Reservist fears wife may be deported (back to Mexico)

http://www.suntimes.com/output/news/cst-nws-deport17.html

U.S. Army Reservist Jorge Monarrez is about to be deployed to Kuwait for up to two years, but he fears that because of a clerical error, his Mexican wife may be deported while he is serving his country.

"Not knowing what's going to happen to my wife is real tough on me mentally," said Monarrez, 25, an assistant bank manager in Melrose Park, who also served six months in Kuwait in 1999. "It's not fair for my wife to be deported while I'm serving in Iraq."

Monarrez, a power generator mechanic with the 472nd Chemical Company out of Deering, says he isn't asking the government for special favors. But he is asking U.S. immigration officials to honor Maria Monarrez's application for permanent residency.

The Monarrezes filed forms for Maria's residency by the April 30, 2001, deadline under the short-lived 245i program that allowed immigrants who were children or spouses of U.S. citizens to wait for processing while they remained in the United States.

But when she decided to get married, she should have realized that this might come back to haunt her. What happens to the child if she gets deported?


rocknation

With the treatment of Naional Guardsmen regarding nonpayment issues, and poor training and inferior equipment, having our soldiers worry about their families being deported is becoming just too much.

At this rate, we'll be looking at a military rebellion before too long.