Keep American Families Together By Expanding Work Permits for Spouses of U.S. Citizens

Most Americans assume that marrying a U.S. citizen offers a clear path to legal status. Not so. American Families United represents 1.1 million American families stuck in the limbo of our broken immigration system. 

That’s why this Valentine’s Day, American Families United is launching the “State of our Unions” campaign. Between Feb. 14 and President Biden’s State of the Union speech on March 7, we will collect thousands of signatures and host events in key swing states with one clear message: Keep our families together. 

Our families have worked and paid taxes in this country for years. We are like any other family. We fell in love with our spouses and committed to each other to build a family and a life together. 

But unfair, antiquated laws threaten to destroy our families, force us into the shadows, and have already separated loving spouses and American children from their parents. 

President Biden can put an end to this  — TODAY — by expanding work permits for long-term immigrant spouses of U.S. citizens. U.S. citizen spouses  — and our U.S. citizen parents, friends and communities  — VOTE, and our report shows that we are present in large numbers across key states. 

President Biden has granted work permits to new arrivals from Afghanistan, Cuba, Ukraine, Venezuela and Haiti - we’re asking that he do the same for American families!

SIGN OUR LETTER  — TELL PRESIDENT BIDEN U.S. CITIZENS SHOULD NOT BE FORCED TO CHOOSE BETWEEN SPOUSE AND COUNTRY. KEEP AMERICAN FAMILIES TOGETHER!

READ STORIES OF AMERICAN FAMILIES ACROSS OUR NATION SPENDING ONE MORE VALENTINE’S DAY SEPARATED OR IN THE SHADOWS

Jason Rochester and Family, Georgia

My name is Jason Rochester. My family has been separated for over 5 years now. My wife, Cecilia, currently lives in Mexico alone; and our son, Ashton, 9 years old, lives in Roswell, GA, with me and my mom, "Grandma." 

Unfortunately, 5 years ago my wife Cecilia had to return back to her home country of Mexico because of the barbaric immigration laws we have here in the U.S. To make things worse, just 6 months after her returning to Mexico, our son Ashton, who was only 5 years old at the time, was diagnosed with kidney cancer. Even though we tried everything we could to get Cecilia home legally, our government denied our Humanitarian Parole. She was denied the opportunity to be here for Ashton during his surgery, radiation and chemotherapy treatments. Ashton gets to spend only a small amount of time with Cecilia each year... usually only during the summer after school. I have even less time to spend with her. 

Our lives are being destroyed by the very laws that were meant to protect American Citizens. In 1996, IIRIRA was signed into law. It has ultimately caused so much pain and suffering to many millions of American Citizens who have simply fallen in love with and married someone who just wanted to have a better life and made the mistake of coming to our country as an undocumented immigrant. It's so ironic that something so simple to address and fix has wreaked havoc for nearly 30 years and still nothing has been done to fix this issue. 

It's appalling and disheartening that our elected Representatives continually overlook and ignore our families and continue to allow the separation of our spouses and children. Put yourself in our place and imagine how you would feel if you and your spouse were separated and your children had to endure years of separation from their parent all because of a cruel law that could easily be fixed, but no one seems to care enough to fight for it to be changed. 

Please consider our families and help us reunite. 

Liza & Family, Georgia

I met my husband, Oscar, while salsa dancing in Atlanta. We were married in 2012 and have 2 children. 

We have done everything possible within the framework of current immigration law to adjust Oscar’s status. 

However, despite having no criminal history, Oscar is still subject to a lifetime bar, 212(a) (9)(c), if he were to leave the country for his visa interview. 

Oscar is an amazing father, and is an incredible support to me financially and emotionally. He is the sole caregiver for our boys when I travel for my job as a flight attendant. 

I am consumed with anxiety and the fear that my husband could be deported one day. This threat is like living on the edge of a cliff, always on high alert for the fall. It affects every decision we make as a family and hinders us from our full potential.

"The experience of being married to someone who is excluded from so much in our society is a diminishing one. It has changed me. I became a flight attendant because of my enthusiasm for travel and my desire to experience other places and cultures. I always dreamed of traveling the world with my family. These days I meet families on my flights doing just that, while mine is prohibited from that experience. It's as if I am a second class citizen and my family is afforded less privileges and freedoms. It eats away at my self esteem, my vitality and my outlook on life."

Mirtha & Family, California

Mirtha, a U.S. citizen from Maywood, California, and her foreign national husband are parents to children with special needs. Her husband would receive a 10 year immigration ban if he tried to adjust his immigration status. 

Mirtha relies on support and services for her children that are only available to them in the U.S. If her husband was not allowed to remain in the U.S. with her, she would be facing a decade of separation without her husband's support, which would result in extreme hardship for both her children and herself.

