Nicolas Jo: Man of many facets intensely trying to hold onto his new life and to America itself

 

Nicolas Joe is no less than the very anithesis of last month's front page subject, George W. Bush, president of our country. Nicolas Jo is nearly literally on the bottom rung of the ladder in American society.
A hard-working food service specialist for nine years at Steamers Restaurant on Northeast Sandy Boulevard in Mid-Multnomah county, Jo faces imminent deportation back to his native Philippines.

 

Tim Curran

THE MID-COUNTY MEMO

 

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In 1994, Nicolas Jo was on top of the world. A native Filipino, he had just married his American pen pal sweetheart and was winging his way to the United States to live and work, fulfilling a dream shared by millions of people throughout the world.
Nine years later, Nick, as he's known to his friends, faces deportation because his marriage ended in divorce just before the required time to allow him to apply for citizenship on his own merit. If deported, Nicolas will be forced to leave behind friends, family and give up his American dream. Not to mention losing everything he has worked to accomplish here since immigrating.
Nick was born in Manila, Philippines in December 1952. His father fought alongside U.S. Marines during WW II defending his country and eventually helping defeat the Japanese occupiers.
His mother, along with Nick's father, later became naturalized U.S. citizens, both moving to the U.S. His father has since passed away but Nick's mother is alive and well, currently residing in Washington state.
Nick's formal education continued through college where he studied hotel and restaurant management. Nick speaks two languages fluently, his native Tagalog and English. He has also completed courses at Portland Community College.
At the age of eight, Nick became enamored with the martial arts and studied them with a passion. He became a Black Belt at the age of 14. He also holds a 6th degree Black Belt in the art of Muay Thai kickboxing. He was the youngest karate instructor ever at the Cebu City YMCA in the Philippines. Nick was also the karate teacher for the Malacanang palace presidential security group for three years. Nick entered dozens of contests and competed regularly from the time he was nine years old until he was 35.
Into his thirties, Nick became a stuntman for feature films on location in the Philippines. He has worked with actors Chris Mitchum, John Philip Law, and former heavyweight boxing champion Ken Norton.
In 1992 Nick started a pen pal relationship with an American woman who was to eventually change his life and become his wife. Shortly after coming to Oregon in 1995 with his new bride, Nick starts work at Steamers Restaurant on Sandy Boulevard in Mid-Multnomah county as a food service specialist. He has been at Steamers since, his role evolving to include banquet oversight and management duties.

While in America Nick discovers by accident, he has a talent for drawing, developing his talent through college art courses and many hours of practice. Nick did become proficient in many areas of art but chose color pencil as his preferred form of artistic expression. Since, he has created many renderings both for friends, relatives, and for sale. Nick's color pencil portraits are currently on display at the So Be It Gallery in the Hollywood neighborhood of Northeast Portland.
Sadly, in 1996 Nick and his wife, due to irreconcilable differences, divorced. Because Nick's marriage was just under the 26-month requirement allowing him to independently apply for permanent resident status, his standing with the Immigration and Naturalization Service became tenuous. The INS has recently ruled, shortly after Sept. 11, 2001, his matrimony a "marriage of convenience" and promised to render a decision "at any time" whether his application to remain in the United States will be accepted. If his application for permanent residence status is not accepted, Nick does have the right to appeal.
However, if Nick does decide to appeal the INS decision and subsequently loses the appeal, he's immediately deported, rendering him forever ineligible to reapply for immigration back to America.
Nicolas Jo will soon have a critical decision to make.
"Do I appeal and take the chance of losing and never seeing my home again?" he asked himself, explaining the details of his rather precarious situation to the Memo. "Or do I pack it in, return to the Philippines and apply to immigrate to the U.S. all over again?"
Nick continues, "I am very happy to be here in the United States. I love this country and it is now my home. I want to stay in America and be a productive member of society."

Steamers Restaurant owners, husband and wife Edgar and Eileen Stocker, will be much affected if Nick is deported. Edgar himself is especially sympathetic to Nick's plight as he is a naturalized American originally emigrating from Switzerland more than 30 years ago, where he and Eileen, his American sweetheart, met and married.
"Over time Edgar and I both have come to know and appreciate Nick," said Eileen Stocker, "for not only his professionalism, abilities and acumen, but also for the positive difference he's made in our lives in so many different ways." Eileen goes on to say, "Nick is a very kind, thoughtful and caring person whom I've seen help people in so many ways over the years, in anyway they needed help. We have grown to depend on Nick for so many things at Steamers. It would be hard to imagine Steamers without Nick, it wouldn't be the same."

Editor's note: Some say immigrants are sucking the life and resources from America. Then you meet a modest, unassuming, new American aspirant like Nicolas Jo. He is visibly contributing to this society and "carrying his water" every day. He gives one pause when you hear stories of immigrants using and abusing our generous American system for more than simple help.