What did SL® resident Eshi Otawara, designer of Chambre du Chocolat, do to cause the United States to deport her after 8 years of hard work, education, and a peaceful, legal life?
Nothing. Oh, unless you count the tragic, sudden death of her beloved husband.
From Eshi’s blog (please take the time to read her entire story. It is an honor to her husband and a tribute to her journey):
I have learned 2 days ago that my immigration case has been denied without the right to appeal. … I am packing my 8 years of life into cardboard boxes, selling everything that can be sold to finance this expulsion from USA in order to leave this country with what is left of my dignity, I felt compelled to share this story with you in hope that the unjust treatment of people who share my situation will somehow make impact on the government to revise the law which is destroying many people’s lives.
I have also learned that this has been a practice for the past 37 years, and it is commonly referred to as ‘widow penalty’. Basically- it means the USCIS revokes granted petition for relative or spouse if one of the spouses dies unexpectedly. This law is horribly unjust, because had our spouses lived, this would not have been the case- we would have gotten processed fully. At the same time -people who decide to separate from spouses or even divorce after mere 3 months of marriage do get approved under the law.
I am tortured beyond words, with the idea that I am being thrown out of this county where I once had a happy home with my husband, where I have graduated from college, where I have always wanted to be. I have very little in common with the country I came from, I never had a happy home there.
I am not sure I have the energy to fight the USCIS decision through courts, but I will nevertheless try as there’s nothing to lose. I feel like a complete loser, I am angry, and for the most part I feel betrayed. We who try to go through the system in an honest and decent way don’t get justice.
I never took a penny from this country, I never had a bounced check, I was never arrested…my husband was someone who tremendously contributed to the community devoting his last days of life to helping others.
This is not the America I always loved and admired and wanted to be a part of.
Second Life® residents (specifically citizens of the United States), please take this time to get involved to help Eshi and speak out for justice—stand up for the widows.
Support H.R.6034 to end the widow penalty by clicking here!
Oh no! o.o That’s horrible!
-Portia <3
Done…thanks for bringing this to my attention. All the best to Eshi!
Good lord, the system is so twisted.
…sent email to all three of my fed contacts!
wow, horrible. sent the email. and to anyone who is thinking it is difficult or you don’t know what to say, it’s all there for you. it takes a whole 2 minutes of your free-livin day.
Im so sorry Eshi, I wish you all the best. …sent to everyone I know
wtf is wrong with america
thanks to everyone who has acted on this! In my email to my representatives (which, by the way, includes Barack Obama
I talked a little about Eshi’s situation and even linked to her blog entry. Perhaps by reading her story first-hand, someone will be inspired to take action in the legislature.
This truly is an awful, unjust reality in this stupid system.
Thats so sad not being from the US i cant vote for change unfortunaly but i know of similar laws in the UK.
I hate it when doing the right thing makes you worse off from the goverment.
Do you think we could hold a fundraiser for her or somthing in SL? Help her riase legal fees?
As if a widow doesn’t have enough “penalty” from losing a husband.
*hugs*
I found out about this law in 2001 after the 9/11, my next door neighbor lost her husband in the towers and then the government wanted to kick her out of the country and she was not alone. She was not a citizen but was on a visa and was about to become a citizen but because her visa was through her husband she was going to become deported…. There was such an outrage that President Bush signed an exception to this law for 9/11 widows…
The law outraged me then and it outrages me now
after the 9/11 attacks*
RE: What Marni said: Is it possible for Eishi to contest this? Take it to court, regain citizenship?
If so, we should def. look into helping with legal fees.
thats sad <333 hugs i hope the us reverses the decision
I feel compelled to tell a wee bit of my experience with immigration. I have just ended a 14yr battle to stay in Australia. I actually had PR at one point, which was revoked when my partner left me, pregnant and broke. I had no Medicare, no rights, I couldn’t work and wasn’t allowed to get any benefits. I got myself a lawyer who was able to obtain Medicare for me just before I gave birth, but only covered me for the birth, not any follow up procedures.
The last 4 yrs have been particularly hellish, trying to raise a child when one is not allowed to work is beyond hard. Couple that with a lazy lawyer, and being raided twice by immigration because said lawyer forgot to renew my bridging visa, not knowing if I would have to pack up my whole life and move, leaving behind everything that was familiar to me. You see all my family is also here, so my support system would have vanished.
The light at the end of the tunnel is that last month I finally was re granted permanent Residency , after appealing to the Immigration minister to intervene on my behalf on the grounds that my daughter is an Australian Citizen. I can’t even imagine the pain of losing a loved one and having to deal with this stress also. An appeal to the minister usually works, although it’s a very long, drawn out process. A migration agent does the same thing as a lawyer but charges a shit load less, perhaps it’s worth looking into? Agents have to be certified and there is a website you can go to, to find one in your local area. My heart goes out to Eshi, I really wish her all the best of luck.
xx Ash
That is ridiculous, that is all I am going to say and holding back my political views on our border problems with a certain country. If I were her I would try bring this to the supreme court. Considering what is going on with the Mexican border here, the way the are treating Eshi is highly unfair.
Oh man, Thema, I totally just noticed you Registered “Second Life”. Ugh! Don’t give in to the pressure, it’s totally not necessary.
I’ve never seen something so outrageous in my life. I’ve sent letters and passed this to my contact list. It would be a shame to see this penalty continue.
*slides back into lurkdom*