Posted on 05/25/2006 6:10:12 PM PDT by AZRepublican
KANSAS CITY, Mo. - The U.S. Supreme Court may have the final word on whether an immigrant mother must leave her husband and son - both American citizens - and be deported next month to her native Mexico.
Now that the Senate has reached an agreement on immigration reforms, the plight of 31-year-old Myrna Dick could also become part of the contentious debate under way in Washington, her lawyers say.
The government first tried to deport Dick in 2004, charging she lied about her citizenship while crossing the U.S. border. She was pregnant at the time of the deportation order, and a federal judge allowed her to stay, saying her fetus essentially was already a U.S. citizen.
Since then, Dick's lawyers have argued in several federal courts that she never claimed she was a U.S. citizen, but instead told officials she was attempting to enter the country illegally.
Next week, they will ask the U.S. Supreme Court to take up the case, and to stay a deportation order that would force her to leave her family by June 10.
"We've put the house on the market, I've requested all my medical records, and we're taking carloads of our things over to the church," said Dick, who has spent most of her life in the U.S. and now lives in the Kansas City suburb of Raymore. "But my husband and I are still hoping that somehow we can stay and fight the case here."
She sees a fraction of hope in a proposal sponsored by Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, D-Mo. The draft bill could allow some illegal immigrants who are married to Americans and have children born in the U.S. to remain in this country.
The proposal would create a new legal step to require the government to review such cases while keeping the best interests of the children in mind.
"There are probably thousands of people in this situation across the country and little boys like Myrna's son have rights," said Danny Rotert, a spokesman for Cleaver. "We have an obligation to protect their rights as well."
Cleaver may introduce the proposal as an amendment when the House-Senate conference committee meets to resolve the differences between the two immigration reform packages passed by Congress, Rotert said.
But unless the high court decides to stop her deportation order, Dick will likely need to return to her home state of Chihuahua, Mexico, while lawmakers wrangle over the contents of a massive immigration overhaul.
Well, I would guess it's moot, now. She can stay, decide which 3 of the last 5 years of income she wants to pay taxes on, qualify for the earned income tax credit if she currently doesn't make enough and probably qualify for several different small business loans. I, for one, am very proud that my tax dollars aren't being wasted on xenophobic goals like actually striving to secure the border!
I like how the pro-illegal groups pull out the 'tear jerker' stories to justify the crimes of illegal criminals.
BTW, I think we both have something in common! You probably find yourself apologizing to people for John McCain being the Senator from your state. I do the same for Arlen Specter! I'm not sure which of us needs to feel the most guilty!
I say let the woman stay. She married a Dick just to stay in this country. That's enough sacrifice.
and that's exactly why it makes no sense to deport her, to give the amnesty proponents a case to use as a rallying point for sympathy.
She's too short to be deported.
Nothing is stopping her husband/child from going back with her while she waits.......
She entered the country illegally twice. Once when she was 12 and her parents brought her in...and again when she was 23 years old. She went back to Mexico to attend her grandmother's funeral and lied to the border patrol when she reentered the country. She would have continued to lie about her status if she hadn't been busted. She never once tried to "make things right" so I have no sympathy for her.
I'm sure Fox would make an exception to allow hubby to work and buy property...NOT.
Twice is a felony. Oh wait, the Senate says felonies don't count....silly me.
"Now that the Senate has reached an agreement on immigration reforms, the plight of 31-year-old Myrna Dick could also become part of the contentious debate under way in Washington, her lawyers say."
Seems like the government could have come up with a better case to prosecute than this one, unless of course, they were hoping to use this case as a rallying call for liberal immigration reform. And that is why I think they really brought this case. There are millions of illegal immigrants who are better cases for deportation than this one, and they do nothing.
Dick's lawyers have argued in several federal courts that she never claimed she was a U.S. citizen, but instead told officials she was attempting to enter the country illegally.
"If so, the pro-life activists should be all over this one."
Yes, an interesting aside, not really fully explained in this article.
I started to say those with Gramm, but then he probably is the worst a talking down to the people who elected him, I think he thinks his voters are S-l-o-w.
Why would they want to buy property in Mexico when she's applying for citizenship here?
That is a very good point you make there. How can Dummyrat fools have it both ways when it comes to life?
I had to restrain myself from taking a cheap shot at Senator Graham's comment yesterday to the effect that we weren't going to just let the illegals come in and "suck us dry."
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