Send flowers to the US immigration agency

Washington DC; Bethesda, Maryland, USA

|

July 2007

Foreign workers in the United States, many of them from India, sent thousands of flowers to the director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services as a Gandhi-inspired protest after the agency abruptly withdrew tens of thousands of job-based visas that had briefly been announced as available. The bouquets—roses, carnations, and other flowers—were delivered in large numbers and then redirected by the official to military medical centers, where patients and staff reacted with appreciation. The protesters used the floral gesture to draw attention to their frustration over the sudden reversal in green-card availability, even as lawsuits challenging the agency’s decision were being filed in court.

“A Floral Protest Over Job-Based Visas.” The Gainesville Sun, 11 July 2007. Accessed on 19 Nov. 2025: