Mom faces deportation over 98 false claim

[almaty 19]

it doesn't bother me. my fingerprints are on file... I used to teach and now I work for a PI.

i was in the miltary..and worked for the dept of corrections..they are there

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

it doesn't bother me. my fingerprints are on file... I used to teach and now I work for a PI.

i was in the miltary..and worked for the dept of corrections..they are there

I immigrated. There you go. Although, this leaves a small chance that USCIS lost them somewhere.

[Aussielad 37]

ok, first of all, is she getting deported because she claimed to be "american"?...was it her name that she gave??

Second of all, once shes a citizen, its hard for her to be deported, as a permanent resident yes. Citizen, well, different story.

Worse things have been done by immigrants and they still get the right to stay in teh country.

[heishe 2]

Her citizenship can be revoked if it's demonstrated that she committed fraud during the immigration process. But it sounds like she doesn't have citizenship.

And who cares if she's a mom? Mothers can be criminals too. They can all move to Mexico (or wherever) if they want to keep the family together.

[LaL 418]

I am so glad to see this story dredged up from APRIL. I find this story completely scary and am familiar with it. The CBP is presenting the *fact* that she misrepresented. The problem with that claim is they cannot prove it. A few months ago Ewok posted a similar story and it amounted to they can literally state that you said this or that, and not be held liable for it. She had been going through immigration for years after coming here as a child, and is now barred for life due to a statement an officer made that is unrecorded, and not able to be proved.

Does that not scare anyone??? Does this punishment fit the SUPPOSED crime? ANd how does it factor in that the CPB officer cannot prove their claims????

[Irisheyes 0]

Seems to me that this is something that could have been cleared up a long time ago! Since when did the USCIS just take somebodys word for something. "So you say you are a US citizen? Show me the paperwork to prove it!" Easy! Done! Did I miss something?

[maya62 7]

I'm with you, Lal. It sounds pretty scary to me.

On a related note, let me don my flame-retardant suit and make the following point:

One of the reasons people want to get into this country is because of the potential of a "better life". A primary reason for the high standard of living in this country is our practice of exporting unfair labor practices (eg, child labor, etc....) and environmental degradation (eg, manufacturing, etc...) to countries with less stringent protections. Which makes those countries into places people want to "escape" from. It's OK... they can absorb our hazardous waste, and their young children can sew our athletic gear, as long as they stay where they are and keep quiet.

I believe in my heart that we will not have peace on this planet until wealth is distributed more equitably, and I certainly don't blame illegal immigrants for wanting a better life for themselves and their families. We are part of the reason they can't get that in their home countries. Somewhere between what we do (poorly regulated capitalism), and communism (which I do not advocate), there is a middle ground which involves closer regulation of our own military-industrial complex. Capitalism with a friggin' conscience, if you will. Let's go there.

Ker-plop! Ouch! Just fell off my soapbox...

Well, y'all go back to drinking your coffee now... http://www.globalexchange.org/campaigns/fa.../coffeeFAQ.html

Maya

Edited February 7, 2007 by maya62

[LaL 418]

Seems to me that this is something that could have been cleared up a long time ago! Since when did the USCIS just take somebodys word for something. "So you say you are a US citizen? Show me the paperwork to prove it!" Easy! Done! Did I miss something?

making a claim that you are a US citizen when you are not is a serious offense with stiff penalties. I will give you an example: Many of us have seen a few times over on this forum where the immigrant spouse has received a voting card. THIS is also misrepresentation of the same kind! The office issuing the voting registration is accepting this as if you are saying you are a citizen with a right to vote. It does not matter if the form is confusing and that little *box* accidentially gets checked, its misrepresenting US citizenship.

sound silly?? maybe, but its very serious.

Edited February 7, 2007 by lal_brandow

[Mags 112]

I thought she had made 98 false claims at first!

