NEWSINTERNATIONAL IMMIGRATION

The wounds from 22,000 dashed hopes and dreams remain as painful and as gut-wrenching as they were from the outset. Yet the U.S. State Department is charging forward and conducting a new diversity lottery, with results of that drawing to be announced today. The new lottery comes on the heels of a class-action lawsuit filed against the government in federal court. Check out a great story about the diversity lottery's victims and their efforts to combat the State Department's cruel decision.

It really is shocking the way the U.S. State Department does not seem to care about this injustice. Victims of the diversity lottery told their compelling stories, and yet they have received no meaningful response to their grievances. They have spoken out on Facebook and through blogs. Change.org's petition and other petition efforts have spread the word. Still, the State Department persists, ignoring everyone and everything, and refusing to take responsibility for a glaring mistake that has wreaked havoc on so many lives.

Somewhere out there, many of the 22,000 "winners" of the 2012 State Department Diversity Lottery have yet to tell their stories. That story is far too compelling, far too important a tale to be ignored and cast aside by a fickle news cycle. Those among the 22,000 who have not spoken up should share their story now, according to Facebook organizers who are launching a new video drive. Stick around after the jump for a video made by two diversity lottery "winners."

Ever since the U.S. government officially revoked the selection letters of 22,000 diversity lottery applicants, (ruining the lives of thousands of people in a matter of minutes) many of those selected in this year's lottery have shared their compelling stories with the world. Their stories have spread throughout the web and across the globe, appearing in Facebook pages, email messages, news outlets and throughout the blogosphere. Some of them come in the form of a few sentences. Others take the form of extended web videos.

And yet, the full story hasn't been told. There are people out there who have yet to tell their story. They are being encouraged to record their stories and upload them to YouTube with the tags "dv2012," and "22000 tears."

You cannot silence 22,000 people with ease, especially when you've just nullified their one-in-a-million opportunity to become an American. This is what the U.S. government is beginning to understand, now that the victims of a State Department "computer error" have filed a lawsuit against the government in federal court. Watch a series of interviews with the "winners" after the jump.

As previously reported, over twenty thousand people received the worst news of their lives last May, when the U.S. State Department informed winners of the annual "Diversity Lottery" that their status would be revoked. The lottery is a random selection of about 50,000 U.S. immigration visas chosen from a large pool of international applications from developing nations, and it is meant to develop increased opportunity to those who would otherwise have a nearly impossible time immigrating to the United States.

The State Department has launched its own investigation into the matter. But the tens of thousands of people affected by this incident, collectively known as the case of 22,000 tears, have had their greatest dreams stolen by a few incorrect lines of computer code, and they will not sit around and wait for something to happen. A Change.org petition asking for a reinstatement of the results has already garnered over 500 signatures, and a Facebook group devoted to the 22,000 "winners" has received over 2,000 supporters.

The Canadian government has given one family an impossible choice: live your comfortable life in Toronto for a short while and then be asked to leave the country forever, or choose to stay -- but find somewhere else for your son because, unfortunately, his medical condition is far too inconvenient for the nation.

Tom Reynolds, a professor of theology at the University of Toronto, is trying to make sense of the Canadian government's decision to deny his family's immigration application. He and his two young sons, 17-year-old Evan and 21-year old Chris, have lived in Canada for four years now, and they are keen on staying. But Chris suffers from Asperger's and Tourette syndromes, two conditions that have had made life very different for the young American transplant.

Too different, it seems, for Canada to bear. The country's immigration agency has informed the family that the mere prospect of footing the bill for young Chris' condition might be utterly catastrophic, a supposed financial black hole for Canadian taxpayers. In fact, it turns out that Canadian officials have not looked into the matter very well. Chris' father is a tenured professor at a premier university, and he has been paying for his Chris' treatment out of pocket -- no small feat. Tom's employer provides additional means of financial support for Chris' medical needs, and so the "burden" on taxpayers should not be the issue.

Victory! For a loving Canadian family from Korea, justice has finally been served. After more than 7,000 Change.org members spoke out, and an entire community rushed to the family's aide, top immigration officials have decided not to banish the Moncton-based Maeng family from Canada because of costs associated with their youngest son's education and medical treatments. The young man suffers from autism and epilepsy, but caretakers say that his condition has improved considerably since he has resided in Canada.

