By R.J. Morales | TX3DNews
In Texas’ 3rd Congressional District, constituents are told they can contact U.S. Rep. Keith Self’s office for help with federal agencies, including immigration matters.
There are documented cases where that help has led to results.
There is also a case in McKinney where a constituent says it did not.
Both happened under the same office.
What That Help Has Looked Like
In communications from Self’s office, constituents describe what happened after they reached out for help.
One constituent described a long-running immigration matter that had been denied before the office intervened. According to that account, staff worked with federal agencies to have the case reopened, reviewed, and ultimately completed, correcting what the constituent described as an error in the process.
Another described an I-485 application—a key step in obtaining a green card—that had been pending for an extended period. After contacting the office, the case was followed up with the appropriate agency and ultimately approved.
A separate account involved a time-sensitive request for advance parole. The constituent said that after contacting the office, staff coordinated with USCIS, resulting in an interview being scheduled and advance parole being approved within days.
That same constituent also described ongoing communication with the office on additional matters, including assistance with a delayed international travel reimbursement issue, where staff contacted the appropriate federal department in an effort to resolve the case.
Across these examples, constituents described the same pattern: the office engaged, and the case moved forward all within the past year.
Heather’s Case
Heather Alambarrio says she followed that same process.
After her husband, Rafael, was detained following a routine ICE check-in, she said she contacted Self’s office seeking help.
Her requests focused on his detention, the possibility of release on bond, and a pending I-130 petition that had already reached the interview stage.
She described making repeated attempts by phone and email and waiting for a response.
Unlike the examples above, where constituents described receiving assistance, she said her requests did not result in any movement on her husband’s case.
Where the Two Overlap
One part of her case clearly overlaps with the office’s actions.
During a winter cold spell, Alambarrio said she contacted the office about conditions inside the Prairieland Detention Center in Alvarado, where her husband was being held. She described detainees being kept in cold conditions without heat.
According to her account, a staff member told her the office contacted ICE about the issue.
At a Wylie town hall, Self said his office had submitted an inquiry after hearing that detainees at the same facility lacked heat and access to warm clothing.
After that, she said the heat was turned on in her husband’s housing unit.
The facility is the same.
The issue is the same.
The timing aligns.
And in that instance, the office acted.
Where the Outcomes Split
After the inquiry into conditions at Prairieland, Alambarrio said she did hear back from the office.
She said a staff member spoke with her and, in her words, “listened,” and told her they had contacted ICE about the temperature issue.
On the rest of her requests, she said the outcome was different.
She said that when it came to advocating for her husband’s case—including his detention, the possibility of release on bond, and their pending immigration petition—“they didn’t do anything” and were “unwilling to do any of that.”
Unlike the examples above, where constituents described cases moving after the office became involved, she said her requests did not result in any movement on her husband’s case.
What This Leaves Unanswered
Congressional offices have limits. They cannot decide the outcome of an immigration case or override enforcement actions.
But they can contact agencies, request updates, and follow up. Those actions are reflected in the office’s own examples—and in Alambarrio’s case, where an inquiry led to a response on one issue.
On the rest of her case, she said that did not happen.
She described reaching out multiple times for help with her husband’s detention, efforts to secure bond, and a pending immigration petition—requests that did not result in any movement. She also said she did not receive a call back from the office until after her case was covered by the Dallas Morning News.
If the office can act in some cases—and has acted in cases involving sensitive immigration issues—what determines when it does?
How many attempts to contact an office should it take before a case receives attention?
And if a response only comes after media coverage, what does that mean for those who never get it?
Editor’s Note: TX3DNews contacted U.S. Rep. Keith Self’s office for comment regarding Heather Alambarrio’s case. As of publication, no response had been received.
