DEPORTING THE WIDOWS OF FALLEN SOLDIERS: ANOTHER WAY OUR IMMIGRATION SYSTEM IS FAILING AMERICA “SECOND BATTLE” ILLUMINATES IMMIGRATION ISSUES FACING AMERICAN VETERANS AND THEIR FAMILIES

 
Today in Los Angeles, the Brave New Foundation, along with immigrant, faith, labor, and progressive advocates in conjunction with the AFL-CIO, are hosting a screening of “Second Battle,” a film that chronicles the stories of two U.S. military families who face the prospects of being torn apart by unyielding U.S. immigration laws. The Reform Immigration FOR America campaign, a nationwide effort to pass comprehensive immigration reform legislation in the 111th Congress, is helping to promote the film so that the tragic stories of the families are made known. “Immigrants are part of every state and every institution in America, including the U.S. military,” said Rich Stolz, Campaign Manager for the Reform Immigration FOR America campaign, based in Washington. “Veterans and the families of fallen soldiers are facing deportation and separation just like other families. ‘Second Battle’ will raise awareness about the cold-hearted decisions being made every day in our name by an unrelenting immigration bureaucracy.”

In the film, part of the “In Their Boots” (www.intheirboots.com) series by the Brave New Foundation, the Barrios and Ferschke families find themselves fighting through the tangled web of immigration laws to keep their families together after already suffering the stresses of deployment to Iraq. Japanese-born Hota Ferschke, married U.S. Marine Michael Ferschke, who was killed in Iraq one month before the arrival of their son Mikey. Hota faces deportation from the U.S. on a technicality because their marriage was not officially “consummated” in the eyes of the law after their ceremony. Jack Barrios, a second generation Guatemalan-American from Van Nuys, California, who served honorably in Iraq, returned to find his wife Francis facing deportation. Francis was brought to the U.S. without documentation at the age of six. Jack, who suffers from PTSD, could still be called back to duty in Iraq or Afghanistan, even as the government moves to deport his wife. “Next week in Washington, veterans will join us and Members of Congress calling for an overhaul to our outdated immigration system,” Stolz said. “These are American families being ripped apart and the country ought to know what is happening.” Mrs. Ferschke is planning to attend a procession and vigil Tuesday, October 13 (3:00 p.m. on the West Front of the U.S. Capital) with clergy, Members of Congress, and other families facing separation by our immigration laws.

The Reform Immigration FOR America campaign is co-sponsoring the event with other pro-immigration and pro-reform allies. “‘Second Battle’ brings to light yet another way the nation’s broken immigration system does injustice to our nation’s fundamental values,” Stolz said. “These courageous families and their loved ones in the armed services deserve the respect and support of all Americans. The same circumstances facing the Ferschke and Barrios families are drawing together thousands of immigrants and their family members and supporters across the nation to call on Congress to move forward on comprehensive immigration reform.”

The screening on Tuesday at 7:00 p.m., PT, takes place at the National Center for the Preservation of Democracy in Los Angeles (111 North Central Avenue Los Angeles, CA 90012). The film will be available on www.intheirboots.com Wednesday.

KJ