Thread: Missing Soldiers Wife gets Green Card

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,287597,00.html

BOSTON — Yaderlin Hiraldo Jimenez, the wife of missing Army Spec. Alex Jimenez, no longer has to worry about being deported as she awaits word of her husband's fate.

On Friday, Yaderlin walked into a Citizenship and Immigration Services office in Buffalo, New York. She left with a green card in her hand, guaranteeing she can stay in the U.S. for the rest of her life.

"She was moved to tears," her lawyer Matthew Kolken, who went with her to the immigration office, told the Boston Sunday Globe.

"Her immigration problems have been solved in their entirety and now her focus is completely dedicated to her hope and desire that she's going to see her husband again," Kolken added.

The move came after U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff said last month that his agency would "terminate" the deportation case against Yaderlin so she could stay in the country and apply for permanent resident status.

At the time, Chertoff said in a letter to Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., that "the sacrifices made by our soldiers and their families deserve our greatest respect."

Jimenez had petitioned for a green card for his wife, whom he married in 2004.
Yaderlin illegally entered the United States from the Dominican Republic in June 2001, paying $500 to a smuggler and walking three days from Mexico to California.

Her husband's request for a green card and legal residence status for her alerted authorities to her situation.

She has been living in Pennsylvania and had been facing deportation but an immigration judge put a temporary stop to the proceedings after Jimenez was reported missing.

On Friday, the Pentagon changed the status of Jimenez and Fouty from "whereabouts unknown" to "missing/captured."

The change reflects an official determination that the two were seized by hostile forces. The earlier designation is typically used when a soldier goes missing but military officials have not confirmed the circumstances.

The change does not mean the military has gained any new information about their whereabouts.

An Iraqi insurgent group claimed in a video posted on the Internet last month that the missing soldiers were killed and buried, but offered no proof they were dead.

Kolken said Yaderlin hopes to apply for citizenship so she can eventually vote. She also hopes to attend college, he said.

"She commented about how much she loved this country," Kolken said.

I missed a question on my last advancement exam because of this policy.

I chose C) Deport her

This story is absolutely accurate. An Illegal Alien spouse or Foreign National Spouse will get permanent residence, and all benefits of a surviving spouse.

Now this is one that I agree with. Not that the young lady deserved it, but our soldier certainly deserves the highest respect and extra consideration for his family.