Venezuelan Healey aide back at work amid visa processing fight

A member of Gov. Maura Healey's staff was back at her desk Monday, after losing her work authorization due to a policy change implemented by the Trump administration.

Valentina Amaro Bowser, a native of Venezuela who’s married to a U.S. citizen, is applying for legal permanent residence. But a new federal policy that halted immigration benefits for people from 75 countries meant her application was put on hold indefinitely, according to a complaint Amaro filed in Boston federal court in late January. The policy change caused her work authorization to expire, costing her a full-time position in the Healey administration.

On Feb. 27, District Judge Angel Kelley issued an injunction ordering the administration to process Amaro's application for work authorization.

Five weeks after the state laid her off, she returned to her role as multicultural media director for the governor.

"I know that a lot of people are going through the same, when your life completely goes to pause out of nowhere," Amaro said. "It's hard to see life in a positive perspective."

Though she's working again, Amaro’s legal fight isn't over. She has asked the judge to address the larger issue of her application for legal permanent residency, which continues to languish on hold.

“We are still waiting to hear what what will come next,” Amaro said, “and I hope it is the best decision not only for me, but also for the hundreds of thousands of people that I know this policy is affecting.”

Amaro entered the U.S. in 2013 to attend college in Miami, according to the court filing. She first received an H-1B work visa in 2019, but that status — only renewable for six years — expired in mid-February. Without a work permit, she was unable to continue to work legally.

The state held Amaro's job until she was able to return.

The Trump administration stopped processing visas for people from 75 counties on Jan. 21. A federal advisory announcing the  policy change claimed people from those countries present a "high risk of U.S. public benefits reliance." The listed countries include Venezuela, Cuba, Iran, Iraq, Haiti and Colombia. The policy does not apply to tourist visas, nor does it revoke visas already issued.

Amaro’s lawyer, Anthony Drago Jr., told WBUR he’s been fielding queries from others who are unable to get visa applications processed or renew work authorizations.

“ I'm getting emails and calls from doctors, PhDs, people that are highly educated — all they want to be is legal,” Drago said.

“But they're having to consider leaving the United States because if they can't get their pending applications adjudicated, they can't stay here illegally, nor do they want to,” he added.