His wife died fighting for the U.S., then the U.S. deported him

[jkjk]

If he had a Parole in Place order and then had gotten his green card, why would it be complicated? It looks to me like it costs less than $1000 to get your citizenship.

It would only be complicated and drag on forever if he had criminal issues in his background....which means we should not keep him here just because he fathered a child here.

Parole in place does not grant legal permanent residency. In addition to the costs and difficulties involved for PiP (lawyers, notarizations, going to the consulate to obtain records, etc), he would have also had to apply for work permits, social security card, etc AND most importantly apply for permanent residency. Based on the length of marriage, he might only receive conditional residency. Then, he would have to apply for removal of conditions before his conditional residency expired to become a lawful permanent resident. Then after three years as a lawful permanent resident, he could apply for citizenship as a military spouse.

Every one of those steps can drag on if there any issues with the records, something is prepared wrong, etc. Furthermore, PiP for military spouses was not formalized until November 2013, so this option may not even have been initially open to him, or the lack of clear policy could have contributed to the delay. Plus throw in that his wife was deployed and he was a single father and it is easy to see how he might have difficulties.

So all-in-all, we are talking thousands of dollars, perhaps tens of thousands depending on the situation for him to become a citizen. On a PFC's salary!!!

Sure, once she died he probably received her death benefits. But by then it was too late to apply for residency as a military spouse if he did not already PiP had not already been approved at the time of her death.

 

[blackribbon]

Parole in place does not grant legal permanent residency. In addition to the costs and difficulties involved for PiP (lawyers, notarizations, going to the consulate to obtain records, etc), he would have also had to apply for work permits, social security card, etc AND most importantly apply for permanent residency. Based on the length of marriage, he might only receive conditional residency. Then, he would have to apply for removal of conditions before his conditional residency expired to become a lawful permanent resident. Then after three years as a lawful permanent resident, he could apply for citizenship as a military spouse.

Every one of those steps can drag on if there any issues with the records, something is prepared wrong, etc. Plus throw in that his wife was deployed and he was a single father and it is easy to see how he might have difficulties.

So all-in-all, we are talking thousands of dollars, perhaps tens of thousands depending on the situation for him to become a citizen. On a PFC's salary!!!

Sure, once she died he probably received her death benefits. But by then it was too late to apply for residency as a military spouse if his PiP had not already been approved at the time of her death.

PIP is only available to spouses of military personal. It is only good for 1 year (PIP authorizes the individual’s stay in the United States for a one-year period. Parole in Place for US Military Families - CitizenPath) . His wife died in 2010 so I assume it was issued before she died. I don't think 9 years (plus when it was issued) is a "snap" in time. And where do you get your figure of 10s of thousands of dollars. I saw a cost of $640 dollars application for naturalization plus $85 biometric fee to get a citizenship after a green card and the other basic requirements of citizenship. The PIP should have made him eligible for the green card if he had no criminal record. Steps to Become an American Citizen And I expect that they didn't live on just her income since he is a welder. (If they did, what has he been living on for the past 9 years?)

I have watched citizenship ceremonies and they are not primarily rich people being swore in...

 

[jkjk]

PIP is only available to spouses of military personal. It is only good for 1 year (PIP authorizes the individual’s stay in the United States for a one-year period. Parole in Place for US Military Families - CitizenPath) . His wife died in 2010 so I assume it was issued before she died. I don't think 9 years (plus when it was issued) is a "snap" in time. And where do you get your figure of 10s of thousands of dollars. I saw a cost of $640 dollars application for naturalization plus $85 biometric fee to get a citizenship after a green card and the other basic requirements of citizenship. The PIP should have made him eligible for the green card if he had no criminal record. Steps to Become an American Citizen And I expect that they didn't live on just her income since he is a welder. (If they did, what has he been living on for the past 9 years?)

I have watched citizenship ceremonies and they are not primarily rich people being swore in...

Edited the comment above to add:
PiP for military spouses was not formalized until November 2013, so this option may not even have been initially open to him, or the lack of clear policy could have contributed to the delay.

 

[blackribbon]

Edited the comment above to add:
PiP for military spouses was not formalized until November 2013, so this option may not even have been initially open to him, or the lack of clear policy could have contributed to the delay.

So he should have been deported long before now. He was not a legal citizen. He did not belong here. He should not have been allowed to work. And at the very least, maybe instead of just hoping he would never be caught, he should have gone back to Mexico and applied for citizenship the right way when he did have his military benefits and provided a secure life for his daughter as an American citizen.

You are not going to get around the fact that he has been an illegal alien for a long time before his deportation and he doesn't belong here.

 

[blackribbon]

And he probably shouldn't have qualified for the PIP in the first place if he was no longer married to a member of the military.

