10/15/2024
Marcia, A Mother’s Story
My name is Marcia Dunseith, and my journey began when my stepfather was stationed in Germany. While I was attending school there, I met the person who would become my husband and the father of my daughter. We dated until my stepfather’s tour was over, and then I returned to the United States. After some time had passed, the young man I had met in Germany came to the United States on a visa. We were married in the United States but planned to start our life together in Germany once his visa expired. During that time in Germany, my daughter was born.
Unfortunately, the marriage did not last. Due to the extremities of the situation and the divorce, I was advised that the best and safest way to fight for my daughter was to come back to the United States and start the custody battle here. With the help of my lawyer and child services, I won custody of Michelle just after her fourth birthday.
I was informed that Michelle was automatically an American citizen due to my citizenship, which I believed was correct. She did not come here on a temporary visa and was given a Social Security number as soon as I gained custody of her. She went through elementary and high school, got married, had a daughter, and graduated from business school. However, it wasn't until Michelle applied for her first job that we discovered a major issue: she was not recognized as a U.S. citizen.
This revelation directed us to hiring a lawyer since we had no idea what the laws were, what we needed to do, or what documentation was required. Based on the information and the law at the time, it was confirmed that Michelle was not a citizen. This started us on a two-year journey and cost thousands of dollars to get a residency green card with the right to reside and work in the United States. It has always been our desire for her to become a U. S. Citizen, but every time the opportunity presented itself, we ran into another obstacle. We are finally at a place where we can make this dream a reality and are scheduled to meet with an immigration lawyer on July 29th.
Michelle, A Daughter’s Journey
Hello, my name is Michelle Buchanan Lethco. My journey of realizing that I was not a U.S. citizen began when I applied for my first job. As my mother mentioned, from the time I was 4 until 19, I had no idea that I was not a citizen. I went through elementary and high school, got married, had my oldest daughter, and graduated from business school—all without any problems.
It wasn’t until I applied for my first job that my citizenship was questioned. I was required to bring three different forms of identification. One of the required forms was a birth certificate and mine happens to be in German. Even though I had a Social Security card, had gone through all the above milestones and having an American citizen mother, I was told that I was not an American citizen and was in fact illegal because I did not have a green card or any documentation.
From there, we were directed to a lawyer who helped people in situations similar to ours. Because I was married, my husband at the time had to file an immigrant petition on my behalf to start the residency part of my journey. After two years, seeing four different medical specialists for required testing, making many trips to and from Atlanta for immigration and naturalization, doctors, lawyers, and spending thousands of dollars, I received my green card.
My dream has always been to be an American citizen. I have been here since I was 4, and it's all I know. I have always felt humbled to have grown up here and for the opportunities I have been given. I have talked to my half-sisters in Germany and thank God for the blessings that he has given me in this country, realizing how my life could have turned out so differently. I have always considered the United States my country. I have filed/paid taxes, paid into Social Security and invested in retirement. I am very patriotic. I stand and say the Pledge of Allegiance because to me, this is home. I grew up with an American dad who is a veteran. My parents raised me in a household that taught me how a veteran should be respected and what their service and sacrifice mean.
As an adult realizing that I was not an American citizen, I still appreciate everything that our military does to keep us safe. Finding out I was not a citizen changed nothing about how I thought and appreciate our country and our military. I am still living in a free and beautiful country because of their sacrifices. I get hurt and defensive if I see an American who does not appreciate their country or the rights they have. If only they were to step into my shoes, where I don’t have some of those rights, they would realize how precious they are.
As my mother said, we have tried to start the process a few times and always ran into an obstacle or life happened. I feel like an American. I raised two girls and helped raise three stepchildren. I have 3 grandsons and 4 granddaughters. I worked full time as a single mother for over nine years. I got a divorce, remarried, moved to Tennessee, worked full time, started my own business, and worked much more than full-time hours. As it happens to everyone at some point, life happened, it has been a beautiful life, one that I treasure—but it was either no time or the extra money wasn’t there.
In 2020, during the shutdown, I started the process of figuring out what we needed to do to get my citizenship. We found out that I never should have been given a green card and that I am indeed an American citizen with dual citizenship. To correct that mistake, we needed my grandfather’s military records. We spent the last few years requesting them from the Army and having family look through their records. Once again we have run into a brick wall.
There are some new laws in place and upcoming that have made us look into hiring a lawyer. From the consultation meeting, he verified again that I am an American citizen and there are two ways he can go about fixing my status. Because of my unique situation and having slipped through the cracks—we would never have been be able to fix on our own. He is confident that the process will be easy, meaning that he doesn’t expect to run into any obstacles.
My mom and I are very private people. Having to start a fundraiser is hard for both of us and something that we would normally never do. We have both had to deal with and are still dealing with life-changing medical diagnoses, treatment, and other challenges over the past few years. After a lot of crying and praying, I feel in my spirit that this is what God wants us to do.
I have such an amazing word and testimony of everything he showed me the night after I talked to the lawyer, I spent some time crying, because of new obstacles and then I started praying. I would normally push this aside again until a better time comes up, but as I said, there are some changes already in play that require me to do this now. Even without those changes, I still felt in my spirit that this is the time. When God shows me when, I plan on sharing my entire testimony of what he showed me. I can share some of what he showed me now.
He showed me that this has always been the time, but it was more based on when the timing of certain situations in our country started happening. He showed me that this has always been the plan and it is also the answer to a 4.5-year prayer that I have been seeking guidance, direction, and understanding for in a totally different situation. But that is another testimony for another time.
He showed me that this is the right time because people need to read and hear my story. There is so much confusion and disheartened people in our country right now. For example, with our upcoming elections, shootings, economy, etc., he showed me that my story will remind the American people about all of the good things that she is and that we are still a free country where God is still in control. Whatever happens this year, he has his hand of protection and guidance already covering it, and through them, HE Will Make America Great Again.
I see everything around me just like everyone else, but I stand for everything that is still good in this country. I see those things, but I also still see all of the beauty, the hope, the way we pull together and help our fellow Americans hit by natural disasters. I see the people in the altars praying for our country and its leaders. I see all the young people who believe that she is still worth joining the military and risking their lives for. I still believe in the American dream. Like you, I see the troubling things that plague our news, but I see all the good things that outweigh the bad. After 30+ years, one of my greatest desires is still to legally call her my country. My story is a reminder to people how blessed they are to be Americans and how one person is fighting to finally be called an American. I would love to be able to vote in this year’s presidential race, let my voice be heard as an American citizen, and try to make a difference.
Why We Need Your Help
Like we mentioned above, there is so much more to our story that we either can’t share yet or is too private and would rather share one-on-one. If anyone has any questions or wants to verify who we are, our story, or where the fundraising money goes, please do not hesitate to reach out.
We are needing to raise $5,000 to cover the lawyer, his expenses, filing and paperwork fees. The other $500 is for gas and other expenses. We are beyond grateful for anything that we can raise, even if we do not reach our goal. We recognize that in this economy, any amount given is most likely a sacrifice. We cannot express how thankful we are.
We also recognize that some family and friends would love to help but can’t. But you can help by keeping us in your prayers and thoughts..Thank you for taking the time to read our story. If you feel led to contribute to our Journey to Citizenship, we have created a gofundme page. The link is
"Help Us Achieve the American Dream: Our … Michelle Lethco needs your support for Help Us Achieve the American Dream: A Journey to Citizenship
