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mahatmakanejeeves

(56,906 posts)
Fri Jan 11, 2019, 10:54 AM Jan 2019

APNewsBreak: US approved thousands of child bride requests

Source: Associated Press

APNewsBreak: US approved thousands of child bride requests
By COLLEEN LONG
47 minutes ago

WASHINGTON (AP) — Thousands of requests by men to bring in child and adolescent brides to live in the United States were approved over the past decade, according to government data obtained by The Associated Press. In one case, a 49-year-old man applied for admission for a 15-year-old girl.

The approvals are legal: The Immigration and Nationality Act does not set minimum age requirements. And in weighing petitions for spouses or fiancees, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services goes by whether the marriage is legal in the home country and then whether the marriage would be legal in the state where the petitioner lives.

But the data raises questions about whether the immigration system may be enabling forced marriage and about how U.S. laws may be compounding the problem despite efforts to limit child and forced marriage. Marriage between adults and minors is not uncommon in the United States, and most states allow children to marry with some restrictions.

There were more than 5,000 cases of adults petitioning on behalf of minors and nearly 3,000 examples of minors seeking to bring in older spouses or fiances, according to the data requested by the Senate Homeland Security Committee in 2017 and compiled into a report. (1)

Some victims of forced marriage say the lure of a U.S. passport combined with lax U.S. marriage laws are partly fueling the petitions.
....

(1) https://www.hsgac.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/Child%20Marriage%20staff%20report%201%209%202019%20EMBARGOED.pdf

Read more: https://apnews.com/19e43295c76d4d249aa51c9f643eb377

37 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
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APNewsBreak: US approved thousands of child bride requests (Original Post) mahatmakanejeeves Jan 2019 OP
K&R Solly Mack Jan 2019 #1
So much for sex-trafficking laws. bullwinkle428 Jan 2019 #2
Actually, unmarried girls in conservative nations are Hortensis Jan 2019 #37
Looks like you don't really need to put tape on their mouths... jcgoldie Jan 2019 #3
Here's where they are coming from inwiththenew Jan 2019 #4
Thanks for the chart. Equinox Moon Jan 2019 #6
I think "spousal" means they already got married in the other country. catbyte Jan 2019 #10
The petitioner goes to Mexico, finds a bride and marries that person ... aggiesal Jan 2019 #14
OMG!!! I had no idea! Equinox Moon Jan 2019 #23
Or the other way around. Igel Jan 2019 #30
Two different visa categories WilmywoodNCparalegal Jan 2019 #22
Not so much for Russia and Asian countries. They are heavily into bride matchmaking advertising. keithbvadu2 Jan 2019 #5
Welcome to America, you creeps and safeinOhio Jan 2019 #7
So are Dems in congress going to reform the laws to prevent child brides? IronLionZion Jan 2019 #8
+ 1000 for best question ancianita Jan 2019 #20
Once married, Igel Jan 2019 #31
They didn't recognize gay marriages for many years IronLionZion Jan 2019 #32
Unbelievable. Just totally shocked. How can we find out how our legistaters voted ... marble falls Jan 2019 #9
Sites like 2naSalit Jan 2019 #11
I suspect that any bill would not have spoken of minors - just "spouses" karynnj Jan 2019 #16
That's exactly the problem. Its not specifically prohibited by law. This issue has my attention now. marble falls Jan 2019 #18
I'm totally with you! karynnj Jan 2019 #26
Of Course They Did - U. S. Misogyny Runs Very Deep dlk Jan 2019 #12
I would think that people could game the system to bring in people who avebury Jan 2019 #13
obviously you have not been through the process Kali Jan 2019 #27
I can attest to that CabalPowered Jan 2019 #35
I remember one time when my trasmission went out in my car, and I had to stay over in a ... SWBTATTReg Jan 2019 #15
Was the child from a foreign country? (not that a US born child bride is acceptable) nt karynnj Jan 2019 #17
Of course we would approve those applications. Adolescent immigrants don't vote.... usaf-vet Jan 2019 #19
Confusing. Is this a national security risk by chain migration covered over by child marriage laws? ancianita Jan 2019 #21
Not acceptable. paulkienitz Jan 2019 #24
The problem may be the basic rules that specify that the marriage must be legal where they will live karynnj Jan 2019 #25
That's sick and this rule needs to be changed. Power 2 the People Jan 2019 #28
Kick Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin Jan 2019 #29
How about no minimum age? Cold War Spook Jan 2019 #33
Cultural differences be damned! This is bullshit. GulfCoast66 Jan 2019 #34
Sounds a lot like legal sex trafficking to me. What is statutory rape? I am confused. allgood33 Jan 2019 #36

Hortensis

(58,785 posts)
37. Actually, unmarried girls in conservative nations are
Sat Jan 12, 2019, 08:35 AM
Jan 2019

major targets for not just sex traffickers but also serious abuse from their own families. Many girls become effectively slaves to relatives after failing to achieve the status of being a wife.

