Marine Widow Cannot Stay in USA

[David43515]

I wrote to my representative and both senators, never got so much as a form letter in reply. One had the nerve to begin asking for campaign donations though. Nice work men.

 

[David43515]

Ran across this in today`s news. Apparently she`s had to move back to Okinawa. There may be a chance for her to apply for a visa and green card in the future, but for now they can`t stay in the US. More and more often in the last 2 years I`ve run across things in the news that make me ashamed of my country, something I never would have thought I`d hear myself say. What kind of people are we becoming?

http://www.japantoday.com/category/...-to-japan-but-visa-problem-with-us-unresolved

 

[Carol]

Ran across this in today`s news. Apparently she`s had to move back to Okinawa. There may be a chance for her to apply for a visa and green card in the future, but for now they can`t stay in the US. More and more often in the last 2 years I`ve run across things in the news that make me ashamed of my country, something I never would have thought I`d hear myself say. What kind of people are we becoming?

http://www.japantoday.com/category/...-to-japan-but-visa-problem-with-us-unresolved

Keep in mind, the US did not kick her out.

The article mentioned confirms what I suggested in my post to be true. She did indeed have the means to stay longer in the US, however, she had to return to her job in Japan. She returned to Japan voluntarily.

She could have indeed stayed in the US for a longer time. But being able to stay legally in the US and being able to work legally in the US are two entirely different matters. Hotaro was in a position where she is either the first or one of the first people to put up a fair challenge to a military law that was written for an earlier time and unfortunately I don't know an easy way around that.

If her relief does get voted for in the senate, she'll get a green card which will allow her to return to the United States any time she likes and work for whomever is interested in hiring her. Unfortunately the health care debate has been stripping a lot of time and resources away from matters before our elected representatives, and I think its a damn shame the family was one of the matters that fell through the cracks.

 

[Carol]

Update:

It took, literally, an act of Congress. And it moved at the speed of Congress.

But...they did the right thing. Hotaru will be able to move to Tennessee and raise their son with the boy's grandparents :asian:

http://www.stripes.com/news/pacific...allen-marine-1.129676?localLinksEnabled=false

 

[David43515]

Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU Carol!! That`s some of the best news I`ve heard all year. And hearing it so close to Memorial Day is even better. I`m gonna go out for dinner to celibrate.(Life isn`t always pleasant, so when it is you`ve got to take time to enjoy the little victories it throws your way.)