Immigration, Five Years Later. Inadmissible, Removal, Terminated.

My wife and I were fortunate enough to go on a dream vacation in February/March of 2015 to Bristol, England and Lille, France. We traveled around with a friends and family for a solid two weeks and visited Brugge, Bath and Cardiff. Trip of a lifetime. I'll start with the end to get to the beginning.

Upon re-entering the United States, my wife, who is a green card holder, was flagged at Customs. I knew something was wrong instantly when it took longer than I am used to having traveled international many time before. When two other uniformed customs agents walked up and asked her to come with them I knew something was very wrong.

She was whisked away to a room near the baggage reclaim area and I was given some government speak about why. Completely baffled. So I waited. And waited. And waited for what seemed like hours. I would occasionally get a quick peek in between the slats of the Venetian blinds but it was no help.

Once or twice someone would pop out and I'd ask what's going on but was each time given the same government speak.

Finally, after several hours she was released. She was not detained but was deemed inadmissible for what we would later learn were charges, both misdemeanors in the eyes of civil law, from 30 years ago. Two misdemeanors of 'crimes involving moral turpitude' (aka CIMT) render a green card holder inadmissible. 

Here's what we learned: a green card holder is technically reapplying for re-entry into the country having traveled abroad. As opposed to a US Passport holder who is free to come and go, a green card holder is not a citizen and is therefore placed under scrutiny. Two misdemeanors 30 years old renders a permanent resident who has been in the country for 36 years inadmissible. 

And while she was not detained permanently, the inadmissible charge flagged removal proceeding against her. 

We had been married 15 years at the time and, for reasons I'll try and explain later, we never went far in attempting naturalization for her. One of the many things we learned is that marriage does not automatically grant someone citizenship. We never gave it any thought but for many, maybe even most, of the people I've talked to about this they are always puzzled operating on the assumption that marriage grants citizenship.

Nope. It's just a different checkbox on the naturalization application. It may help but it's not automatic. 

So a permanent resident of 36 years, whose parents naturalized, with a marriage of 15 years and a successful entrepreneur in the local community is suddenly told she is not worthy enough to obtain re-entry.

Once you learn the travails of our 'how not to travel' adventure you'll understand the devastation this wrought and with it the education in how the immigration system works which of course sheds a different prism on the media and government narrative of attempts being made at fixing the immigration 'problem' which is but of our own making.

I'll provide deeper details once I get a certain later in the mail but the novel worthy adventure is not over.

Stay tuned...