached out to the two lawmakers, along with Senator Mark Warner as well.

Representative Beyer told ABC 7 he's already trying to identify ways to help.

"I met Kitti at my town hall in Alexandria last week, and immediately found her story heartbreaking and compelling," he said in a statement. "I had just urged the Trump administration to restore the longstanding practice of considering medical deferred action requests, which allow people in unique positions like Kitti's to receive continued, life-saving medical treatment in the United States. After hearing Kitti's story, I have also engaged with United States Citizenship and Immigration Services to seek resolution which will allow her to remain in this country. I don't know what they will decide, but we are going to work to try and keep her here."

Senators Kaine and Warner had similar responses.

"Kitti's story is heartbreaking," Senator Kaine said in a statement. "I'll continue to keep her in my prayers. I've written to USCIS to express concern about the long processing delays at the agency. I also pressed DHS Secretary McAleenan about USCIS's recent efforts to curtail medical deferrals of deportation and shift the decision to grant these deferrals to ICE. I'll continue to monitor Kitti's case and push the Trump administration to focus on mercy, compassion, and humanitarianism when enforcing our nation's immigration laws."

Senator Warner called Tong's situation devastating.

"I admire her perseverance and wish her all the best with her recovery. Sadly, stories like Kitti's only underscore the urgency of fixing our broken immigration system, and the disastrous consequences of Congress' failure to act," Warner said in a statement to ABC 7.

Richardson and Tong said the responses from lawmakers give them some hope, but they're also asking people to sign an online petition or send letters of support on Tong's behalf.

"We have to put a face to her name - people like Kitti who have contributed to the United States for a decade," said Richardson. "She deserves the opportunity to recover here, and to receive medical care here."

Richardson said this is not only where Tong's doctors are - her support system is here too. Her mother in Hong Kong passed away in 2015. Tong's dream is to one day return to work at Choice Hotels in Rockville.

"Yes, this is home," Tong said.

She says those four words are really all that matter.