Got the Secondary Inspection Yesterday

[moore_rb]

My step daughter Yadira, has 3 U.S. born kids and an American husband and is being deported, because she didn't come over legal to begin with. It costs me about 2000.00 every 6 months for her attorney to delay the inevitable. Sooner or later they are gonna come for her.

In these particular circumstances (husband and children who are US citizens) - what is the liklihood that she would/could get her legal immigration papers after being deported? I assume the process is long, slow, and painful, but doesn't marriage pretty much guarantee that she will get her visa?

I feel sadness for these kinds of examples- why shouldn't two people who choose to marry and raise a family have the right to live and raise their family whereever the hell they choose? It just strengthens my absolute opinion that national borders absolutely suck.

I applaud everyone who chooses to create families comprised of integrated customs, languages, cultures and histories. I can't stand that anyone else (especially the fear mongers in DC) want to keep erecting bigger and stronger barriers to this natural human integration process.

This whole thing with immigration, and border security, confiscating fruits and uncooked meats, and everybody named Robert Moore getting handcuffed because one person named Robert Moore is wanted by the FBI... it all borders on the absolute ridiculous. I mean really- all of this because of drugs and the THREAT of terrorism? for Chrissake- it would be easier, cheaper, and WAY more efficient to simply let commerce law regulate the drug trade. Didn't Prohibition in the 1920's teach this country ANYTHING? Laws that deny freedom only turn freedom loving people into criminals. The US already maintains the highest percentage of its citizenry behind bars of any nation on Earth- again I ask- does this sound like the land of the free and the home of the brave?

And, if all this border security crap is truly because of the threat of terrorism, then I fear what would come after the next terrorist attack (hint: closed borders and NOBODY coming OR going). With regards to the terror threat- laws do NOT prevent crime. Laws set the framework by which we legally treat people based on their criminal actions- All these "preventative" measures simply waste time and money. Anyone that wants to attack the US will find the way to do it. That is a scary, but inescapable fact of life. Runaway laws and gun yielding border agents do not guarantee safety.

I know, I know- I'm on my soapbox again, but I am a Patriot. I want my freedom. Borders are barriers- they make me feel like a caged animal. If Gorillas and Chimps in zoos are capable of feeling anguish, then I can dare say I understand how they feel...

But, if I denied myself the pleasure of sitting on the beach that I choose to sit on, and to fish in the water that I choose to fish in, just to avoid the 20 minutes of anguish at the border, that would mean that the zookeepers are winning, and my free spirit of liberty is losing.

OK, off the soapbox (again)

 

[Ladyjeeper]

Right on, Robert!

 

[mis2810]

Well said, Robert. See below for the answer to your question.

In these particular circumstances (husband and children who are US citizens) - what is the liklihood that she would/could get her legal immigration papers after being deported? I assume the process is long, slow, and painful, but doesn't marriage pretty much guarantee that she will get her visa?

I went through the process (minus the children) you described above. Believe me, it is HELL. Marrying a US Citizen does not guarantee an immigrant visa. Back in the 90's/early 2000's there was so much marriage/visa fraud that rules and procedures were put into place that a US citizen who marries an undocumented/illegal immigrant would have to prove a case of extreme hardship as to why the US Citizen could not live in the US without their undocumented spouse and also why it would cause the US Citizen an extreme hardship to live in their spouse's country of origin.

I did it and trust me it wasn't easy. Everyone thinks the minute you marry a foreign national the foreigner automatically becomes a US Citizen or just gets a green card. As difficult as it is for an undocumented Mexican, it's even more difficult for people from the middle east. Once the person has entered the US without a valid visa, in order to adjust status, another one of the requirements is that the person return to their country of origin while waiting for their documents to be processed. Families are separated for years on end while waiting for their cases to be adjudicated in the relevant consulate. In many cases a visa isn't granted because the intended immigrant has had problems with the law - which I completely agree with and understand. But the prolonged separation of families is still very sad.

My husband and were lucky, we were only separated for 6 weeks. I wrote on this forum awhile ago about the entire process. I'll see if I can find it.

 

[rockyptjoe]

My understanding is that if somewhat is caught and deported, it is almost impossible to get back in "legally".....I know of a few in Penasco who have come back from the states voluntarily(without getting caught/deported) to wait out their time....

 

[moore_rb]

Back in the 90's/early 2000's there was so much marriage/visa fraud that rules and procedures were put into place that a US citizen who marries an undocumented/illegal immigrant would have to prove a case of extreme hardship as to why the US Citizen could not live in the US without their undocumented spouse and also why it would cause the US Citizen an extreme hardship to live in their spouse's country of origin.

