Homeland Security Grants Opportunity for Missing Soldier's Wife to Remain in The US

It isn't everyday you hear about the good things the US government may do. Today however I can report one good thing the Department of Homeland Security has done for one young military wife whose husband is MIA.

Yaderlin Hiraldo met Ramon "Andy" Jimenez in the Dominican Republic, where they were high-school sweethearts. Jimenez later moved to Lawrence, MA., where his father lives. Yaderlin visited Andy several times there.

In 2001, Hiraldo entered the country illegally. She paid to get into Mexico, then walked over 4 days to the US border.

On June 14, 2004, Hiraldo and Andy married in Fort Drum, NY., before he left for his tour in Iraq. Hiraldo was caught in Homeland Security's radar when the tried to take their honeymoon in Canada.

In 2006 Andy petitioned the court on behalf of Hiraldo. He hoped she could acquire a green card and permanent resident status. He even went to court with her in his full dress uniform. This was shortly after Andy was awarded a Purple Heart for an injury while serving in Iraq.

The judge has delayed the proceedings until Andy returns from his second tour in Iraq. The inherent problem being, Andy and another soldier Byron Fouty are MIA believed to have been captured by a group connected to the al-Qaida, which claimed, via the Internet, that they had killed both soldiers. They have been missing since the 10Th Mountain Division unit was ambushed just south of the city of Baghdad on 5/12/07. Additionally supporting evidence is that their ID cards were found last week in an al-Qaida safe house just north of the city of Baghdad. Matthew Kolken, Hiraldo's lawyer is concerned about Hiraldo's fate should Andy not return.

MA Senators John Kerry and Ted Kennedy, are pressing the Department of Homeland Security to stop the deportation Hiraldo while her husband is still missing. Michael Chertoff, secretary of the Department of Homeland Security supplied this response to Kerry in a letter.

"The sacrifices made by our soldiers and their families deserve our
greatest respect, and we will ensure that Ms. Hiraldo's immigration case is
given every possible consideration."

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security is going to allow Yaderlin to apply for legal, permanent resident status without first being forced to return to the Dominican Republic. If she had been deported, she would have to wait 10 years to apply for residency in the US.

So honoring our soldiers is even practiced by Homeland Security...Bravo!

Peace
Baby

BabysBacks.com