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Family of Fallen U.S. Marine Looks to Congress to Save His Widow From Immigration Limbo

November 17th, 2010
by VJ News

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

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