Immigration issues often cause serious family problems for couples, including separation in some cases. Every so often, the news is filled with stories of couples and families who have been separated due to immigration problems and mistakes. One of the latest couples to be affected by immigration issues is Deysi and Jason Rollo. The couple have been married for two years but one year ago Deysi was detained outside the US while traveling to her home country, Mexico. The couple traveled to Mexico for what supposed to be a basic visa approval interview but Deysi was not permitted to re-enter the US and the couple have now been separated for one year as they try to resolve the immigration problem. Jason has put his studies on hold and thinks he may have to move to Mexico if he cannot resolve the immigration problem soon.
Deysi has been refused re-entry into the US because the Department of State believes that Deysi’s mother may have done something illegal twenty years ago when crossing the border with Deysi. Her mother was allegedly feeling domestic violence when she crossed the border illegally with Deysi near San Diego in 2000. Deysi was just 10 years old at the time.
When Deysi and Jason got married, they decided that Deysi should get legal status as a resident of the US. An immigrant attorney told the couple to return to Mexico in order to apply for a visa to enter the US legally. Deysi and Jason traveled to the US consulate in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, in the summer of 2011 to apply for a visa. When Deysi explained her situation to a Department of State representative at the consulate, the couple claim that the representative became accusatory and told the couple that since Deysi had entered the US with false documentation, she could be barred for life from traveling to the US.
The couple were told to sign some documents and their immigration attorney later found that the documents were admission to an immigration offense. The attorney appealed to the Department of State and the US congressman for their area also tried to get involved but so far Deysi has not been allowed to return to the US. The couple have been told there is little else that can be done, leaving them frustrated and upset. Jason has even written to President Obama’s office but has not been able to secure help yet from that quarter.