Here is an interesting immigration story involving a retired US Army Lieutenant Colonel and his adopted Korean daughter:
Retired Army Lt. Col. Patrick Schreiber is hoping his family — adopted daughter Hyebin and wife Soo Jin Schreiber — can stay in the country. Schreiber assumed he and his wife had time to adopt their Korean-immigrant niece, then 15, as their daughter. They didn’t realize that children brought into the country should be adopted before age 16 to be allowed access to U.S. citizenship.
A retired Army lieutenant colonel with six tours of duty, Patrick Schreiber says that his failure to gain an understanding of immigration law is “the greatest regret in my life.”
Because it now could mean having to move his family to South Korea next year so he, his wife and adopted daughter could stay together.
In 2013, just before he deployed to Afghanistan as a chief intelligence officer, Schreiber of Lansing, Mich. assumed he and his wife had time to adopt a Korean-immigrant niece, then 15, as their daughter. Having consulted with an adoption attorney, he thought the cut-off date to legally adopt would be her 18th birthday.
“I assumed wrong,” he says now, having adopted the girl when she was 17.
Too late, according to the government. A federal statute says that children brought into the country should be adopted before age 16 to be allowed access to U.S. citizenship.
As a result, deportation could await daughter Hyebin, a junior studying chemical engineering at the University of Kansas. [Stars & Stripes]
You can read more at the link, but it seems that US immigration laws need to have a process to apply for an exception to policy for unusual circumstances like this. With that said since she is studying chemical engineering I would be surprised if she isn’t able to get a work visa to stay in the US after graduating from college.
Hopefully this gets worked out, but even the worst case scenario of having to go back to South Korea is not that bad. It isn’t like she is going to some third world country and South Korea is where she has spent the vast majority of her life at. I have feeling this will work its self out, but I do find it interesting the difficulty this family is having trying to legally immigrate their adopted daughter to the US while the children of illegal immigrants continue to get special treatment under US immigration laws.
“need to have a process to apply for an exception to policy for unusual circumstances like this”
I have to disagree. There’s nothing unusual about the circumstance which is “I assumed wrong,”; people do it all the time and you know what happens when you assume.
Let’s not be so knee-jerky to legislate. 😛
setnaffa
6 years ago
She isn’t a native Spanish speaker, so she has no chance…
ChickenHead
6 years ago
A military family with a job and studying chemical engineering? Let’s make it difficult for her.
Illegal aliens with criminal records and 6 anchor babies on welfare? Let’s hold a demonstration to get them more welfare and sanctuary status.
Same thing when it is easier to get welfare than open a business.
America has lost its way.
SmokesAtWork
6 years ago
“America has lost its way.”
Some in America have, some have never adhered to the “way” to begin with. I blame the major political parties for prioritizing themselves over the nation. Can’t fix something when the people who do the fixing are part of the problem.
J6Junkie
6 years ago
She would probably be the most highly educated Korean adoptee deportee. Her Uncle father should have been more careful and just done the straight adoption at 15. Procrastinating is never helpful.
Ole Tanker
6 years ago
I served with Lt Schreiber 30 years ago, he was in my Battalion. I pray this works out well for them.
setnaffa
6 years ago
I guess it’s the toll of chemo, blood transfusions, surgeries, and radiation; but I have no more sympathy fo illegal aliens, snd only contempt for those who are conspiring to allow thrm into the country. They should be glad I am not making the rules. The crows and buzzards would be feasting on their carcasses swinging in gibbets along the border wall.
Actually, I am glad I’m not in charge. And I probably need to switch to decaf.
This girl, Hyebin, should have no trouble being a tremendous success wherever she winds up. I will be sad if it’s not in America. But if we don’t wise up, she might be better off elsewhere.
Rascal1212
6 years ago
“Illegal aliens with criminal records and 6 anchor babies on wefare.”
Maybe not this bad accept in CA, but certainly a trueism.
These types who can vote or otherwise get around the law have put politicians in office whose only priority is self promotion. God help us if that vicious dog in CA runs for president and she is elected.
There are many good families in this situation who have or are making a contribution and victimized by those that don’t.
I wish the best for LTC Schreiber and his family.
