Renowned Immigration Attorney Jesse Bless Comments on Landmark Adoption Case

Jesse Bless, an esteemed immigration attorney with almost 20 years of experience, including 13 years of service with the Department of Justice, has been quoted in a landmark adoption case covered by the Capital Gazette. The article, titled “An Annapolis Family’s 8-Year Fight to Get Adopted Daughter Out of Nepal: ‘She’s Coming Home One Way or Another’,” sheds light on the extraordinary eight-year struggle faced by the Skalka family as they fight to bring their adopted daughter, Bhagya, home to Annapolis from Nepal.

Bless, who represents the Skalka family in their legal battle against the U.S. State Department, emphasized the violation of due process in handling the family’s petition to adopt Bhagya. In his almost two decades of practice in immigration law, he has encountered numerous cases, but none with such a prolonged delay in processing as the Skalkas’ adoption application. The legal complaint filed by Bless on behalf of the family demands a response from the State Department in August, with the hope that a District Court judge will rule in favor of the family, ensuring that a decision is made on Bhagya’s adoption within the next 12 months.

The Capital Gazette article titled “An Annapolis Family’s 8-Year Fight to Get Adopted Daughter Out of Nepal: ‘She’s Coming Home One Way or Another'” by Dana Munro was published on Jul 20, 2023, at 3:46 pm can be read here.