Interviews and video: OKC violinist and music teacher Angelica Pereira gets tangled in immigration issues with COVID-19 complications

A version of this story appears in Sunday's The Oklahoman.

Stopping the music: OKC violinist and teacher Angelica Pereira gets tangled in immigration conundrum

When Angelica Pereira plays the violin, her arms, hands and fingers become a veritable blur of fluid motion.

When she talks about her job teaching the instrument to underserved students at nonprofit El Sistema Oklahoma, her passion becomes as evident as her musical skill.

But on the professional level, the music has come to an abrupt halt for the Oklahoma City violinist.

"I am the most active person you know ... but now I'm just holding in space in limbo time," Pereira said. "Just to think about leaving the security, the safeness and the safety net that you've built for yourself here doing everything you can under the law - paying your taxes, having a mortgage, contributing to the economy and to the arts and education - and you're going to have to leave all that ... it's heartbreaking, and I would not wish this feeling on anybody."

A native of Colombia, Pereira has become entangled in immigration issues complicated by the coronavirus pandemic. Her application for permanent residency has been denied, her work visa has expired, and she is legally required to leave the U.S. and return to her native country - which she can't do because international flights to Colombia are currently grounded.

"The second I got the denial response, I tried to start finding the soonest possible flight to Colombia," she said. "But COVID has been making it impossible for me to leave the country. All my intent is to do everything as by-the-book and as lawfully as I can - as I have been doing for 12 years."

Oklahoma home

Pereira began her musical studies when she was 4 years old, and she got her first opportunity to come to the United States as a student in 2008.

"It was never my plan to be here when I was younger. I was an offered a full scholarship to come to Oklahoma City University when I was already starting my degree in Colombia. Because of this offer, I came to the U.S., and it has been the most wonderful place to build my career and my life. I've bought a home that I love, I've built a community that I love, and I have the dream jobs that I love," she said.

"People do not understand how blessed they are to be born in a country like this one. ... Colombia only has two professional orchestras in the entire country. Classical music education is not an important, essential thing in the country. For someone like that was successful since I was 4 years old - and people saw my talent from an early age - I had to leave the country in order to have a successful career. I was not going to have it in Colombia."

She spent 10 years on a student visa, earning two bachelor's degrees - in music performance and music education - and a master's degrees in performance with honors. The last two years, she has lived in the U.S. on a work visa.

For seven years, Pereira has worked as a lead teaching artist at El Sistema Oklahoma, a respected after-school program that serves more than 200 underserved Oklahoma City Public Schools students. Schoolchildren learn to play instruments in the ensemble-based program, which uses musical training to help youngsters grow as responsible citizens and community members.

"She's an excellent, excellent teacher. She's a role model for other teachers," said El Sistema Oklahoma Executive Director Kim Wilson.

For the past 10 years, Peireia also has been a violinist with the Oklahoma City Philharmonic, and she is the principal second violinist in the Oklahoma Virtuosi Chamber Orchestra.

"Not only is Ms. Pereira a talented and passionate musician, she is an important and respected member of the community at large," OKC Philharmonic Executive Director Agnieszka Rakhmatullaev said in a statement. "The Philharmonic is thankful she calls Oklahoma City home and it is our most sincere wish that Ms. Pereira will have this behind her soon and will once again be able to focus her attention on the important role she plays in our city and state.”

Citizenship journey

After 12 years of living in the U.S. - all in Oklahoma City - Pereira said she wanted to take the next step to citizenship, which is applying for a green card and becoming a permanent resident. If her application was approved, she would need to live in the U.S. for five more years and then apply for citizenship.

But artists like Pereira can face specific hurdles to citizenship, because most of them are gig workers. She couldn't apply for an EB-3 green card for employment-based permanent residency because she doesn't have a full-time job. El Sistema Oklahoma is a nonprofit after-school program, and OKC Philharmonic members work on contract.