The Moncton community was outraged that the family members, who had always contributed so much to Canada through their entrepreneurial small business, were being targeted eight years after moving to the area. While the community's efforts to bring attention to the family's plight were certainly the tipping point for fixing this seemingly-heartless mandate, several elected officials -- from Members of Parliament to Mayors -- also rushed to the Maeng family's aide.

According to Lisa Middleton, who heard about the family's story through news reports and quickly set up a petition on Change.org, "We were all really outraged, but the community got together and decided to do something about it. I was able to set up a petition on Change.org within twenty minutes, and by the end of our campaign we were able to get New Brunswick to agree to pay for the son's medical expenses. Then, it was convincing the federal government to do the right thing."

They're calling it the case of "22,000 Tears," which is more than appropriate given all the tears that have been shed so far. Last month, the U.S. government informed thousands of hopeful people from around the world that they had won this year's State Department Diversity Lottery. As previously reported, those people were taken aback when, several days later, the State Department took away all the good news in one fell swoop. Watch the video of one "unlucky winner" after the jump.

Now, the government is investigating the continuously tragic story of sudden jubilation turned to devastating disappointment. In a message to Kenneth White, an immigration lawyer in Los Angeles working hard to reverse the government's decision, the State Department's Office of Inspector General agreed to officially review the incident.

But supporters of those hurt by the State Department retraction refuse to wait for the results of any investigation. The stakes are just too high. Ever since the diversity lottery results were taken off the table, thousands of lottery "winners" have emerged to tell their stories and fight for what was promised to them -- and that many of them had began planning their lives around. Organizers have reached out to journalists and elected officials here and abroad. Many of the lottery winners have gathered support on Facebook, while still others signed on in support of Out4Immigration's Change.org petition asking the government to make good on 22,000 promises.

Imagine getting the best news you could possibly receive. This news will fundamentally change your life. You and you family will all be affected. You are happy beyond belief as you tell your whole family, quit your job, even marry your girlfriend, to prepare for life together in the United States. Then, all of a sudden, something sweeps in and tells you 'never mind.' Everything you prepared for, everything you yearned for, is now gone, a victim of some “computer error” that no one is responsible for.

This is exactly what happened to the 22,000 “winners” of the U.S. State Department’s annual Diversity Lottery. The lottery, an annual selection of about 50,000 U.S. immigration visas chosen from a large pool of international applications from developing nations, apparently suffered a massive computer meltdown this year. According to State Department officials, the computer program used to determine the lottery winners erroneously selected from among the first few days of the application period, therefore nullifying any result.

Officials say the event was a mistake, and have apologized. However, the official State Department letter of regret arrived a full two weeks after many of the "winners" were given the good news. The State Department has since canceled and deleted the results, sparking a firestorm of protest that includes a petition on Change.org that attracted hundreds of signatures in its first week.

On March 19, 2011, the United States, France and the United Kingdom launched attacks on Libyan defensive infrastructure and ground forces. With a war against Libya underway and violent turmoil within the country, is the Obama Administration still deporting Libyan nationals and requiring visitors and students to abide by visa restrictions to return to the warzone?

We hope not. But one glance at the USCIS site, and there is currently no press statement or policy in place for nationals from Libya who may be in the United States currently visiting or studying. Granted the population of Libyans in the United States is probably minuscule when compared to populations in the rest of Europe, but that is all the more reason for the Department of Homeland Security to come out with a statement or policy immediately.

Last month, I reported on the disappearance of forty Central American migrants in Mexico. Over 100 Change.org members demanded the Mexican government investigate allegations of police misconduct in direct relation to the possible kidnapping and murder of dozens of men, women and children. Now, reports confirm that the Mexican Senate is willing to hear out grievances put forth by activists around the world.

Just in time, because Mexico is quickly becoming a nightmare for Central American migrants. For the past year, the news out of Mexico concerning Central American migrants has morphed from fearful to outright horrifying. The killing of over 70 Central American last August is a now infamous example of the risk migrants take while traveling through Mexico to get to the United States. And it's only going to get worse if the Mexican government doesn't do something about it now.

Fifty-three Rohingya "boat people" have been detained in isolated Thai prisons since 2009. Their crime? Fleeing brutal persecution in their homeland of Burma. In late January, Thailand nabbed another 158 Rohingya who had survived a harrowing journey on ramshackle home-made boats. Thai officials threw them directly into prison.

Despite the known mistreatment of Rohingya in Burma, the Thai government is refusing to recognize the migrants as refugees. Worse, it is blocking the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees from visiting the detained Rohingya, thus sequestering them from any legal defense or opportunity for protection.