PETITION FOR EDWARD CHESEREK TO BECOME AN AMERICAN CITIZEN

If all it took to become an American citizen was to be good at running, the detention centers would be virtually empty.

MAKE AMERICAN DISTANCE RUNNING GREAT AGAIN wrote:

I think the majority of Americans would agree that having Ches on an American olympic 5k/10k team would be great for the country. He's lived in the country for 10 years (?) now and has gone through the American high school system as well as the NCAA. Earned a degree from Oregon and has done all the right things. Why is this taking so long? Citizenship through Naturalization requires 5 years as a permanent resident. What exactly does that mean? I, for one, would much rather see Ed medal for the US than Kenya and I think he would agree. Let's send a letter to Mr. Trump and get this man his much deserved citizenship. Discus

I don’t agree.

Many more better qualified immigrant wannabes who will make bigger positive impact to the US

Chelimo, Bor et al found a way

Well, we had 7 medals at the 16 Olympics AND the 17 world championships. I don't think we NEED Cheserek to get more medals. Chelimo is getting the job done. So I don't see that argument.

How ever, sure, he deserves to be an American citizen just like anyone else.

I think he would represent the country well but I'm sure it's more complicated than just being a good representative in athletics. Kinda sucks that guys that came over just for college are already competing for the country and he's still waiting. Also, there's no way the detention centers would be close to empty. He's at the top of the totem pole in terms of talent. Most immigrants would have no shot at running a decent 5k.

Why not make it 8 medals ? ;) but yes I agree Chelimo is doing a fantastic job. Just feels a bit easier to relate to Cheserek as an American because he's a guy we watched/raced against in high school races.

MAKE AMERICAN DISTANCE RUNNING GREAT AGAIN wrote:

I think the majority of Americans would agree that having Ches on an American olympic 5k/10k team would be great for the country. He's lived in the country for 10 years (?) now and has gone through the American high school system as well as the NCAA. Earned a degree from Oregon and has done all the right things. Why is this taking so long? Citizenship through Naturalization requires 5 years as a permanent resident. What exactly does that mean? I, for one, would much rather see Ed medal for the US than Kenya and I think he would agree. Let's send a letter to Mr. Trump and get this man his much deserved citizenship. Discus

I'm a regular poster but afraid to use my regular name.

I'm not going to totally disagree with the OP but want to ask a few questions.

1) So should everyone who comes to college in the US be allowed to becomes US citizens? Or just the elite ones we poach from other countries? Does it really help these other countries if we take their best - whether it be runners, doctors, etc?

2) Why has his citizenship process been held up? Is there some sort of red flag? I have no idea. I'm not sure what the red flag could be other than perhaps lying about his age when he came here for HS. But if he did ly about his age, I can see why he did it but should that nullify his desire to be a citizen?

Does anyone know why his case is taking so much longer than others?

3) Can Drew Hunter, Eric Jenkins, Ben True, Tyler Day, Grant Fisher start a rival petition? You say it's great for the country. But I think of it as kind of a rude reminder. No one has job security. Yes due to global trade, the world is flat now as Thomas Friedman once famously wrote. So you are doing great and then boom, we've found someone from overseas who is slightly better so you are screwed.

1) Like I said, Ed has been here since basically the beginning of HS (that's a long time). I do agree that if someone comes here legally and has the guts/decides to join the military in order to gain citizenship to provide service/represent this country than they should be allowed.

2) He may have lied about his age accidentally (birth records are terrible in Kenya) but the worst they could do for that is maybe strip his HS titles. NCAA system has dudes competing that are much older than the standard age of seniors (22-23). That doesn't qualify for denial of a citizenship in my eyes.

3) If you were one of the top American runners, wouldn't you want to be pushed to the top of your game? Faster competition within the country is going to force everyone to compete at higher levels .

But I'm totally with you on trying to find out why his particular case is taking so long to be processed. I know I've read something about celebrities/notable athletes obtaining B-1 visas to stay in the country to train/compete and that a lot of times that leads to citizenship so hopefully it's only a matter of time.

I don't agree

He's not American

I'm not Chinese

Kipchoge is not German

Represent your own country. Otherwise what's the point of competing by country? Just make it all individual and forget country affiliation.

All we have to do is throw a ton of money of the #1 ranked athlete in each sport and we can win all of the gold medals. What's the point?

I have worked through this process with some friends and family members.