Getting them safely into the protection of marriage and the status of wives is a top priority and considered wholly respectable when the husband is a respectable choice.

These issues are not all black and white, and our first duty is to do no harm while we educate ourselves.

jcgoldie

(11,584 posts)
3. Looks like you don't really need to put tape on their mouths...
Fri Jan 11, 2019, 11:05 AM
Jan 2019

...and haul them out into the middle of the desert after all.

Equinox Moon

(6,344 posts)
6. Thanks for the chart.
Fri Jan 11, 2019, 11:39 AM
Jan 2019

I don't fully understand it though. All the countries listed are the heritage of the American petitioning? "Spousal" and "Fiance" petitions what does this mean? They don't have a spouse until they are married.

Anyway, thanks for the info.

aggiesal

(8,864 posts)
14. The petitioner goes to Mexico, finds a bride and marries that person ...
Fri Jan 11, 2019, 12:27 PM
Jan 2019

returns to the US and petitions to bring the "wife" to the US.

Igel

(35,197 posts)
30. Or the other way around.
Fri Jan 11, 2019, 06:53 PM
Jan 2019

Mr. Q. wants to emigrate to the US. His cousin's in-laws arrange for him to marry Miss P., who's 16 and an American. Miss P. is taken back to her parents' home country, marries Mr. Q., and upon return to the US petitions to have her fiance granted a visa.

It's not bringing the desirable young thing to the US, it's helping to reunite families and friends. Sometimes Miss P's relatives might be compensated with currency, sometimes it's just a friend or business partner and part of the "currency" that makes families and clans stick and work together. "Get my younger brother, Mr. Q into the US, I'll hire your cousin."

WilmywoodNCparalegal

(2,654 posts)
22. Two different visa categories
Fri Jan 11, 2019, 01:13 PM
Jan 2019

The one for fiance(e)s is the K visa. Once the visa is obtained, the couple must marry within 90 days from entry in the U.S. The other is a straight petition by the US citizen spouse on behalf of a foreign spouse and they are already married at the time of the petition.

keithbvadu2

(36,371 posts)
5. Not so much for Russia and Asian countries. They are heavily into bride matchmaking advertising.
Fri Jan 11, 2019, 11:38 AM
Jan 2019

Not so much for Russia and Asian countries.

They are heavily into bride matchmaking advertising.

safeinOhio

(32,532 posts)
7. Welcome to America, you creeps and
Fri Jan 11, 2019, 11:50 AM
Jan 2019

welcome to the land of No Fault Divorce....lots of fun in your future here.

IronLionZion

(45,268 posts)
8. So are Dems in congress going to reform the laws to prevent child brides?
Fri Jan 11, 2019, 12:02 PM
Jan 2019

or allow Trump to use this as an excuse for more racism and demonize immigrants?

One suggested reform is to set a minimum age at the federal level for spousal/fiance immigration and they have to follow it, not their home country or state law. Or we can demonize and deport the millions of brown people who have no interest in child brides.

IronLionZion

(45,268 posts)
32. They didn't recognize gay marriages for many years
Fri Jan 11, 2019, 07:01 PM
Jan 2019

they can do the same if one of the people is under a specified age. In some countries they even ask the person if they are coming in because of an unwanted arranged marriage.

marble falls

(56,371 posts)
9. Unbelievable. Just totally shocked. How can we find out how our legistaters voted ...
Fri Jan 11, 2019, 12:07 PM
Jan 2019

regarding this gross abuse of law and underaged child victims.

The AP news linked story is great.

karynnj

(59,475 posts)
16. I suspect that any bill would not have spoken of minors - just "spouses"
Fri Jan 11, 2019, 12:45 PM
Jan 2019

Then - reading it - a Congressman would see that spouses of Americans who are citizens of a foreign country are eligible to get a special type of visa. The marriage which occured in the foreign country - possibly by proxy - would be dictated by the country in question.

marble falls

(56,371 posts)
18. That's exactly the problem. Its not specifically prohibited by law. This issue has my attention now.
Fri Jan 11, 2019, 12:50 PM
Jan 2019

karynnj

(59,475 posts)
26. I'm totally with you!
Fri Jan 11, 2019, 01:28 PM
Jan 2019

The solution really has to be to set a minimum age for the VISAs. At this point, it seems that the age - by law - is the age where it

From the report:
"The fact that child marriages are legal in the United States has significant implications for
the U.S. immigration system. The INA does not prohibit minors from petitioning on behalf of a
spouse or fiancé to receive immigration benefits, nor does it prohibit a U.S. adult citizen from
petitioning on behalf of a minor spouse or fiancé.29 USCIS will only consider whether the
petitioner’s age at marriage “violates the laws of the place of celebration or the public policy of
the U.S. state in which the couple plans to reside.”30 However, USCIS does not require the minor
to demonstrate parental or judicial consent, even if the state in which they will reside would have
required it to marry.31"

Note that requiring the parental consent, when it might be the parents who made the agreement, would likely not help. I wonder if JUST requiring the person to be the age needed WITHOUT consent would correct the problem.