Having worked in the fraud unit at Citizenship and Immigration Services, I got “up-close and personal” exposure to the almost innumerable frauds perpetrated by those who seek to stay in the USA. Without going into a rant filled with individual examples I can say that Title 8 is second only to the Tax Code in complexity, and its complexity is due to everyone wanting a special exception for their case and many gaining one via their representatives in Congress. In contemporary times they play the media card as part of their effort when they have an unusual story and a decent attorney. I can but wonder what this soldier is asking in Federal Court: That setting a cut-off age is somehow unfair? That ignorance of the law is now an excuse? I feel for him, as I do for the visa-overstays from Korea who find the job market less competitive here than back home and meld into the American population after they complete university studies, or the legions of flat-backers who come here on a tourist/business vias and make money on the military base circuit (not “trafficked”, mind you — it is their profession), and on, and on. . . They, too, seek exceptions or claim ignorance. This soldier may well end up with an exception, particularly if he can get a good campaign of letters=to-Congress support from those who served with him. And his exception will become another loophole in the law for others to cite for their personal exceptions!
“need to have a process to apply for an exception to policy for unusual circumstances like this”
I have to disagree. There’s nothing unusual about the circumstance which is “I assumed wrong,”; people do it all the time and you know what happens when you assume.
Let’s not be so knee-jerky to legislate. 😛
She isn’t a native Spanish speaker, so she has no chance…
A military family with a job and studying chemical engineering? Let’s make it difficult for her.
Illegal aliens with criminal records and 6 anchor babies on welfare? Let’s hold a demonstration to get them more welfare and sanctuary status.
Same thing when it is easier to get welfare than open a business.
America has lost its way.
“America has lost its way.”
Some in America have, some have never adhered to the “way” to begin with. I blame the major political parties for prioritizing themselves over the nation. Can’t fix something when the people who do the fixing are part of the problem.
She would probably be the most highly educated Korean adoptee deportee. Her Uncle father should have been more careful and just done the straight adoption at 15. Procrastinating is never helpful.
I served with Lt Schreiber 30 years ago, he was in my Battalion. I pray this works out well for them.
I guess it’s the toll of chemo, blood transfusions, surgeries, and radiation; but I have no more sympathy fo illegal aliens, snd only contempt for those who are conspiring to allow thrm into the country. They should be glad I am not making the rules. The crows and buzzards would be feasting on their carcasses swinging in gibbets along the border wall.
Actually, I am glad I’m not in charge. And I probably need to switch to decaf.
This girl, Hyebin, should have no trouble being a tremendous success wherever she winds up. I will be sad if it’s not in America. But if we don’t wise up, she might be better off elsewhere.
“Illegal aliens with criminal records and 6 anchor babies on wefare.”
Maybe not this bad accept in CA, but certainly a trueism.
These types who can vote or otherwise get around the law have put politicians in office whose only priority is self promotion. God help us if that vicious dog in CA runs for president and she is elected.
There are many good families in this situation who have or are making a contribution and victimized by those that don’t.
I wish the best for LTC Schreiber and his family.
Having worked in the fraud unit at Citizenship and Immigration Services, I got “up-close and personal” exposure to the almost innumerable frauds perpetrated by those who seek to stay in the USA. Without going into a rant filled with individual examples I can say that Title 8 is second only to the Tax Code in complexity, and its complexity is due to everyone wanting a special exception for their case and many gaining one via their representatives in Congress. In contemporary times they play the media card as part of their effort when they have an unusual story and a decent attorney. I can but wonder what this soldier is asking in Federal Court: That setting a cut-off age is somehow unfair? That ignorance of the law is now an excuse? I feel for him, as I do for the visa-overstays from Korea who find the job market less competitive here than back home and meld into the American population after they complete university studies, or the legions of flat-backers who come here on a tourist/business vias and make money on the military base circuit (not “trafficked”, mind you — it is their profession), and on, and on. . . They, too, seek exceptions or claim ignorance. This soldier may well end up with an exception, particularly if he can get a good campaign of letters=to-Congress support from those who served with him. And his exception will become another loophole in the law for others to cite for their personal exceptions!