A US visa in 937 days (2020)

Maybe this is a cultural thing, or something.. but I cannot imagine this scenario, and saying "ok then".

I've lived in a foreign (to me) country with let's say, a "significant" amount of of red-tape for foreigners, for over a decade and I've travelled to half a dozen countries in the last two decades. The idea that I would send my current passport to "someone" by post is quite bizarre to me. I realise he did this while in his home country, but even then - the concept is very strange to me.