Skip to main content

RELEASE: REP. RO KHANNA SECURES VISAS FOR LIFE SAVING TRANSPLANT TO SAN JOSE RESIDENT.

June 20, 2019

San Jose – On Tuesday June 18, as reported in the San Francisco Chronicle, Lam Le and Hiep Nguyen were granted temporary visas in order to provide life-saving medical bone marrow to their brother, Tu Le of San Jose, who is undergoing treatment for a rare form of blood cancer known as myelodysplastic syndrome.

"I am tremendously proud to hear immigration officials agreed to grant Mr. Tu's brothers temporary visas," said Rep. Ro Khanna. "There is simply no rational reason to deny medical care to an American citizen. This shouldn't be about politics: it should be about supporting Americans. This was a phenomenal group effort by the local Vietnamese community, elected leaders, and immigration officials. Thank you to everyone who made this happen."

As first reported by the San Francisco Chronicle, the two brothers applied for visitor visas in order to provide bone marrow for the procedure, but on June 3rd, 2019 were initially denied entry into the United States.

Rep. Khanna, along with Senator Harris and Rep. Zoe Lofgren, appealed to federal officials on behalf of Mr. Le and his brothers. Rep. Khanna also sent a letter to the U.S. Consulate General in Vietnam. On June 18, 2019, the Office of Rep. Ro Khanna was informed that Mr. Nguyen and Mr. Le were granted B2 visas in order to donate blood.

Locating a perfect match for a bone marrow transplant is extremely difficult. Even within one's own family, only around 30 percent of individuals in need of a transplant find a perfect match, and the chances go down for individuals of color. Thus, bringing Mr. Le's brothers to the United States for this live-saving procedure was of the utmost importance.

###

About the Office

Congressman Khanna represents the 17th District of California, which covers communities in Silicon Valley. Visit his website at khanna.house.gov. Follow him on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram @RepRoKhanna.