I just spoke to a good friend of mine from Ireland. Told me that an Irish violinist who is our mutual acquaintance fell in love with an American from Chicago while studying at Juilliard and after several years dating they married last year planning to move to Chicago. They didn't count on the INS not allowing her to remain in the country and now he has had to move to Dublin so they can be together. Isn't this taking things to an extreme? I mean, really, how many terrorists have gotten into the country by marrying Americans?

Elena
http://www.concertpianist.com

The moral here, of course, is don't marry a foreigner. In this case it's unfortunate that your friend wasn't a Kennedy.

I was offered 30 thousand to marry an Iranian in about 1982.

When the only tool you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail. Mr. Ashcroft sees his role as that of a screwdriver -- and everyone else gets screwed.

Ken

:D

That deserves five smilies!

Ahhhh.....

It is so wonderful to live in a country that is so willing to let the government control every aspect of our personal life to keep us free from terrorism but can't seem to find a man hiding in a crate on an airplane.

Ya gotta love the priorities of this Administration and what policies it decides to focus on to make us more "secure."

I don't know how recent a development this sort of thing really is, because nearly the same thing happened to my cousin. My cousin was studying economics at the University of Heidelberg in Germany, met a lovely German girl, fell in love and got married. Once he had earned his doctorate, they planned to move to the U.S. Well, INS wouldn't grant his wife permanent residency, so they remained, and continue to remain in Germany, where my cousin was granted permanent residency (being married to a German citizen and all). That was over 12 years ago, well before the potential terrorist initiatives were even conceived.

You may be right John about the priorities being skewed. Here it is two years after September 11th and our borders are still apparently quite porous. An intelligent immigration policy would have been the most foolproof and cheapest way to prevent the attacks. And yet, there is all this focus on the items people bring on to planes and whatnot! It just makes no sense to me. Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe our borders are much better defended now, but I don't think so. And now that weasel out in California has signed a bill that would give drivers licenses to illegal aliens!! What the heck is going on here? BTW, does that imply that they knowingly[/b] give a drivers license to an illegal? Or just that they won't bother to check people's status anymore. The end result would be the same (disastrous), but the message is much more powerful in the former.

Was he cute?

Elena
http://www.concertpianist.com

Rick, all you will need now is a Taxpayer ID number, not a SS number. You can get a Taxpayer ID number from the IRS over the internet. The IRS does not check whether or not you are an illegal or have a criminal background. It doesn't even check to see if you are who you say you are. So *anyone* will be able to get a CA driver's license, not just Mexicans. You know a CA driver's license will not get you checked over at the airport as closely as your Saudi passport. A driver's license will allow you to rent a car or Ryder truck. A driver's license will allow you to buy a firearm. A driver's license will allow you to vote. You can now very easily assume a new identity if you have multiple arrests or warrants or DUIs. Thank you Gray Davis.

I have heard more stories like this recently than at any other time in the past. One of my best girlfriends is an American pianist who met a German composer while they studied at NEC in Boston. They married 4 years ago and the INS allowed him to stay after a series of interviews (although they moved to Germany last year). I have several friends who married foreigners before 9-11 and they were all allowed to stay.

My Irish pianist friend who related the original story to me was on a Fulbright for two years in the US, training as a vocal coaching assistant at the Curtis Institute no less, and was kicked out last May as soon as the Fulbright expired (she was given 6 days), despite her most desperate attempts to find a legal means to stay. I told her she is better off anyway. She is moving to London now where I am sure her wonderful talents will be much more welcome and appreciated.

Elena
http://www.concertpianist.com

Are you sure there isn't some part of this story you left out ? My daughter married a Frenchman and he lives here. He called his old friend over from Paris who now also lives here despite being married to nobody.. The friend BTW came in after 9/11 and after the Patriot Act.

Regards

Steve

I promise I have not kept anything out. I have not been filled into the particulars of the Irish girl and the guy from Chicago, but I spoke directly to the one who received the Fulbright.

Elena
http://www.concertpianist.com

I promise I have not kept anything out. I have not been filled into the particulars of the Irish girl and the guy from Chicago[/QB][/QUOTE]

As the old saying goes, regarding that couple, "the devil is in the details". Having watched my son in law, and friends, and his family plus an Iranian family that live across the street from me come and go I think the INS is too soft if anything.

Steve