Here’s how Susan Collins secured my vote | Letter
Maine Resident Credits Senator Collins With Securing Green‑Card Success for Foreign‑Born Wife
South Berwick, Maine – A resident of South Berwick, Maine, has publicly thanked U.S. Senator Susan Collins after her wife’s green‑card application was misdirected and ultimately resolved with the senator’s help. The letter, written by Mark Zimmer and published in the Maine Matters editorial section, details how a bureaucratic error nearly left the French‑American engineer stranded, but a timely intervention from Senator Collins’ office opened the door for her to work legally in the United States.
Zimmer, who holds a U.S. driver’s license and a federal voter registration, said his wife is a native of France who holds an EU passport and possesses multiple advanced engineering degrees. When the pair applied for permanent residency so she could live and work in Maine, immigration officials instructed them to await further notice. “We heard nothing,” Zimmer wrote, describing a frustrating period of uncertainty.
During the delay, his wife was forced to renew her driver’s license repeatedly and to carry a large stack of immigration paperwork whenever she traveled. The lack of progress prompted Zimmer to contact Senator Collins’ office. Collins’ staff subsequently investigated the case and discovered that the paperwork had been mistakenly sent to Portland, Oregon, rather than Portland, Maine, where the state’s immigration services are located. The clerical error, once identified, allowed the process to move forward.
“The misdirection of the documents was the root of the delay,” Zimmer recounted. “Once her staff at Senator Collins’s office realized the mistake, the paperwork was finally processed.”
Today, Zimmer’s wife runs her own engineering limited‑liability company and works as an independent contractor on advanced engineering projects throughout Maine and across the country. She attributes her ability to contribute to the U.S. economy to the assistance she received from Senator Collins and her team. “That is what effective representation looks like,” Zimmer wrote. “And that is why Susan Collins has my vote this November.”
The letter appears in a collection of editorials and letters to the editor that accompany the Maine Matters coverage of the 2026 election. Zimmer’s narrative underscores the importance of timely intervention by elected officials in immigration matters and highlights the role that state and federal agencies can play in ensuring that legal residents are not impeded by administrative errors.
While the letter is a personal account, it reflects a broader concern among Maine residents who rely on state resources to navigate federal immigration processes. The case of Mark Zimmer and his wife demonstrates how a single clerical misstep can have far‑reaching implications for individuals and their families, and how the intervention of a senator’s office can restore a path to legal work and residence.
As the 2026 election approaches, Zimmer’s letter will likely resonate with voters who value effective representation in the Senate. Whether his endorsement of Senator Collins will influence other constituents remains to be seen, but the story serves as a reminder that the details of the immigration process can hinge on the diligence of both government officials and the citizens who reach out for help.