Here is a chart that shows the age in each state you must be to marry with or without. As the document shows states allow, under differing circumstances, child marriages. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Age_of_marriage_in_the_United_States

dlk

(11,438 posts)
12. Of Course They Did - U. S. Misogyny Runs Very Deep
Fri Jan 11, 2019, 12:24 PM
Jan 2019

This misogyny is so pervasive we often don't even see it.

avebury

(10,946 posts)
13. I would think that people could game the system to bring in people who
Fri Jan 11, 2019, 12:27 PM
Jan 2019

are having a hard time getting a visa to come to the US where the American is willing to do is just to assist someone in need. After a sufficient enough time they could get divorced and do their separate ways.

CabalPowered

(12,688 posts)
35. I can attest to that
Fri Jan 11, 2019, 11:42 PM
Jan 2019

My wife is a Chinese national and her parents work for the government. The process was invasive but appropriate as well. We came away impressed at the rigor and logic of it all.

SWBTATTReg

(21,859 posts)
15. I remember one time when my trasmission went out in my car, and I had to stay over in a ...
Fri Jan 11, 2019, 12:33 PM
Jan 2019

small town until the car was fixed. The guy repairing my transmission was so proud of his child bride. I almost puked and was so glad to leave when my car was fixed minimally, and I told the guy that I wanted the car fixed minimally so I could leave asap...I then took the car to my local mechanic.

This was around the Springfield MO area...disgusting.

usaf-vet

(6,094 posts)
19. Of course we would approve those applications. Adolescent immigrants don't vote....
Fri Jan 11, 2019, 12:53 PM
Jan 2019

...so they are no immediate threat to republicans being voted against.

Immigration is all about maintaining republican power.

Blocking likely democratic voting immigrants is preemptive voter suppression.

ancianita

(35,816 posts)
21. Confusing. Is this a national security risk by chain migration covered over by child marriage laws?
Fri Jan 11, 2019, 01:08 PM
Jan 2019

Just raising the age of consent inside and outside the U.S. would likely lower the much older immigration of "spouses," no?

karynnj

(59,475 posts)
25. The problem may be the basic rules that specify that the marriage must be legal where they will live
Fri Jan 11, 2019, 01:20 PM
Jan 2019

"The fact that child marriages are legal in the United States has significant implications for
the U.S. immigration system. The INA does not prohibit minors from petitioning on behalf of a
spouse or fiancé to receive immigration benefits, nor does it prohibit a U.S. adult citizen from
petitioning on behalf of a minor spouse or fiancé.29 USCIS will only consider whether the
petitioner’s age at marriage “violates the laws of the place of celebration or the public policy of
the U.S. state in which the couple plans to reside.”
30 However, USCIS does not require the minor
to demonstrate parental or judicial consent, even if the state in which they will reside would have
required it to marry."

The report notes that the USCIS does not require parental or judicial consent. Even if that were changed, it would likely solve very little of the problem - as no one is saying these children lack the parents' approval. In fact, it may be the parents exploiting the kids.

Looking at the table, the State Department itself rejected the 2 13 year old applications. The rest are for children 14 through 17. From the bolded text, it would seem that these are children going to live in states that allow marriage at those ages (sometimes requiring parental approval.) Scanning the document, it is clear that the USCIS does the screening for the most part.

Here is a chart that shows by state the age where marriage is allowed - with or without parental consent. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Age_of_marriage_in_the_United_States One thing immediately apparent is that many states have no legal limit if conditions are met. Note that USCIS does not require those same conditions.

It would seem that either they need a bill that sets a minimum age for any visa of these types. To prevent this - even domestically, the states would need to change their laws. Delaware and NJ changed their law to make it illegal to marry under 18. However, I would bet that as long as some states allow it, there would be out of state weddings in states with lower limits.

GulfCoast66

(11,949 posts)
34. Cultural differences be damned! This is bullshit.
Fri Jan 11, 2019, 11:16 PM
Jan 2019

I want no member of a culture that thinks a grown man marrying a 13-17 year old girl is ever acceptable in this country.

That includes the fundies from my home state of Louisiana that still defend it. The old, “my great grandmother was only 14 and my great grandfather was 24” kind of defense. It was wrong then and now.

It is straight from the Middle Ages.

 

allgood33

(1,584 posts)
36. Sounds a lot like legal sex trafficking to me. What is statutory rape? I am confused.
Sat Jan 12, 2019, 07:19 AM
Jan 2019

What separates statutory rape from child marriages? I never knew this was legal in the US. What distinguishes this from slave labor, sex with minors??? Powerful men don't discuss this part of the immigration process.

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