lansbury

Even if you have worked for the FBI and CIA, if you get caught in fraud they will take your citizenship away.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/...o;segmentTitle

lifehouse51

A pretty sad case...and I wonder how they found out that it was a sham marriage from 19 years ago? Did they interview her then-husband?

another bloody yank

It sounds like she pissed off somebody important.

Brit3964

I didn't know there were any statue of limitations for immigration. I believe for the first 2 years after gaining Citizenship they can go back and revoke it if found to be fraudulently obtained. I wonder why she didn't claim political asylum in 1989?

Bluegrass Lass

I don't understand why she wouldn't be allowed to apply for Adjustment of Status based on her 2nd marriage to a US citizen? It's all very complicated obviously, but why can't she go through that process again?

md95065

... presumably because she appears to be (and have admitted to being) guilty of fraud ...

Bluegrass Lass

I understand that fraud occurred with her first marriage when she originally came to the US. From what I could gather, she gained her citizenship through that man, and later divorced. I assumed that because the article said she had been married since 2001 and had 2 children with her spouse, but she originally entered the US much earlier than that, so she couldn't have adjusted status based on a 2001 marriage.

Does the admission of fraud on that first marriage preclude her from adjusting status based on marriage to her now husband? That's what I'm confused about.

Brit3964

Yes. They always go back and look at the first marriage. If found to be fraudulent, then you are inadmissible and put in removal proceedings. In this case it seems they didn't know about her first fraudulent marriage until they investigated and she admitted it.

lansbury

I watched the actual 60 minutes program last night. They tried to deport her back the the Lebanon, but the Court refused to allow that because of real fears she would be killed. She is not allowed to work and cannot travel more than 50 miles from her home address. The fraudulent marriage was around 20 years ago when she was 19. No mention was made of her being able to claim naturalization via her current marriage. If that is what they do to someone who has served the United States the way she has, it made me wonder what they would do to someone who misuses the VWP to get in. Why I started the thread as a warning.

Yes she made a bad mistake but sometimes the good you do should outweigh the wrongs. What got me was the FBI and CIA background checks missed the fraudulent marriage.

Family_Guy

You mean positive vetting is not positive after all? Say it isn't so

Brit3964

Unfortunately US Immigration Law as we know is unforgiving. I'd hope any CIR would include a more commonsense approach (and pigs might fly!).

lifehouse51

It just makes you feel unsafe even when you've naturalized as a citizen. You never know if the gov't can dig up something from decades ago and use against you even if you didn't intend to commit a fraud. It seems like the only way to avoid being deported is to be born in the U.S.

Giantaxe

It's the complete lack of a sense of proportion in cases like this that gets me. I wonder why she waived the statute of limitations? Presumably it was some kind of plea bargain to avoid other charges - maybe related to a security vetting - being thrown at her?

Family_Guy

OR as an alternative you can be 100% honest and have nothing to fear - just a thought

Giantaxe

In this case, sure, but in general is the world always so black and white and is everyone's memory always so perfect that they can recall everything relevant they've done in the past?

Here's a situation I know of: person answers "no" to the question about communist party membership (which I think has now been removed?). Then he recalls years later that he signed up for the university communist party in fresher's week but never went to a meeting. He's probably unwittingly committed fraud in his citizenship application - should he be stripped of his citizenship?