The complex issue of immigration has come to La Jolla — and just not from panga boats that have arrived on its beaches.
In their attempt to obtain U.S. citizenship, local residents Obed and Elena Brefo have been stymied by an administrative error and are facing some life-altering decisions.
In the short term, they are facing not being able to work legally, and they are questioning how they will continue to live in the area and care for their children.
In the longer term, the couple are waiting for the error to be resolved so they can legally remain in the country and be able to travel from and to the United States should the need arise.
Elena and Obed, born in London and Ghana respectively, both grew up in London and met while working for a Christian television program. As the two “matured in our faith,” Elena said, they fell in love and got married in 2008.
Though faith brought them together, neither imagined it would lead to Obed leading a church in America.
“I never wanted anything to do with ministry,” Obed told the La Jolla Light. “I wanted to go into the business world and start businesses.”
But after getting involved with a local church, others in the congregation suggested he explore ministry.
“We looked in the [United Kingdom] for opportunities for seminaries and Bible colleges, he said. There wasnt any there that we really wanted to invest in and pursue, but we looked at the U.S. and found there were a ton of Bible colleges.”
The couple moved to Los Angeles in 2010 so Obed could attend seminary school, living in the United States on a student visa.
“We really grew to love Southern California, not just for the weather but we saw there was obviously a need to really make a positive impact on people with the gospel,” Obed said.
In 2017, the family moved to San Diego and the following year launched King’s Cross Church, which operates at 4747 Soledad Mountain Road in Pacific Beach.
“Thats where we started to really establish ourselves,” Obed said. “I think churches have a tendency of becoming too into their little world, but we always wanted a church that would always ask the question of … what do you need and how can we serve this community?”
The church expanded its outreach over the years to host carnivals for the community at Easter and offer opportunities to feed homeless people.
Obed is now secretary on the La Jolla Town Council.
The Brefos have three children, all of whom were born in Southern California: son Jesse, 13, and daughters Keziah, 10, and Eden, 8. They all attend schools in La Jolla.
Keziah recently was named a runner-up in San Diegos Mayor for a Day competition.
Looking to make the United States — and San Diego — their permanent home, Obed and Elena started the process to obtain a green card, also known as a permanent resident card, which grants a person the right to live and work in the United States indefinitely and provides a pathway to citizenship after a specified period (typically three to five years).
Obed and Elena applied for an extraordinary abilities green card, but the application was initially denied due to a technical issue connected to Obed’s salary. A later application with more details of his salary breakdown was approved.
As a next step, the couple had to have their status adjusted so all the documentation associated with their potential citizenship matched.
The Brefos applied for the status adjustment last year, relying on the services of U.S. Rep. Scott Peters (D-La Jolla), whose office can make such a request with Citizenship and Immigration Services.
“They do it all the time and they do a good job at it,” Elena said.
But that’s where the administrative error took place.
Through what the Brefos consider a miscommunication on the part of both Peters’ office and USCIS, the application for status adjustment was tied to the green card application that was denied rather than the one that was approved.
In September, a year after filing for the status adjustment, the family was told the application was denied.
As a result, our employment authorization documents have been revoked, meaning we are no longer able to work legally in the U.S., Obed and Elena say in a statement on a web page devoted to the matter. With three kids to feed, bills to pay and mounting attorney fees, our savings are depleting quickly.
“Through no fault of our own and some administrative oversight, we’re in this situation,” Obed told the Light. “Weve complied with immigration law from the very beginning.”
“We got an email saying it had been done, so as far as we knew, everything was great, Elena said. If wed known there was any miscommunication or any hesitation to the clarity of the message from USCIS, it would have been a simple fix. We would have just submitted the form ourselves.”
The Brefos are working with Peters’ office to try to solve the problem.
“We’re filing a motion to reopen the case,” Obed said. But we need [Peters office] to expedite the process because it takes months to a year or years for USCIS to even get back to you.”
Further complicating the situation is that if they leave the country, they might not be allowed to re-enter. On top of that, Elenas father in London has an aggressive form of Stage 4 cancer.
“If there is an emergency right now, were gonna need to go back,” Obed said. “But if we do go back, we might not be able to come back.”
Recent correspondence from Peters office “assured us they are doing everything they can to rectify this issue and get a favorable decision for us, but when youre working with USCIS, theres no guarantees, Obed said. You cant go down there and speak to someone. Its like youre just a number like millions of people in this country.”
King’s Cross Church is setting up a GoFundMe account to raise money for legal fees and other financial support for the couple. Additionally, the Brefos said they would welcome introductions to people in government who might be able to assist.
For more information, visit obedbrefo.com.
During the October La Jolla Town Council meeting, where Peters was present, Elena publicly asked for help with the situation.
“I did hear a little bit about your situation and we are helping you with your appeal, Peters responded. [But] one congressman cant make national security decisions. But we will do what we can.”