Image Credit: rohrabacher.house.gov.
An 'Illegal' Speaks Out: Carley’s Story Part One
BBSNews Immigration Exclusive 2006-04-10 -- Carley is not her real name. She came to our attention in a completely inadvertant way. While the US Congress is at loggerheads about immigration.
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Republican Congressman Rohrabacher Speaks at Minuteman Project Rally on Capitol Hill.
Image Credit: rohrabacher.house.gov. |
The House moved last year to simply criminalize everyone and ask questions later. The Senate version of immigration reform touted as a "breakthrough" fell through because of some foolish Congressmen's insistence on using the word "amnesty" when the naked truth reveals that the system is incredibly broken. When Carley came to us we looked up her status. We looked up how long the waiting times are for paperwork. We looked at what it takes to become "legal" under the proposed Senate version and it is by no means amnesty.
Any sane person would realize looking at quickly available evidence that there is a huge disconnect between what the politicians are posturing about and the reality of simply just trying to comply with the regulations as they stand now.
Evidence that BBSNews has obtained shows that Carley and her latest application for relief is not even being considered yet. There is a backlog of more than two years for applications of a I-485 application in her case, "Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status".
What follows is part one of Carley's story as told by her, she has agreed to share her story with our readers. Some editing has been done for clarity. This is one person's story about what it's really like as they say 'on the ground' and she should know, she is the illegal immigrant after all:
In 1990 I came to the USA from Canada. I was 12 at the time. My family moved here for what ever reason, but I’m still here and I've been here for 15 years. From the age of 12 to 24 I have lived here illegally. I'm not going to lie.When I was 13 years old I did get into some trouble. By the age of 14 though I smartened up! When I was 16 I wanted to start working so I asked my dad for my Social Security card and that’s when I found out I was illegal.
So I got odd jobs and worked off and on the books. If I worked on the books I would quit my job before tax time and I never filed my taxes. I was afraid of getting caught working and the trouble I would be in.
By 1998 the age of 18 I moved in with my boyfriend. He knew of my immigration status; I had none.
After I moved out of my dad’s house he ended up leaving the USA to take care of my grandmother. So I stayed in the USA with my boyfriend. In 2002 I got caught working.
I was working at the place for 3 years before I got caught. My boyfriend of eight years and I went to my boss at the time to tell him I was illegal and I would really like to keep my job here if he doesn't fire me first. But my boss helped me. He talked to a lawyer for me to find out how I could stay here in the USA and with my boyfriend. After hearing all my options, which was marriage, I went home and started to pack up my things.
I felt if my boyfriend after eight years wouldn't ask me to marry me out of love, why would he marry me after me getting caught working? But my boyfriend did ask me to marry him and in October 2003 we got married.
Things were going good, I got a lawyer for my immigration and we did the paper work. So I did everything I had to do for my first meeting. At least, so I thought until I went for the meeting! The immigrations lawyer was so nice he asked me a number of questions and by the end of the appointment he said these are the things you need to bring to your next interview: I had to get my paper work from when I got into trouble at the age of 13, my husbands taxes need to be fixed and filed, and at the very end he said he does believe it is a real marriage but these things need to be fixed and in my hands by the second interview!
So we had got the stuff that needed to be fixed got fixed.
We went to the second interview; the immigration lady was the meanest and nastiest person I have ever met. She was throwing my paper work that had been approved in the first interview at me and saying this is unacceptable and it was all my husbands stuff and because my husband had health problems…
Read Carley’s Story Part Two.
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