How do you know which visas she had, or if she was on a visitor visa? She doesn't mention the specifics in the article, nor does she say that she applied for a work visa and was denied. (She is still waiting for a decision on her current work visa application due to a filing mistake.)
It's pretty easy to figure out looking at her LinkedIn and story. She was on F1/J1 visa to study English for two years (2009-2010) and then attended Foothill College (2010-2012). I am surprised that they allowed her to go to community college when she already had B.A. for University of Bogota. I was told that this loophole was closed. I have several friends who used ESL courses and community colleges to maintain legal status in US. Usually you pay around 1k/month in tuition and it gives you legal status. Sometimes attendance is required and sometimes attendance is more or less optional. She said in story that she had four different visas - probably mix of F1/J1/B1 visas.
The only work visa she can reasonably qualify for is H1B and I am not sure what decision she is waiting for - FY2014 started 10 month ago and FY2015 starts only in October. If you look at her LinkedIn she clearly worked while in US so she broke visa rules even if she was not paid (you could not even legally volunteer while on F1/J1/B1 visa if somebody can reasonably pay for that work to US citizen). CBP officers have internet and they can certainly search FB/LinkedIn too. Unless she is wealthy enough to live 7 years in US without any income, she clearly made money somewhere.
It's dangerous to built your life on those types of visas if you do not have clear end game (marriage to USC or work visa). She played the system and she lost. I am immigrant myself and I was very careful not to have long term plans in US before I got green card because I understood that I may have to move back to my home country at any moment with only 30 day notice.
That's fair. Your original comment would have read better if you had mentioned any of this supporting evidence initially.
I could have done the same homework myself, but I felt no need to. In my opinion her visa situation is her business and although we can make assumptions, we also don't know the exact details. To me, starting from the point of view that she was in the wrong and drawing on evidence to support that assumption is a form of victim-blaming that doesn't help further the overall agenda -- immigration reform is desperately needed. Unless as an immigrant who successfully got through the system, one feels others must, in turn, dutifully pay their way. I don't feel this way, but I had an unusually easy immigration experience by all accounts.
