Family of Fallen U.S. Marine Looks to Congress to Save His Widow From Immigration Limbo
By Katie Landan
Published November 17, 2010
| FoxNews.com
AP-Hota Ferschke stands holding her son, Mikey, next to her mother-in-law, Robin Ferschke.
__________________________________________________________
The Japanese-born widow of a U.S. Marine killed in Iraq has the backing of the U.S. House of Representatives in her efforts to become a permanent U.S. citizen, but her family isn’t celebrating just yet.
Sgt. Michael Ferschke met Hota Ferschke when he was stationed in Okinawa. He was a reconnaissance officer and she was an administrative specialist.
When it was time for Ferschke to be deployed to Iraq, he proposed to Hota. They planned to marry and move to the U.S. when he was finished with his tour.
“He asked me to help her get her visa," Michael Ferschke's mother, Robin Ferschke, told FoxNews.com. "He wanted to be a dive school instructor in Florida.”
But when Hota found out she was pregnant a month after Michael left, he insisted that they get married right away. The couple was married over the phone in 2008.
“He was so happy,” his mother said. “He wanted to do the right thing ... He wanted to get (married) as quick as he could, so Hota and the baby could be taken care of until he returned.”
Michael was killed in combat a month later from that day, and his family began making arrangements for their son's widow to come to the U.S. and raise their son, Michael or "Mikey."
But they quickly found out that U.S. immigration law wouldn’t allow them to do so. Since the couple never lived together or consummated the marriage, their marriage is recognized in every way except for immigration purposes, making Hota Ferschke unable to become a permanent U.S. citizen.
Hota temporarily moved to Maryville, Tenn., to raise Mikey with her late husband's family, but she returned to Okinawa a year ago in light of the immigration snag and to resume her job.
“The pain of my son never goes away, [but] a month later you can’t find out that his wife can’t come here,” Robin Ferschke told FoxNews.com.
Though the Defense Department recognizes the marriage and paid for death benefits to the Ferschkes, the Department of Homeland Security does not.
“A country my son has died for has put us through living hell,” Robin told FoxNews.com
As far as the Ferschkes and lawmakers can tell, this has never happen before. In effort to make an exception for service members in such immigration cases, the family teamed up with lawmakers such as Rep. Jimmy Duncan, R-Tenn., and drafted The Marine Sgt. Michael H. Ferschke Jr. Memorial Act, which the House approved through a voice vote Monday.
"I’m very hopeful, but I’m very scared because I’ve been hopeful before and it gets shot down," Robin Ferschke told FoxNews.com.
The bill does not get rid of the requirement for consummation of marriage for immigration purposes. It only allows for the narrow exception for military members who married while deployed, stating “in cases where the failure to consummate the marriage is caused by a physical separation due to active-duty military service aboard by one of the parties.”
The Senate will now vote on the bill. But the family is apprehensive about the legislation's future. Robin Ferschke explained that similar measures have been previously blocked by lawmakers.
“This is a tragic issue, my son is a hero… he gave his life for his country,” Robin Ferschke said. “All I ask for them to do is to look at this differently.”
The Obama administration has displayed, more then once, their hatred for Asians. This is not the first time they has gone out of their way to manufacture an excuse to deny an Asian spouse of an American citizen entry into the USA. I have commented before on the ObamaNAZI's underhanded denial of a visa for radio hall of fame host Art Bell's wife Airyn. Mrs. Bell was denied a Permanent Resident Alien Visa, a.k.a. a "Green Card", after being granted a visitor's visa, known as a "blue card", and giving birth to their daughter while living in Nevada.
After the Bell's filed for Mrs. Bell's "Green Card" and getting a receipt that the application and other necessary documentation had been received by the Department of Homeland Security, the Bell's had a need to return to the Philippines for business reasons. Prior to returning, they contacted DHS to ask if it would affect their pending application. DHS said no, as long as they knew where to contact them. So, they left the USA. While in the Philippines, the Obama gang takes control of the government. Once in charge, the ObamaNAZI's first tried to state she missed an appointment then, changed their story and said they never received the documentation. This is the same documentation the Bell's had a receipt that Homeland Security had SIGNED FOR!
However, I think the underlying reason is far more sinister. Just within the past week, in Los Angeles, we had a murder occur. The murder was of an elderly Japanese lady living in the "Little Tokyo" section of town. She was at the station of the "Gold Line" which is one of the Light Rail train lines in L.A. The Gold Line runs through "Little Tokyo" which is close to "Skid Row". While at the station with a her sister, 84-year-old Betty Sugiyama was pushed off the platform by 44 year old Jackkqueline Pogue, an African-American resident of the Skid Row area.
The suspect said nothing as she stood up from the bench she was sitting at. She pushed the victim off the platform onto the tracks then returned to her seat like nothing happened. The victim died at a local hospital from head injuries. The suspect was immediately arrested from the L.A.P.D. arrived. I believe I have had the opportunity to hear the rantings of this murder previously while riding on the bus to downtown in the past.
While on Skid Row, I saw many Asian church groups come to skid row trying to help the 10,000 homeless. Many of those homeless are African-American. A number of times I have heard very mean comments from a number of those African-American homeless against those same Asians. I will say, no, it was NOT the majority. Most were quite appreciative. But a substantial number were very cruel in their comments and very condescending to these groups. To a point where Asian business owners that still had shops on Skid Row were called bloodsuckers. This occurred when they were the only ones who dare open businesses there and were continually subject to shoplifting and theft.
