http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/13695978.htm



Posted on Tue, Jan. 24, 2006


UP FRONT IMMIGRATION
Pinup girl wants back into U.S.
An Argentine bombshell is hoping to come back to the United States after her abrupt deportation earlier this month.
BY CASEY WOODS
cwoods@MiamiHerald.com

Dorismar -- aka Dora Noemi Kerchen -- has been many things: Playboy Playmate, calendar pinup, performer at a Democratic National Convention party and purveyor of sophisticated soft-core videos inspired by Girls Gone Wild.

Now, she qualifies as an ''Alien of Extraordinary Ability'' -- but that legal designation may not be enough to get her back into the United States.

The 29-year-old Argentine sexpot -- blessed with copious curves and a seemingly boundless capacity to promote them -- was deported with her husband/manager Alejandro Schiff on Jan. 5, after five years in Miami as an illegal immigrant and Hispanic media star. Rumors flew in the Spanish-language talk circuit that her rival Sissi, a similarly voluptuous Latina model, betrayed her to immigration authorities after Dorismar landed Sissi's former calendar client. Sissi, whose real name is Isabel Fleitas, has denied it.

The supposed tiff between Dorismar and Sissi is a footnote in the saga that thousands of immigrants across the country are facing post-Sept. 11. The government has stepped up enforcement of immigration rules, making it more likely that foreign tourists who overstay their visits will face dire consequences.

Dorismar came under a special program, which ended for Argentines in 2002, that allowed tourists from certain countries to enter with only a passport -- no visa -- and stay 90 days.

Many stayed longer, banking on lax enforcement of tough penalties. Those who stay even one day over are subject to immediate deportation without recourse and generally barred from the United States for 10 years, according to Barbara Gonzalez, a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokeswoman.

All hope is not lost for Dorismar, though. Before her banishment, her lawyer successfully petitioned immigration authorities to qualify her as an alien of extraordinary ability, citing career highlights such as her inclusion in Mira magazine's list of the Top 25 ''Rears'' in the entertainment business.

As a result, she can apply for a waiver of the 10-year-ban at the consular offices in Buenos Aires.

''I have a lot of faith, and I'm praying every day that I will be able to return,'' she said from Buenos Aires. ``God is great, and I'm never going to abandon my dreams.''

Already a celebrity in her native Argentina, Dorismar quickly cracked Hispanic television when she arrived here. For a year she had her own music show, and went on to appear regularly on Univisión's El Gordo y La Flaca, where she alternately played the roles of scantily clad maid, naughty nurse and others.

In March 2003, she was on the cover of Playboy, and she performed at the Democratic National Convention in 2004.

In 2004, the Panamanian singer Edgardo Franco, also known as ''El General,'' sponsored her ''extraordinary ability'' petition. It is a special employment designation given to those who are considered to have risen to the top of their field.

As her lawyer, Michael Feldenkrais, works toward gaining a pardon, Dorismar continues her career.

One of her latest ventures is as the first headliner in a new line of sensual videos called Latinas Gone Crazy.

''Girls Gone Wild is just a bunch of drunk college girls, and we wanted to provide more than that,'' said Roly Rodriguez, who co-owns the venture with Miami rapper Pitbull, aka Armando Pérez. ``Dorismar has always had a reputation in the past of being a bit racy, and she loved the idea.''

Dorismar's Private Party was released last month, and the plot goes like this: Thirty sexy Latinas party in a mansion and most of the women end up nearly nude. Not wanting to ''taint her reputation,'' Rodriguez said he limited Dorismar's performance to a solo bubble bath scene.

Also recently, a conglomerate of trucking companies -- South Kearny Truck Repair, Florida Truck Repair Center and CPQ Freight System -- contacted Dorismar about being the exclusive face for the company, including appearing in their 2007 calendar. Sissi did the 2006 calendar, and the conglomerate is currently suing her because of problems with the calendar's production, said Paulina Fatima, the conglomerate's creative director.

The switch from Sissi to Dorismar sparked the rumors that Sissi had ratted her out.

In a prepared statement read on Spanish-language television, Sissi denied the allegations.

''As an immigrant in the United States, as a Latina, as a Cuban, I am extremely hurt and offended at the source that gave birth to this vile lie,'' she said.

Dorismar and her husband won't discuss whether they believe Sissi was involved in their abrupt ejection.

''I don't want to think that someone could try to do such damage to another,'' Dorismar said.

Dorismar was getting ready to sign the trucking company modeling contract on Jan. 5 when she heard pounding on the door of her peach town house in Doral. She jumped out of the shower and ran downstairs, only to find her husband and one of his friends handcuffed and surrounded by immigration officers.

''They tried to handcuff me right away, but I asked them to let me get some clothes,'' she said. ``They were surprised. I don't think it ever occurred to them that I would come out in a towel.''

The officers were, she notes, very nice -- even though they handcuffed her anyway as soon as she was dressed.

Eight hours later, she and her husband were on a plane to Buenos Aires.

''The way I understood it, they don't come to your door and take you away unless you're a criminal or you've done something terrible,'' she said. ``If having a dream and working to follow it are a crime, then I'm guilty and I ask forgiveness. I am asking for forgiveness.''