Family is one again
A waiver by immigration officials allows a woman, kids to return.
By ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published August 29, 2007
BRADENTON - A Bradenton man said Tuesday that he never lost faith that his Japanese-born wife and two young children would be allowed to come home again, after the family successfully tangled with the U.S. immigration bureaucracy.
Akiko Campbell and sons Leo, 5, and Micah, 2, had been stuck in Japan since a January visit because of the immigration dispute that underscored how the complicated visa process can sometimes have life-changing consequences for foreign relatives of American citizens.
The family is back together now, thanks to a rare hardship waiver granted by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. They flew back Friday and were treated by their neighbors to a limousine ride home from the Tampa airport.
"Being home, it was like I've been here the whole time but have just been through an eight-month nightmare," said Akiko Campbell, 41.
Keith Campbell, 47, who met his wife while working in Asia, said he thinks the media attention and numerous letters written to lawmakers from friends and supporters helped persuade U.S. immigration officials to issue the waiver.
Federal immigration officials said Akiko Campbell committed fraud when she entered the United States in 1998 with a fiancee visa, even though she had already married Keith. The Campbells contend they were following directions from the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo.
Akiko Campbell was denied permanent residency after that, despite years of working with lawyers and filing numerous appeals. Meanwhile, she made her home in the United States for nine years and gave birth to her two sons here.
They thought the problem was solved when they got a letter instructing Akiko to fly back to Tokyo and pick up a new visa there. But when she arrived in January, she learned the visa would not be issued and she would not be allowed to re-enter the United States for 10 years.
Advocates for families separated by unforgiving immigration policies say what happened to the Campbells is more common than people think. A group called American Families United was formed last year to raise awareness of the problems and lobby Congress.
"We're ecstatic that she's back," said Randall Emery, co-founder of the group. "That's what we're working for. We're continuing the effort to reform the laws so that this is the rule rather than the exception."