Thread: Man dies during immigration interview; wife fears deportatio

http://www.theledger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/ ... /608190670

Published Saturday, August 19, 2006

Man dies during immigration interview; wife fears deportation

The Associated Press

MIAMI
Maritza Hernandez was joyous as she headed to the immigration office with her husband Juan. After years as an undocumented immigrant, a green card seemed finally in reach.

But Juan Hernandez had a heart attack while being interviewed by an immigration officer and died. And now his widow fears deportation, though officials aren't saying that's a path they're pursuing.

The case may be the first of its kind and it touches on the unique U.S. policy on Cuban refugees.

Juan received a green card in 1993, because federal law allows Cubans to apply for residency after a year in the country. Maritza came from the Dominican Republic in 2001, but the law allows immediate relatives of Cubans to apply for green cards under the same terms, even if they're not from the island nation.

Now, what appeared definite is in flux.

"It's possible she may be put in deportation proceedings," said Jorge Rivera, lead immigration attorney for 53-year-old Maritza.

The story began Aug. 10. Maritza was interviewed by an immigration officer for about 20 minutes, and then her husband was summoned.

The questioning came to a halt when the officer asked the man when he proposed to his wife. Juan couldn't remember.

"The officer asked again and even said, 'How can you not remember that?'" said Johanny Uzcategui-Kahn, an attorney for the couple who attended the interview.

Juan then suddenly pressed a wallet to his chest and lead against the wall. His lawyer ran to get Maritza and asked a guard to call 911.

"I thought he had fainted," Maritza said. "But then he turned pale and bluish in the face, around the eyes. I knew then he was in real trouble."

Juan was later pronounced dead at a hospital.

Rivera plans to ask for approval of Maritza's green card request despite her husband's death, but officials wouldn't say how they'll proceed.

"With every case, we take all factors into consideration, and it will be decided as dictated by the Immigration and Nationality Act," said Ana Santiago, a Miami-based spokeswoman for U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.

For now, Maritza plans to ship her husband's body back to Cuba for burial.

For now, Maritza plans to ship her husband's body back to Cuba for burial.

More evidence of assimilation?

What the real translation was " May I drop dead if Iam not telling the truth"....and now you know the rest of the story.

What immigration does not know is that the formulary with the questions they ask is available for those couples who get married for the visa. They study it before they go to the interview. Provably this man didn't know about it.

We should let immigration know about this, so they should ask some questions that are not in the list.

http://www.nbc6.net/news/9956287/detail.html

Widow Of Man Who Died During Immigration Interview Allowed To Stay In U.S.

POSTED: 2:34 pm EDT September 28, 2006

MIAMI -- The widow of a Cuban man who died while being interviewed by immigration officials will be allowed to stay in the United States.

Maritza Hernandez, 53, met with immigration officials Thursday morning and was told she would be allowed to stay.

Her residency status was in limbo after her husband suffered a heart attack while trying to get green card approval.

Usually when a spouse dies before permanent residency is approved, immigration officials will deny the case.

But Hernandez's attorney argued that this was an extreme circumstance and Hernandez should be granted residency.



http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/ne ... 630416.htm

Posted on Thu, Sep. 28, 2006

Widow whose husband died during immigration interview gets U.S. nod today

BY CASEY WOODS
cwoods@MiamiHerald.com

The undocumented widow of a Cuban man who died during an interview with a Miami immigration officer was granted U.S. residency today, ending weeks of uncertainty.

Maritza Hernández, 53, said she was thrilled by today's approval even as she grieves over the death of her 50-year-old husband, Juan Hernandez.

''I'm happy in one way, because I have my residency, but at the same time I'm sad for the death of my husband. That's always there,'' Maritza Hernández told The Miami Herald.

Juan Hernandez had a heart attack during an Aug. 10 immigration interview in which officials were trying to determine whether the marriage between Maritza, from the Dominican Republic, and Juan, a Cuban immigrant with a green card, was legitimate. He suffered the heart attack when the immigration officer asked him when he proposed to Maritza. Juan couldn't remember.

Because Juan had obtained his residency under the Cuban Adjustment Act, Maritza was likely to get a green card.

Maritza arrived in the United States from her native Dominican Republic in 2001 on a tourist visa, but overstayed and joined the ranks of millions of other undocumented immigrants in the country.