Ingresa o regístrate acá para seguir este blog.
Listen to an audio version of this blog entry here.
@wwaycorrigan
And so it continues. The grave injustices perpetrated by the Colombian state show no signs of abating. Those who were thinking that the pandemic would result in a fairer country, think again.
Each time it seems as if we’ve had a watershed moment, we’re met with news of a new low but on the same trajectory.
A wolf in sheep’s clothing
The killing of unarmed civilians by police is one thing, but the country’s Foreign Affairs Office, La Cancillería, failing to give residency to Dominic Wolf, a 26-year-old German-Russian who has managed to sell the many great things Colombia has to offer back to Colombians, that’s an absolute travesty. Something must be done, and quickly.
Never mind the fact that his application for residency was deemed inadmissible for valid reasons — if you don’t do the time and all that. They’re silly requirements anyway. Dominic’s a German-Russian for goodness sake, he’s above these trivial things. ‘¡Qué vergüenza!’ for Colombia to even consider subjecting him to such conditions.
Let’s not focus, either, on the fact that he erroneously thinks he is the only one who has been singled out for harsh treatment by the big bad boys at La Cancillería. For the record, Dominic, not every foreigner who is granted an M visa gets it for the maximum permitted time of three years. The first M visa I got, after having had four consecutive TP 7 visas under the old system, was for one year. The second, two years. Anecdotally, it would seem getting a three-year M visa is the exception, not the rule.
‘Should Dominic get his way, the door will fling open to the rest of us with even greater grounds for unfair treatment, to the point of it possibly being unconstitutional, to take on Colombian officialdom.’
Also, as Dominic pleads for ‘fair treatment’, we shouldn’t say too much about the change.org campaign launched following his public protestations via his YouTube channel, recorded thousands of miles away from the country he loves dearly (that’s Colombia by the way, in case you haven’t picked up on that).
Sure don’t all of us currently struggling to get visas or residency here have recourse to such tools? Dominic’s just our trailblazer. What a champ.
Due to the consternation his case has caused here, there’s every chance La Cancillería will do an about-turn and grant him at least residency. There’s a precedent to this. Another influencer who has been pulling the wool over the eyes of many gullible Colombians, US native Zach Morris, was given citizenship a couple of years back after experiencing a similar episode to Dominic’s.
The initial response from La Cancillería has been to stand firm, reminding Dominic that he can apply for another visa, that it is just his request for residency that has been deemed inadmissible. The visa office might just find, however, that the less stressful solution is to give in to public pressure.
Should Dominic get his way, the door will fling open to the rest of us with even greater grounds for unfair treatment, to the point of it possibly being unconstitutional, to take on Colombian officialdom.
At least we can rely on Dominic to fight our corner, the justice warrior that he is. Mayor of Bucaramanga in 2024 perhaps? Why not? Nobody knows Colombia better than he does. It’s why he’s not even here right now, he doesn’t need to be.
Listen to Wrong Way’s Colombia Cast podcast here.
Facebook: Wrong Way Corrigan — The Blog & IQuiz “The Bogotá Pub Quiz”.