I sit here shaking my head...

"We can't deny you the right marry whoever you choose, but we CAN deny you the right to choose where you will live, so that's what we'll do..."

Brilliant in its elemental stupidity.

 

[lagrimas85]

I think the deportation will be for life,in our case. Ms2810 what happened to the couple you new from Chicago with the immigration problem?

 

[mis2810]

I sit here shaking my head...

"We can't deny you the right marry whoever you choose, but we CAN deny you the right to choose where you will live, so that's what we'll do..."

Brilliant in its elemental stupidity.

That's exactly what it boils down to. Sad to say I was grateful that I even had the opportunity to adjust my husband's status after seeing some of the trials and tribulations some people have to go through. What happened to my right as a US Citizen to the pursuit of happiness? I have to prove that my life would be an extreme hardship if my pursuit of happiness leads me to a non-US Citizen?

Also, this letter of extreme hardship is not just some: "Dear Sir or Madam: My husband needs to live with me in the US because . . . ."

It's literally a thesis. It took me 6 months of daily writing, research, gathering of medical records, etc. to work on this letter. The letter itself was 17 pages long, not counting the summary and the table of contents. There were 71 tabbed exhibits attached. It was 2 inches thick. This is NORMAL for a hardship letter. If you want to google to see what I'm talking about look up I-601 Application.

 

[mis2810]

I think the deportation will be for life,in our case. Ms2810 what happened to the couple you new from Chicago with the immigration problem?

I don't know the couple from Chicago personally. The people I was referring to that I personally know were neighbors of ours in Phoenix. I just happened to run across that article while reading the news yesterday and posted the link because it was relevant to what we were talking about - illegal parents being deported even though they have US born children.

As for the family that I know personally, the parent's were deported and the children stayed with relatives for awhile until they could decide what they wanted to do. Their choices were 1) Leave the kids with the relatives so they could grow up here in the US with a US education/health care and only see their parents during school vacations, or 2) Send the US born kids back to Mexico to be with their parents. After about 9 months they ultimately chose to send the kids back to Mexico because it was too hard for the relatives financially to take in 2 additional children (the parent's didn't make enough $$ in Mexico to be able to send money up here!), and because they just couldn't stand to be separated from their children.

 

[PitiquitoRosy]

As has been pointed out, marriage to a US citizen or giving birth to a child in the US don't automatically or immediately offer assurances that someone can stay in the States. Well, neither does an American adoption.

Please visit http://site.bringmaxhome.com/ to read about the Jeffery family. They legally adopted their Mexican-born son in Arizona when he was just weeks old. When it came time to get a passport for him, he was denied. Little Max (now 5 yrs old) cannot go home. It's been more than three years and his family has been devastated emotionally and economically by the struggle to get the American government to let him go home.

American citizens who think that marriage or having a child are an easy way to slide into the country have no idea how difficult the process is and how many good people's lives are devastated by uncaring and power-mad bureaucrats. If you think the bozos at the border get heavy-handed sometimes, that's nothing compared to what happens to some consulate employees when they're given a DENIED stamp and red ink pad.

 

[mis2810]

And while all the blowhards go on and on about Mexican immigration (legal or otherwise), take a look at what the Chinese are doing right under your noses!

http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,2077693,00.html

 

[MIRAMAR]

Can we cut out the political jabs and just talk about Penasco?

 

[mis2810]

Can we cut out the political jabs and just talk about Penasco?

I edited my post.

 

[mr.phx]

I thought the customs regs state 1 ltr, 1 whine bott, or a 6 pk per person, PER MONTH. Always wondered if the one bottle I do declare is recorded? Never been called on it... yet.

RP Homeowner friend of mine told me he got a secondary and failed to declare numerous botts of the good stuff purchased at the duty fee store. After the search, the agent asked how much he wished to declare. "I dunno, a few. Agent confiscated 3 of the 6 botts cause he only said a few. Agent went on to say, that sometimes they will allow the RETURN of overbuying to the duty fee store. Umm, where's that reciept?

 

[mr.phx]

Oh geez, there i go thinking we were talking about secondary searches and border booze cruises. Now I realized this thread was puffed up on a thread hijacking charge! UGH!

 

[mis2810]

The agent that let us go through with 3 cases of beer told me that the 1 liter rule is not a Federal law it's an AZ state law. He said if you cross through Texas you can bring in as much booze as you want. Not sure if that's correct, but that's what the guy said.

 

[Kea]

When I've taken cruises from Galveston, they tell us we can bring back one liter per person if we live in TX and 5 liters otherwise.