Turkish Teen's U.S. Experience Ends Abruptly in Laurel

For Armagan Kizilcan, a native of Turkey, a summer in America meant a chance to improve his English, soak up American culture and make friends. Instead, he has found himself waging a campaign to stay in the country after being terminated from a summer job attached to his work visa. He's due to leave Friday, Aug. 12.

Kizilcan, 19, is among thousands of foreign visitors who temporarily work, study or teach in the United States through the J-1 visa, or "exchange visitor" program, which is designed to foster cultural understanding. In Maryland alone, there are close to 11,400 participants under the sponsorship of 66 organizations in the program. Kizilcan participated in the J-1's summer work-travel program designed for foreign college students.

From the large port city of Izmir on Turkey's Aegean coast, Kizilcan is studying chemical engineering at a Turkish university and has lived with his sister, who is five years older, since their mother died of cancer three years ago. His father died when Kizilcan was three. He said he applied for the visa through an exchange program in his country.

Through the program, he was trained and eventually worked as a life guard at pools in the Washington, D.C., region. He believed that learning English, he said, would enhance his career choice but he always intended to return to Turkey.

Kizilcan said that from the start, he was shuffled to multiple pools, including White Oak in Silver Spring and near Laurel. He was charged fees by his employer, the Rockville-based Community Pool Services, Inc., for training he received to be a lifeguard, he said.

In July, Kizilcan said, he sometimes worked as much as 50 hours a week lifeguarding at Horizon Square, and he said his relationship with his supervisors was admittedly strained. He was written up for various violations, including leaving his work area while swimmers were in the pool. He said he received conflicting orders on regulations from supervisors, and by July 31, he was fired, he said. He had paid rent through mid-August but he was told he had 48 hours to vacate the apartment, which was secured by Community Pool Services. 

Frank Crissey, vice president of Kizilcan’s sponsor, Janus International Hospitality Student Exchange, said the evidence from his employer was overwhelming that Kizilcan had problems on the job, including several infractions.

Kizilcan said his supervisors ordered him out of his housing and threatened him with police action and possible deportation.

“I was terrified,” he said, in a heavy Turkish accent.

But Kizilcan was apparently good at making American friends. In a matter of days, he had assembled a small group of tenants in his Laurel apartment building and they began scouring immigration law. The goal was to allow him to hang on in the United States through September, his original departure date.

But as the clock winds down to his Friday departure, so do his hopes that he may be able to find a way to remain.

“I was always thinking I would find a solution—I couldn’t,” he said. “I’m upset. I have to go Friday. I’ve lost money. I haven’t got my parents.”

As Kizilcan’s sponsor, Janus is obligated to alert the government if the employer agreement for an exchange student’s visa is violated, Crissey said. He said Kizilcan’s case is rare and that his company has been working with Community Pool Services for five years and the company has a good reputation.

He said Kizilcan was offered housing elsewhere after being removed from Horizon Square but declined.

“Judgment has to be made on document occasions," Crissey said. "We have determined that it’s not an isolated occasion…[ Kizilcan’s violations] could have affected the safety” of the pool, he said. “We really didn’t have a lot of wiggle room. In this case, the employer has more credibility.”

An immigration attorney contacted by Laurel Patch said that since Kizilcan's sponsorship was terminated, he cannot legally find another sponsor under the same visa--a situation apparently deemed a shame by Kizilcan's friends and neighbors.

"He was always [at the pool]. He's an amazing swimmer. He's a real lifeguard," said Robert Spencer, 24, who is in sales and lives at the Laurel complex. He invited Kizilcan to stay at his apartment after he was fired. "He got screwed over. It’s a no brainer.”

Kizilcan said he is owed back pay but Community Pools Services won't return his calls.

“I don’t want to be in trouble,” he said. “I didn’t do anything bad.”

With little money or resources, Kizilcan said he will focus on making the most of his time. He has planned quick trips to Atlantic City and a tour of New York, from where his flight will depart.

He said he hopes to visit the country again and that despite his ordeal, he enjoyed his time in the United States.

“I was happy,” he said. “Sometimes you don’t need money to be happy.”