A Slovakian musher living in Tok filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services and three Biden-administration officials in April over her denied immigration petition
ANCHORAGE, Alaska - A Slovakian musher living in Tok filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services and three Biden-administration officials in April over her denied immigration petition, according to Haley Lehman with the Silvia Kleinova , 48, filed for permanent residency in the United States in November 2021 based on her accomplishments in sled dog racing.
Under U.S. immigration law, green cards can be granted to immigrants at the top of their field in athletics under the extraordinary ability classification. Kleinova started mushing at 18-years-old and stated in her petition that she has been dedicated to sled dog racing and the breeding and training of Siberian huskies since then. She moved to Alaska with her spouse in December 2012. Kleinova won the International Federation of Sledding Sports World Cup in the four dog class for registered Nordic breeds in January 2017 and the IFSS Global and Continental Europe World Cup in the 2016-2017 season as a member of the Czech Republic team. She went on to compete for Team USA in the 2018-2019 season where she won four gold medals. In her petition for permanent residency, Kleinova included letters from the president of Czech Association of Sleddog Sports, president of the International Federation of Sledding Sports and former president of the United States Federation of Sled Dog Sports affirming that Kleinova is a top athlete in her field. The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services denied Kleinova’s petition in October 2023, writing that the awards Kleinova received “do not appear to be major, internationally recognized awards.” Her application did not reflect that she had national or international acclaim, the denial said, and she did not provide sufficient evidence of her membership to the IFSS. Kleinova appealed the decision in 2023 and received letters upholding the denial in August 2024, May 2025 and November 2025. A motion to reconsider her petition was dismissed in March.in April. She asked the court to declare that the USCIS violated the Administrative Procedure Act and remand the case back to USCIS for reconsideration. “As an athlete who has represented the United States to the best of my ability, with full dedication and commitment to training and competition, this decision has been extremely disappointing. I have devoted years of effort to building and training my team and achieving success at the highest level of my sport,” she wrote. Kleinova filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services and three officials under President Joseph Biden’s administration, Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas, Director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Ur Jaddou and Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. The case was assigned to Chief U.S. District Judge Sharon L. Gleason. Kleinova wrote that “USCIS discounted Plaintiff’s evidence of competitive success, awards, and recognition, including race results and gold medals, and failed to give appropriate weight to her participation at the highest levels of her sport.” The Department of Homeland Security and Kleinova did not immediately respond to the Alaska Beacon’s request for comment.MrBeast announces new challenge video in Alaska, seeks local participantsBoulder strikes moving car on Seward HighwayNative Youth Olympics set to return for 40th year
Alaska Beacon Haley Lehman Alaska Musher Lawsuit Alaska Musher Immigration Case U.S. Citizenship And Immigration Services Slovakian Musher Alaska
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