Based on the amount of time that Cheserek has been here, he should have been able to gain his citizenship.

So, I would wonder if he has applied for citizenship.

And, if he has, when did he start the process?

Was he perhaps weighing his options in Kenya for that team against the options in the USA, and that delayed his application?

There have been several articles over the past 2-3 years in the Eugene and Portland newspapers explaining that Cheserek apparently thought someone else was taking care of his paperwork, but they weren't. He is very tight-lipped about the situation himself, but admitted, I think, that he hadn't bothered to personally take care of the paperwork himself.

So he didn't start the approximately 5-year process until around the time he graduated from Oregon. Either he couldn't, or he screwed up, I'm not sure. I think he has a few years left to go per normal procedure.

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/08/sports/ed-cheserek-immigration.html

not born in the usa wrote:

I don't agree

He's not American

I'm not Chinese

Kipchoge is not German

Represent your own country. Otherwise what's the point of competing by country? Just make it all individual and forget country affiliation.

All we have to do is throw a ton of money of the #1 ranked athlete in each sport and we can win all of the gold medals. What's the point?

THIS!! Thank you! The US distance teams are more like the east African B team anymore.

America is the melting pot. Imagine if our past generations never migrated here? European champs would be the most competitive meet in the world besides the Olympics.

rtfn wrote:

There have been several articles over the past 2-3 years in the Eugene and Portland newspapers explaining that Cheserek apparently thought someone else was taking care of his paperwork, but they weren't. He is very tight-lipped about the situation himself, but admitted, I think, that he hadn't bothered to personally take care of the paperwork himself.

So he didn't start the approximately 5-year process until around the time he graduated from Oregon. Either he couldn't, or he screwed up, I'm not sure. I think he has a few years left to go per normal procedure.

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/08/sports/ed-cheserek-immigration.html

I think you are probably correct based on what I know about the process

not born in the usa wrote:

I don't agree

He's not American

I'm not Chinese

Kipchoge is not German

Represent your own country. Otherwise what's the point of competing by country? Just make it all individual and forget country affiliation.

All we have to do is throw a ton of money of the #1 ranked athlete in each sport and we can win all of the gold medals. What's the point?

Great so you'll have no problem sending our all American Indian team to Worlds this year since literally everyone immigrated to the US, and most at times when we had open borders. We're a country of immigrants. Immigration is a legal process. Ches clearly has been here for a long time if we're actually having this argument. He isn't a 12:59 5k runner who is trying to get it this season. & the list of Americans trying to do this is long as well with people like Pappas, Parsons, & others.

Agreed

smart man wrote:

Agreed

Disagreed

It’s not how long he’s been in the country, it’s how long he has been a resident alien (green card holder). Once he has been a resident alien for five years, he can apply for citizenship. This can take up to a year. This is the system. Ain’t nothing he can really do to speed it up.

Based on how good he was in college, and how little interest shoe companies and training groups gave him, I’m guessing he won’t be a citizen for a long time.

As U of Oregon’s best ever long distance runner, you’d expect him to be an NOP runner. Something is up with his paperwork, I’m guessing.

Is he even a resident alien?

Never give up, never surrender wrote:

I have worked through this process with some friends and family members.

Based on the amount of time that Cheserek has been here, he should have been able to gain his citizenship.

So, I would wonder if he has applied for citizenship.

And, if he has, when did he start the process?

Was he perhaps weighing his options in Kenya for that team against the options in the USA, and that delayed his application?

+1

Did he apply? I think if he was serious, got legal representation, and studied to pass the test, he'd be a 'Merican by now.

MAKE AMERICAN DISTANCE RUNNING GREAT AGAIN wrote:

I think the majority of Americans would agree that having Ches on an American olympic 5k/10k team would be great for the country. He's lived in the country for 10 years (?) now and has gone through the American high school system as well as the NCAA. Earned a degree from Oregon and has done all the right things. Why is this taking so long? Citizenship through Naturalization requires 5 years as a permanent resident. What exactly does that mean? I, for one, would much rather see Ed medal for the US than Kenya and I think he would agree. Let's send a letter to Mr. Trump and get this man his much deserved citizenship. Discus

Disagree. I want Mr. Chesrek to go back where he came from... we don't need another non american born "US citizen" mucking up american athletics. If the democracts get their way, pretty soon we will never see another american born athlete make it to the olympics because a bunch of doper kenyans will be pouring into our open border countries.