 

[jkjk]

PIP is only available to spouses of military personal. It is only good for 1 year (PIP authorizes the individual’s stay in the United States for a one-year period. Parole in Place for US Military Families - CitizenPath) . His wife died in 2010 so I assume it was issued before she died. I don't think 9 years (plus when it was issued) is a "snap" in time. And where do you get your figure of 10s of thousands of dollars. I saw a cost of $640 dollars application for naturalization plus $85 biometric fee to get a citizenship after a green card and the other basic requirements of citizenship. The PIP should have made him eligible for the green card if he had no criminal record. Steps to Become an American Citizen And I expect that they didn't live on just her income since he is a welder. (If they did, what has he been living on for the past 9 years?)

I have watched citizenship ceremonies and they are not primarily rich people being swore in...

PiP, Worker's Permit, Social Security Card
No filing fees, but $ - $$$$$ in lawyers fees, notarizations, requests for records from consulate, travel costs and lost wages to get to consulate and USCIS locations, etc

IR1/CR1 visa:
I-130 filing fee: $535
NVC Immigrant Fee: $325
Affidavit of Support Fee: $120
Medical exam: $
notarizations, requests for records from consulate, etc: $ - $$
travel costs, lost wages to get to consulate and USCIS locations: $ - $$$
Lawyer fees: $ - $$$$$

Removal of Conditions (if Received CR1 Visa)
I-751filing fees: $680
notarizations, requests for records from consulate, etc: $ - $$
travel costs, lost wages to get to consulate and USCIS locations: $ - $$$
Lawyer fees: $ - $$$$$

Citizenship
N-400 filing fees: $725
notarizations, requests for records from consulate, etc: $ - $$
travel costs, lost wages to get to consulate and USCIS locations: $ - $$$
Lawyer fees: $ - $$$$$

Total:
$1,705 (if IR-1) / $2,385 (if CR-1) in filing fees alone
+ Hundreds of dollars in ancillary fees (medical exam, records requests, notarizations, etc)
+ Potentially hundreds to thousands of dollars in travel costs or lost wages due to travel
+ Potentially thousands to tens of thousands of dollars in lawyers fees

We know he currently has a lawyer and has had one previously. Given his deportation and reversal of deportation, we can assume his legal fees are at least in the thousands of dollars at this point.

 

[blackribbon]

An illegal is going to be able to get those documents?

And again, getting legal citizenship would have been a top priority to me if my child's only legal parent died. He got death benefits.

Are you saying that we should just give him a free citizenship because his wife died doing her job? or that his kid is screwed because of the decisions made by her parents?

 

[jkjk]

And he probably shouldn't have qualified for the PIP in the first place if he was no longer married to a member of the military.

So he should have been deported long before now. He was not a legal citizen. He did not belong here. He should not have been allowed to work. And at the very least, maybe instead of just hoping he would never be caught, he should have gone back to Mexico and applied for citizenship the right way when he did have his military benefits and provided a secure life for his daughter as an American citizen.

You are not going to get around the fact that he has been an illegal alien for a long time before his deportation and he doesn't belong here.

We are just going to have to agree to disagree.

I am all for immigration reform, enforcing border controls, and removing illegal immigrants who pose a danger to society. But I fail to see how it is in society's interests to remove a contributing member of society who is the breadwinner for his American citizen daughter. And it is a slap in the face to the servicemember who gave her life for the U.S.

I think It's a shame that you continue to hold such strong opinions despite seeming so unfamiliar and dismissive of what the naturalization process actually entails.

 

[jkjk]

An illegal is going to be able to get those documents?

I don't understand the question.

And again, getting legal citizenship would have been a top priority to me if my child's only legal parent died. He got death benefits.

Once again, you continue to assume he did not make it a priority. On what basis are you making this assumption?

Are you saying that we should just give him a free citizenship because his wife died doing her job? or that his kid is screwed because of the decisions made by her parents?

Please don't put words in my mouth. No one ever said we should give him anything for free. You asked about the costs of applying for citizenship. I listed them.

 

[blackribbon]

I don't understand the question.


Once again, you continue to assume he did not make it a priority. On what basis are you making this assumption?


Please don't put words in my mouth. No one ever said we should give him anything for free. You asked about the costs of applying for citizenship. I listed them.

The man was an illegal resident of our country. He had the money and yet is not a citizen. His wife died 9 years ago and he would have had enough money at that time to have gotten his paperwork in order. The PIP would have allowed him to pursue his citizenship (something most illegals can't do even if they have plenty of money). That fact alone shows it wasn't a priority or he had something in his past that made him less than a desirable candidate for citizenship,

 

[blackribbon]

We are just going to have to agree to disagree.

I am all for immigration reform, enforcing border controls, and removing illegal immigrants who pose a danger to society. But I fail to see how it is in society's interests to remove a contributing member of society who is the breadwinner for his American citizen daughter. And it is a slap in the face to the servicemember who gave her life for the U.S.

I think It's a shame that you continue to hold such strong opinions despite seeming so unfamiliar and dismissive of what the naturalization process actually entails.

