09 Mar 2009 @ 04:55 pmSAN ANTONIO, TX -- At least 200 immigrants nationwide face deportation under what's become known as the "widow's penalty," a federal policy ordering widows and widowers out of the country if their U.S. citizen spouse dies before their immigration application is approved. Immigration officials maintain they are simply enforcing the law, but some advocates say it's a cruel injustice to spouses who were following U.S. immigration law and suffered the loss of a husband or wife, the San Antonio Express-News reported Monday. "Our great nation cannot be seen to invite foreign fiancees, authorize them to become married to American citizens, sanction their application for legal status, allow them to establish families and a home life together, then throw the spouses out when the American dies during bureaucratic immigration processing," said Brent Renison, in a federal court filing on behalf of Gwendolyn Hanford, a Filipino woman fighting deportation.



Reply With Quote