[Irisheyes 0]

Oh no, I get how serious an offence it is to falsely claim citizenship. The point I was making was that proving or disproving citizenship is a easy as showing a birth certificate, not that it wasn't a big deal that she did falsely claim it. Does a USC not have to prove citizenship when crossing borders from Canada or Mexico? She claimed citizenship at a point of entry apparently after returning from a funeral in Mexico. If it was that easy for her to tick a box and walk on through, why do the rest of them climb fences?

[rebeccajo 14]

Irish, if I am following you, you're saying the claims of the government sound a bit incredible?

For whatever it is worth, Myrna ####### is at present living in Mexico with her USC husband and son.

[Irisheyes 0]

Lol, pretty much Rebecca, yeah! I guess It's making perfect sense in my mush-for-brains! To try another way, it seems pretty incredible for the government to say "well she told us she was a USC and we believed her!" Surely she would have needed something to back up her claim. It took them years to catch up with her. I read in another article that she made this claim while entering the country. It can't be that easy to enter as just claiming to be a citizen.

Lol, maybe I am missing something, but in my head she is walking through security and a border agent says "Ma'am are you a citizen?" She says "yeah, sure!" He replies "Well then, come on in and welcome home!"

I dunno....I'm very pregnant and confused!

[zyggy 9]

Lol, pretty much Rebecca, yeah! I guess It's making perfect sense in my mush-for-brains! To try another way, it seems pretty incredible for the government to say "well she told us she was a USC and we believed her!" Surely she would have needed something to back up her claim. It took them years to catch up with her. I read in another article that she made this claim while entering the country. It can't be that easy to enter as just claiming to be a citizen.

Lol, maybe I am missing something, but in my head she is walking through security and a border agent says "Ma'am are you a citizen?" She says "yeah, sure!" He replies "Well then, come on in and welcome home!"

I dunno....I'm very pregnant and confused!

What are you talking about.. that was precisely how it was done at land borders until 9/11... An oral declaration of citizenship was good enough.. if there were doubts, that's when INS would ask for evidence to back it up.. It is now considered not conducive to security, so now it is required...

No one asks for proof of one's US CItizenship when they register to vote... an oral declaration is considered good enough... but a misrepresentation of one's US Citizenship is a serious offense..

I would have no problem if one was required to provide evidence of one's US CItizenship when one registered to vote...

Edited February 7, 2007 by zyggy

[Irisheyes 0]

Well excuse my ignorance....I'm not American, I've never crossed a land border here and I wasn't here before 9/11. But thanks for clearing that up for me! Now I do feel stupid.

If that's the case, then shame on the border agents/government/whomever is responsible.....Seems retarded for them to run around years later crying that someone lied to them to gain illegal entry. Who'd have thought!!! It's not like illegal immigration is a new phenomenon that has only surfaced since 9/11.....I dunno, I just think they would have thought of it sooner!

[zyggy 9]

Well excuse my ignorance....I'm not American, I've never crossed a land border here and I wasn't here before 9/11. But thanks for clearing that up for me! Now I do feel stupid.

If that's the case, then shame on the border agents/government/whomever is responsible.....Seems retarded for them to run around years later crying that someone lied to them to gain illegal entry. Who'd have thought!!! It's not like illegal immigration is a new phenomenon that has only surfaced since 9/11.....I dunno, I just think they would have thought of it sooner!

Chuckle.. sometime I forget the point of view that others have... I've been around land borders all my life so I forget that sometimes...

I agree.. they should have thought of it sooner...

People should remember that if the entry was illegal, then everything based upon that is also invalid.. I'm afraid to say that what is described here is not all that unusual in a lot of ways.... and can take place decades after the illegal event too place..

We are still deporting those who participated in the holocaust who have been US Citizens for more than 50 years... but during their entry they were asked about any ties to the Nazi regime and lied about it...In some cases even their children were being deported as well because their citizenship was gained from their parent... people who had been living in the US since infancy...

Is it right.. I don't know... but the law is the law...

Edited February 7, 2007 by zyggy