Racist Democrats, Once Again, Screw Over Asians. This Time, A Widow And Baby Of Fallen American Soldier
Family of Fallen U.S. Marine Looks to Congress to Save His Widow From Immigration Limbo
By Katie Landan
Published November 17, 2010
| FoxNews.com
AP-Hota Ferschke stands holding her son, Mikey, next to her mother-in-law, Robin Ferschke.
__________________________________________________________
The Japanese-born widow of a U.S. Marine killed in Iraq has the backing of the U.S. House of Representatives in her efforts to become a permanent U.S. citizen, but her family isn’t celebrating just yet.
Sgt. Michael Ferschke met Hota Ferschke when he was stationed in Okinawa. He was a reconnaissance officer and she was an administrative specialist.
When it was time for Ferschke to be deployed to Iraq, he proposed to Hota. They planned to marry and move to the U.S. when he was finished with his tour.
“He asked me to help her get her visa," Michael Ferschke's mother, Robin Ferschke, told FoxNews.com. "He wanted to be a dive school instructor in Florida.”
But when Hota found out she was pregnant a month after Michael left, he insisted that they get married right away. The couple was married over the phone in 2008.
“He was so happy,” his mother said. “He wanted to do the right thing ... He wanted to get (married) as quick as he could, so Hota and the baby could be taken care of until he returned.”
Michael was killed in combat a month later from that day, and his family began making arrangements for their son's widow to come to the U.S. and raise their son, Michael or "Mikey."
But they quickly found out that U.S. immigration law wouldn’t allow them to do so. Since the couple never lived together or consummated the marriage, their marriage is recognized in every way except for immigration purposes, making Hota Ferschke unable to become a permanent U.S. citizen.
Hota temporarily moved to Maryville, Tenn., to raise Mikey with her late husband's family, but she returned to Okinawa a year ago in light of the immigration snag and to resume her job.
“The pain of my son never goes away, [but] a month later you can’t find out that his wife can’t come here,” Robin Ferschke told FoxNews.com.
Though the Defense Department recognizes the marriage and paid for death benefits to the Ferschkes, the Department of Homeland Security does not.
“A country my son has died for has put us through living hell,” Robin told FoxNews.com
As far as the Ferschkes and lawmakers can tell, this has never happen before. In effort to make an exception for service members in such immigration cases, the family teamed up with lawmakers such as Rep. Jimmy Duncan, R-Tenn., and drafted The Marine Sgt. Michael H. Ferschke Jr. Memorial Act, which the House approved through a voice vote Monday.
"I’m very hopeful, but I’m very scared because I’ve been hopeful before and it gets shot down," Robin Ferschke told FoxNews.com.
The bill does not get rid of the requirement for consummation of marriage for immigration purposes. It only allows for the narrow exception for military members who married while deployed, stating “in cases where the failure to consummate the marriage is caused by a physical separation due to active-duty military service aboard by one of the parties.”
The Senate will now vote on the bill. But the family is apprehensive about the legislation's future. Robin Ferschke explained that similar measures have been previously blocked by lawmakers.
“This is a tragic issue, my son is a hero… he gave his life for his country,” Robin Ferschke said. “All I ask for them to do is to look at this differently.”
The Obama administration has displayed, more then once, their hatred for Asians. This is not the first time they has gone out of their way to manufacture an excuse to deny an Asian spouse of an American citizen entry into the USA. I have commented before on the ObamaNAZI's underhanded denial of a visa for radio hall of fame host Art Bell's wife Airyn. Mrs. Bell was denied a Permanent Resident Alien Visa, a.k.a. a "Green Card", after being granted a visitor's visa, known as a "blue card", and giving birth to their daughter while living in Nevada.
After the Bell's filed for Mrs. Bell's "Green Card" and getting a receipt that the application and other necessary documentation had been received by the Department of Homeland Security, the Bell's had a need to return to the Philippines for business reasons. Prior to returning, they contacted DHS to ask if it would affect their pending application. DHS said no, as long as they knew where to contact them. So, they left the USA. While in the Philippines, the Obama gang takes control of the government. Once in charge, the ObamaNAZI's first tried to state she missed an appointment then, changed their story and said they never received the documentation. This is the same documentation the Bell's had a receipt that Homeland Security had SIGNED FOR!
However, I think the underlying reason is far more sinister. Just within the past week, in Los Angeles, we had a murder occur. The murder was of an elderly Japanese lady living in the "Little Tokyo" section of town. She was at the station of the "Gold Line" which is one of the Light Rail train lines in L.A. The Gold Line runs through "Little Tokyo" which is close to "Skid Row". While at the station with a her sister, 84-year-old Betty Sugiyama was pushed off the platform by 44 year old Jackkqueline Pogue, an African-American resident of the Skid Row area.
The suspect said nothing as she stood up from the bench she was sitting at. She pushed the victim off the platform onto the tracks then returned to her seat like nothing happened. The victim died at a local hospital from head injuries. The suspect was immediately arrested from the L.A.P.D. arrived. I believe I have had the opportunity to hear the rantings of this murder previously while riding on the bus to downtown in the past.
While on Skid Row, I saw many Asian church groups come to skid row trying to help the 10,000 homeless. Many of those homeless are African-American. A number of times I have heard very mean comments from a number of those African-American homeless against those same Asians. I will say, no, it was NOT the majority. Most were quite appreciative. But a substantial number were very cruel in their comments and very condescending to these groups. To a point where Asian business owners that still had shops on Skid Row were called bloodsuckers. This occurred when they were the only ones who dare open businesses there and were continually subject to shoplifting and theft.
Posted at 08:01 PM in Politics and Social Commentary | Permalink