News that Pedro and Salvacion Servano have two more months to fight deportation is promising.
The battle is far from over. The couple and their supporters must now convince a federal legislator to introduce a private immigration bill on the Selinsgrove couple’s behalf. Then the bill must pass. It is no small hurdle.
On that front, there is good news too. All three legislators — Rep. Chris Carney, Sen. Bob Casey and Sen. Arlen Specter — are reportedly reviewing the case to see if such legislation is appropriate.
It is.
Let us go back to the beginning of this tale.
The Servanos’ crime was wedding. After their paperwork seeking admission to this country was filed, they got married. When they first came to the U.S., they did so as man and wife even though their paperwork said each was single.
If Pedro and Salvacion had never married, they could have come to the U.S. and begun raising a family. Their forms would have been correct. The bureaucrats in Immigration and Customs Enforcement would have had no quibble with their paperwork.
But they wed.
Why is marital status even on the immigration forms? Why would our government punish a family for being led by a couple who sanctified their love by exchanging vows? The federal government ignores more serious violations by other illegal immigrants. Why play hardball with otherwise law-abiding residents?
The violation is a technicality — one that hardly seems worth decades of appeals. Unless you are the person being deported. In published reports, an ICE spokesman said the only reason the appeals have dragged on is because the Servanos have kept fighting. In most cases, those affected acquiesce and return to their home country. The Servanos have not done so. They should not. Our legislators have expressed their support for the couple. The best support would be action. It is what the Servanos need. It is what Valley residents should demand.
Opinion
Delay welcome, now action needed
- Opinion
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Good-paying jobs
I am writing in response to comments made by several lawmakers and certain media regarding people receiving unemployment compensation not searching for employment but only wanting extensions.
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Economy is tough but still pay rises
It was my first time attending a Lewisburg School Board meeting last night. I went to hear public comment on the Boards recent decision to extend the Superintendents contract, which included a 20-plus percent pay raise.
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Sunbury has a lot to offer
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Mutual aid is necessary
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Lifting me higher
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Understaffing
I read with interest your article regarding police mutual aid in Northumberland County.
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Carney, Marino ought to get focused on issues
U.S. Rep. Chris Carney and Tom Marino ought to focus on the issues in the upcoming campaign for Congress.
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Blatantly unfair
The Pennsylvania Republican Party is supporting an effort to strike third-party candidates from the general election ballot in November.
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Fiscal responsibility
This editorial letter is only the second such letter I have been moved to pen in my lifetime.
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Schools need a little help from home
Milton High School failed to meet its adequate yearly progress under Pennsylvania's version of the federal No Child Left Behind because one student did not show up for the standardized test.
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Good-paying jobs
