I've been doing my research damauli_guy. I watched that video interview of attorney Bandita Sharma Dahal and she made it sound like going in and out of US using AP is very normal and relatively risk-free (unless you're an asylee). But I've also seen threads here where people were warning each other to refrain from travelling. I'm just trying to learn as much as I can.
Thanks anyways.

Still waiting to hear back from abcxyz regarding fee waiver. If anyone else has been able to get a waiver or has any recommendations on how to, please share your knowledge!