El Norte

Guy_Inamonkeysuit — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 08:10:13 -0800

Illegal immigrant filter: I'm researching another short story. Civilian militias patrol US borders looking for illegals in the Southwest, but I don't understand the legal underpinnings. Under what US law do these groups operate that allows them to detain people and turn them over to the Border Patrol? How does the process work?

Help requested identifying a novel I read in the early 1990s involving Triads and illegal Chinese immigration.

Ralph — Sat, 03 Sep 2011 13:11:57 -0800

Help requested identifying a novel I read in the early 1990s involving Triads and illegal Chinese immigration. There was an American who was tasked with transporting a Chinese illegal alien across parts of the western US in an automobile (car or pickup truck). I think his eventual destination was WA or OR, and parts of the story were in CA, in a sweatshop (I think). The Triads were involved. Any candidate titles or assistance is greatly appreciated. Thank you Thank you Thank you.

Illegal Immigrants in College

madmamasmith — Sat, 22 Mar 2008 18:04:22 -0800

Can anyone tell me the percentage of children of illegal immigrants who attend college? Specifically in Texas. We are arguing the HB 104 (in state tuition bill) in my government class and I need to know how many children of illegal immigrants who were not born in the US actually attend institutions of higher education....

Marrying a 20-year visa overstayer

Anonymous — Mon, 20 Nov 2006 15:36:45 -0800

My girlfriend is a very illegal immigrant living in the United States. When we get married, what will the residency process be like? About 25 years ago, my girlfriend (let's call her Jane) moved to the US from the Pacific Islands with her father, mother, and siblings. From what I understand of the situation, her father was on an L1 visa and the rest of the family were on L2s, all temporary visas. Those visas expired within a couple years of their immigration, and yet they have lived their lives here illegally for over 20 years. (Jane has a SSN and a passport that her father obtained for her while she was still too young to understand the particulars.)

Jane was in grade school at the time of her move to the United States. She went on to finish high school, get multiple degrees from a very prestigious university, and has worked for the last ten years at a very large US company.

Jane has been living illegally in this country for two-thirds of her life. She was a child when she moved here, and has no attachments to and few memories of her "home country". As far as she's concerned, the United States is the only home she's ever known.

Jane and I have been together for a while now, and I don't see us separating anytime soon. We live together, we do everything together, we have a beautiful dog we love very much - we're your typical DINKWAD couple. Neither one of us is religious, so marriage is little more than a legal construct involving the consolidation of assets, as well as a social affirmation of mutual affection. The whole "rest of your life together" thing - we've always just assumed that as a given.

Two things have happened that have made her illegal status more pressing:
1. We'd like to go on an international vacation together, but if we leave the country, she will likely not be able to return.
2. Her boss is pressuring her to go on an out-of-the-country business trip. (Her employer does not know about her status.)

So now to my questions: When we get married (I'm a full-bred citizen), what should we expect her residency/citizenship process to be like? If we're already married, can she be deported because of her lifelong illegal status? How long after filing for residency status will we be able to take our first vacation together? Will she have to worry about USCIS interfering with or jeopardizing her current employment? I understand from previous similar AskMeFi threads that it's a very bad idea to tell any lies to USCIS. What if they ask about her family? Can information gathered during her residency application process result in her family being deported?

Without any doubt, her situation is delicate, and we do plan to hire an immigration attorney. In the meantime, I would like to be prepared with as much information as I possibly can.

Thank you for any advice you can give.

Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with illegal and immigration

El Norte

Help requested identifying a novel I read in the early 1990s involving Triads and illegal Chinese immigration.

Illegal Immigrants in College

Marrying a 20-year visa overstayer