I do not see why he should get a pass. I do not believe that we should allow some illegal residents to stay and deport others...they both broke the same law and came here unlawfully. I do not support a government that plays favorites. Immigrate legally and be treated as a legal resident with many of the same rights and privileges of a citizen. Immigrate illegally, then you are a criminal.

His wife's sacrifice doing her chosen job doesn't buy him a pass either. Why should it?

If he was in Mexico, trying to get into the US legally when his wife died. I might feel differently. But he wasn't.

Are you going to say that it would take more than 9 years for him to get
paperwork to make him a legal resident so that they wouldn't have been able to deport him? He had the PIP. He was eligible to apply for a Green Card.

 

[mark kennedy]

...his marriage, and the fact that he has a 12 year old daughter who has already lost one parent.

I was under the impression a marriage made one a defacto citizen anyway. My concern is open boarders, chain migration, anchor babies, and amnesty for all. This guy seems like he got caught up in the system.

 

[blackribbon]

I was under the impression a marriage made one a defacto citizen anyway. My concern is open boarders, chain migration, anchor babies, and amnesty for all. This guy seems like he got caught up in the system.

No it doesn't even give you the right to live here. You still have to get your green card which he must not have done.

 

[mark kennedy]

No it doesn't even give you the right to live here. You still have to get your green card which he must not have done.

I really don't know how that works, it's complicated I suppose. There can be complicating factors like fraud and there are a limited number of visas like that allowed each year, you could end up on a waiting list. What I don't get is why this guy is getting deported when we are getting so many flagrantly illegal border crossings, you would think it would have been better prioritized. I'm not unsympathetic to someone fleeing crime and political persecution in countries like El Salvador, Honduras and Venezuela. At the same time I am adamantly opposed to open border policies even though my party appears to be sold out to it, lock, stock and barrel.

 

[dgiharris]

It feels we as a nation have lost our souls.

I'm not a fan of illegal immigration. I support any politician in their quest to solve this problem. I'd support deploying our military on the border to stop illegal immigration... basically, I'd support any "real" measure to stop illegal immigration.

But we have lost our souls and our common sense. We need to stop being mental midgets on this issue. There is a right way to do something and a wrong way to do something.

The Right Way to solve our illegal immigration problem and by "Right" I mean the way that maximizes the Utility of this country and maximizes the "goodness" for us as a whole is to PRIORITIZE YOUR ALLOCATION OF RESOURCES!!!!

If I am the fire department and there is a row of houses on fire but then there is also cat stuck in a tree, I don't get to allocate significant resources to rescuing the cat stuck in a tree and then claim "Well, both are my job, I'm doing my job so don't get mad at me I'll get to those houses later when I'm ready..."

What I demand of my government is basic human decency and common sense.

Go after all those "rapists, murderers, drug dealers, transients, etc" that are illegal immigrants. Go nuts, have contests, whatever... But any illegal immigrant that is contributing to this society and economy needs to be saved for last.

Now, in the case of this particular gentleman, his wife, a US citizen died for this country, they have a daughter who is a legal US citizen. That is the end of that. He should not be deported no matter what and shame on anyone who is okay with that. Have you no sense of honor?

Or is your honor wrapped up in red tape and bureaucracy and technicality?

Last I checked, the concept of Honor is independent of red tape and technicalities. Things are right and things are wrong all on their own. There is an inherent "rightness" and "wrongness" of things that is instinctual and intuitive.

And deporting this man is just flat out freaking wrong. It just is, and to argue otherwise is to have no honor. None at all. And it is shameful.

 

[wing2000]

I do not see why he should get a pass. I do not believe that we should allow some illegal residents to stay and deport others...they both broke the same law and came here unlawfully. I do not support a government that plays favorites. Immigrate legally and be treated as a legal resident with many of the same rights and privileges of a citizen. Immigrate illegally, then you are a criminal.

His wife's sacrifice doing her chosen job doesn't buy him a pass either. Why should it?

If he was in Mexico, trying to get into the US legally when his wife died. I might feel differently. But he wasn't.

Are you going to say that it would take more than 9 years for him to get
paperwork to make him a legal resident so that they wouldn't have been able to deport him? He had the PIP. He was eligible to apply for a Green Card.

It's clear you have no clue how slow the wheels of US Immigration turn. My wife came here legally and it still took 5 years to obtain her permanent residency. A case such as this young man could easily take 9 years or much longer. You have no basis to assume or judge what he should have done by now.

 

[wing2000]

More information was revealed today. Carranza lost a custody battle with his daughter's grandparents in 2011 and his sister-n-law writes his involvement has been "extremely minimal."

Court records also show that in January 2018, Gonzalez Carranza was ordered to pay $17,161 in back child support payments, plus $6,150 in interest.

So he might want to reconsider using his role as a father to build his case. In any case, ICE should not have deported him as there was a court ordered "stay of removal" in place." Eventually an immigration judge will decide his status.

Sister of fallen soldier speaks out against widower deported by ICE