"Those are dream jobs, the only downside is that they are not full time. So, they could not sponsor me for that secure track to permanent residency. ... Artists have a tough time finding full-time positions. You have to be at a full-time organization (or) in a tenured track position, and at the local universities here, those positions have not opened for me in the time that I've been here," she said.

"Being a musician is a full-time job in itself. You play everywhere, you teach everywhere, but in the eyes of the (U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services), you don't qualify - even if you put together all of these positions - you don't qualify for that secure option of the EB-3. It has to be one organization full-time, that's all. It is what it is."

So, Pereira tried for an EB-1 visa, which grants permanent residency for applicants with extraordinary abilities in the arts, sciences, education, business or athletics.

"If you are a Grammy Award winner or an Oscar or a Pulitzer or a Noble Prize winner, you automatically get granted this green card. If you don't have those, you can make a case. ... Then, you submit the evidence supporting that you qualify for those criteria, which is what I did," she said. "It's very, very challenging. ... It's just very subjective to the official that looks at the application."

Her application included letters of support from Sen. Jim Inofe and Rep. Kendra Horn, among others, details on her work with children with El Sistema Oklahoma and her role as principal second violinist on Gabriela Montero's Latin Grammy-winning classical album.

Still, she was denied.

"If you're denied, there are definite routes to take," she said.

But a global pandemic has a way of cutting off those routes.

COVID complications

In March, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services announced the immediate and temporary suspension of its premium processing service due to the COVID-19 outbreak.

Pereira's work visa expired Aug. 10; she didn't get her response back on her green card application until Aug. 28.

"I was able and legal to be in country as I was waiting for the green card response," she said. "If it is denied - like it was in my case - without having an ongoing legal status active, as in my case, then you have to leave the country. And I have not been able to leave the country because all flights have been canceled to Colombia."

The earliest flight she could book was due to leave Friday, but it was canceled. She booked another flight for Sept. 18, but she got word last week that it was canceled, too.

"Because of COVID, it's all frozen. I have no options to fly out, or if I fly out, whenever I'm allowed to, to get an appointment at the embassy to come back," Pereira said.

"It's a tough time. This has happened at a very unfortunate time."

She is not allowed to work, which means El Sistema Oklahoma started classes last week without one of its beloved longtime instructors, who also conducts the younger orchestras.

"We've had to rearrange positions and explain to kids why she's not there. She's missed by families. ... It's been devastating," Wilson said, adding that she is hopeful that Pereira will eventually be able to return to teach there. "It's been very nerve-wracking for her watching her go through the journey, and it's very disappointing and it's stress. ... She has lots of long-term relationships with kids and families. That part is just really heartbreaking for us as an organization."

As Pereira is working with legal counsel to try to resolve the conundrum, the philharmonic's Rakhmatullaev has offered "whatever support is at our disposal to help her reach a favorable conclusion." One of the orchestra's violinist launched a Change.org petition that has received more than 2,700 signatures, and a friend started a GoFundMe on her behalf that has raised more than $13,000.

On Thursday, Mayor David Holt invited Peireia to perform in his office for an upcoming edition of his "City Hall Sessions" music series, calling her "a very valued member of our community," and the violinist said she had a phone call with Rep. Horn Friday.

"It's the community that has reached out the media, to Congresspeople, to the Senate, to everywhere, to try to get my story heard. Of course, one hopes that someone would be able to overturn this decision, but if it's not, then I will make sure to follow every possible legal instance that is offered to me," Pereira said.

"It was the most emotional and just heart-filling experience ever. So, if there is nothing else good that comes now from my story being out there and me going through this tough time ... the support of the community has been unbelievable."

She said she is hopeful that she will get to stay in OKC and continue her journey to citizenship.

"Oklahoma City is my home. I got here when I was 18," she said. "I'm a proud Colombian, a proud Latin-American ... but I'm the person that I am now because I have been educated here. Yes, I have all my Latin roots and I'm very proud of them. I was born there, but I feel that the United States is my home country. it's the one that has shaped me as a professional and as a grown woman. ... I love it here."

-BAM

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