[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 39 (Tuesday, March 7, 2017)]
[Senate]
[Page S1646]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mrs. FEINSTEIN:
  S. 562. A bill for the relief of Ruben Mkoian, Asmik Karapetian, and 
Arthur Mkoian; to the Committee on the Judiciary.
  Mrs. FEINSTEIN. Mr. President, I am reintroducing private relief 
legislation in the 115th Congress on behalf of Ruben Mkoian, Asmik 
Karapetian, and their son, Arthur Mkoian. The Mkoian family has been 
living in Fresno, CA, for over 20 years. I continue to believe this 
family deserves Congress's special consideration for such an 
extraordinary form of relief as a private bill.
  The Mkoian family is originally from Armenia. They decided to leave 
Armenia for the United States in the early 1990s, following several 
incidents in which the family experienced harassment, vandalism and 
threats to their well-being.
  In Armenia, Ruben worked as a police sergeant on vehicle licensing. 
At one point, he was offered a bribe to register stolen vehicles, which 
he refused and reported to his superior, the police chief. He later 
learned that a coworker had registered the vehicles at the request of 
the same chief.
  After Ruben reported the bribe offer to illegally register vehicles 
and said he would call the police, his family store was vandalized and 
he received threatening phone calls telling him to keep quiet. A bottle 
of gasoline was thrown into his family's residence, burning it to the 
ground. In April 1992, several men entered the family store and 
assaulted Ruben, hospitalizing him for 22 days.
  Ruben, Asmik, and their son Arthur, who was 3 years old at the time, 
left Armenia and entered the United States on visitor visas. They 
applied for political asylum that same year on the grounds that they 
would be subject to physical attacks if returned to Armenia. It took 16 
years for their case to be finalized, with the Ninth Circuit Court of 
Appeals denying their asylum case in January 2008.
  At this time, Ruben, Asmik, and Arthur have exhausted every option to 
obtain immigration relief in the United States. While Ruben and Asmik's 
other son, Arsen, is a U.S. citizen, he is too young to file a green 
card petition on their behalf.
  It would be a terrible shame to remove this family from the United 
States and to separate them from Arsen, who is 20 years old and a U.S. 
citizen. The Mkoians have worked hard to build a place for their family 
in California and are an integral part of their community.
  The family attends St. Paul Armenian Apostolic Church in Fresno. They 
do charity work to send medical equipment to Armenia.
  Ruben works as a driver for Uber. He previously worked as a manager 
at a car wash in Fresno and as a truckdriver for a California trucking 
company that described him as ``trustworthy,'' ``knowledgeable,'' and 
an asset to the company. Asmik has worked as a medical assistant the 
past 6 years at the Fresno Shields Medical Center.
  Arthur has proven to be a hard-working, smart young man who applies 
himself. He was recognized nationally for his scholastic achievement, 
having maintained a 4.0 grade point average in high school and serving 
as his class valedictorian. After graduating on the Dean's Merit List 
from the University of California, Davis with a major in Chemistry, he 
is now a full-time analyst at a water testing company. He also teaches 
Armenian School on Saturdays at the church.
  Arthur's brother, Arsen currently attends Fresno State University, is 
majoring in Computer Science, and maintains a 3.8 GPA. These two young 
men have already accomplished so much and clearly aspire to do great 
things here in the United States.
  Reflecting their contributions to their community, Representatives 
George Radanovich and Jim Costa strongly supported this family's 
ability to remain in the United States. When I first introduced a 
private bill for the Mkoian family, I received more than 200 letters of 
support and dozens of calls of support from friends and community 
members, attesting to the positive impact that this family has had in 
Fresno, California.
  I believe that this case warrants our compassion. I respectfully ask 
my colleagues to support this private legislation on behalf of the 
Mkoian family.

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