Deportation without Appeal

This recent story from This American Life details an almost unbelievable practice by the USCIS (U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services) with regards to the deportation of widows of U.S. citizens who had not yet finished their immigration procedure when their spouse passed away. The absurdity of the practice is such that it must be filed into the category of "You can't make this stuff up."

The story can be streamed from here. (Starts around 31:50)

Act Two. This American Wife.

This American Life contributor Jack Hitt uncovers a strange practice within the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service. If a foreign national marries a U.S. citizen and schedules an interview for a green card, but the U.S. citizen dies before the interview takes place, the foreign national is scheduled for deportation with no appeal—even if the couple has children who are U.S. citizens. Jack talks with Brent Renison, a lawyer who's representing over 130 people in this situation, mostly widows, who are seeking to overturn the Immigration Service's rule.