Under the laws of family-based immigration, U.S. citizens may bring spouses, unmarried children and parents (if the citizen is over 21) from foreign countries to live permanently in the U.S. In a lower preference category (longer wait for visas if visas are available at all) citizens may also bring their siblings (if the citizen is over 21) and their married adult children. Lawful permanent residents may only bring their spouses and unmarried minor and adult children.
Because the Servanos were married when they immigrated, ICE charges them with having fraudulently entered the U.S. under the false pretense of being unmarried children of an LPR or naturalized citizen.
Had I been in the young couple's shoes, (pressured into marriage by the strict father, according to a previous Daily Item article), I would not have sacrificed my imminent opportunity to immigrate and would have banked on the presumption that once in the United States, the omission of the changed marital status would be treated as an oversight. (Maybe in another political climate, it would have been).
Our community is outraged at the inhumane treatment of this hardworking family because we know that family. I wish we could expand that compassion to the thousands of anonymous, hardworking families all across the United States that are victims of immigration raids, whose children come home from school to find that one or both parents have been picked up at work and taken away -- a most cruel situation.
I hope the Servanos' plight sensitizes our community to the cruel and unjustifiable actions taken against hardworking "illegal" immigrants every day in this country. Moral and humane people should raise their voices not just for the one family they know, but for all victims of our anti-"illegal" immigrant policies and actions.
Kerry Moser,
Selinsgrove