Stephanie & Xavier 

For the 14 years we've been married, my husband and I haven't had the same freedoms as other Americans. Even though we've lived within hours of two different international borders, we could never travel to certain areas of our own states close to the border, let alone leave the country. I've never seen my husband's hometown in Mexico, and even though I'd like us to travel to many places in the world together, that's out of the question too. 

My husband was brought to the United States as a child just before his 8th birthday, and he grew up here without legal immigration status. After we got married, I naively thought he would be able to adjust his status and obtain permanent residency. After all, I'm a US citizen, born and raised here. If my husband can't get a green card, where would that leave me? I soon found out, marriage to me meant very little to the government, and his application was denied. The government deemed my husband "inadmissible" for immigration related violations, with no waiver available. Unless the law changes, he can’t adjust his status, and we will both be punished indefinitely. We are stuck in limbo, and he is at risk of deportation. After being denied, his case progressed to a removal order, which remains today. 

After his denial, the DACA program was announced for people brought to the country as children. We were disappointed to learn that his birthday was just outside the cutoff date. He wasn't eligible. Year after year, we listened to politicians talk about comprehensive immigration reform, believing each time that things would change. We're still waiting. 

Because of his removal order, my husband is now under an order of supervision by ICE. The constant threat of deportation makes us think about our future often. It is deeply upsetting to know that I could be forced to leave my life, my home, and the rest of my family here in the US. My parents would grow old without our help nearby. I will have to live the rest of my life in a foreign country, trying to speak a foreign language. We would never be able to come home together.

Vito & Courtney 

Vito is a talented, hardworking, and responsible man who came here out of economic desperation. He made his life here and makes meaningful contributions to our community, such as volunteering as a translator at the Center for Conflict Resolution, mentoring foster youth and teaching dance classes. He still works at the same garden nursery where he started 16 years ago. 

We pay taxes. We are not criminals. I cannot fathom how it benefits the U.S. to tear our family apart and deport him. We have a great life together and are about to have our first child. I cannot live without him. 

Markowitz Family, Colorado

Veteran Exiled in Canada 

Rocio and I met at her work in Colorado in 2001, where she worked as a machine operator and I provided technical services as an outside vendor. We were both married at the time and our relationship was professional. At one point it became apparent she was not working there any longer and it was a few months later that I saw she had returned. 

By this time, we were both divorced and we struck up an easy and friendly relationship. As our relationship progressed to dating, I learned she had left the US to seek specialist medical care for one of her sons. I learned she was unlawfully present in the US and did not have access to such medical care in the US. 

When we decided to marry in 2002, I had no concern that I wouldn't be to help Rocio normalize her immigration status. After all, I was a US citizen and family unity is a value I believed was an incorporated part of US immigration policy. I was wrong. 

Amanda & Family, Michigan

My name is Amanda Valencia. I am a US citizen and I am married to an undocumented immigrant. We have two children together. Due to immigration issues my husband has been living in Mexico since 2021. When we lived together in the US he was working and contributing to society. He had a great job and was constantly doing community service projects for the city. We went through the whole immigration process, but he was denied his visa in Mexico, which means he can’t return for 10 years, and no he’s not a criminal. Recently he had an accident and had to get emergency brain surgery due to a brain hemorrhage. We are now staying with him in Mexico until he recovers. My daughter is missing school and I had to take a leave of absence from work. We also have to pay out of pocket for all his medical bills which are thousands of USD. We were already struggling between visits to Mexico and living off one income. 

Susan & Abdelhakim, New York

My name is Susan Houmita and I have been married to my husband, Abdelhakim Houmita, an Algerian national, for nearly nine years. I met Kim while waiting in line at a clothing store near where I work. He was soft-spoken and had kind eyes. Our first date was on New Year's Eve. He asked me to marry him a little over a year later. We were married in June of 2014. 

What drew me to Kim was how kind, generous, and thoughtful he was. He was always bringing me small gifts and when he met my family, there were gifts for them as well. He is sensitive and can always tell when something is bothering me, even if it’s just a headache. He is supportive, listens, and gives good advice. 

When Kim first told me the long story of how he came to the U.S. he talked nonstop for two hours. He told me about the civil war in Algeria in the 90s. He told me civilians were massacred. At the end of his story, I was just in awe of how difficult it was for him, how long it took, and the hardships he endured to get here. 

On Aug 26, 2018, Kim was detained when he inadvertently drove into Canada. He was held in detention in Batavia, NY for nearly three years. We were told he was going to be deported without a hearing because he had a visa waiver attached to his passport which denied him any right to immigration proceedings. If he was deported he would be barred from entering the U.S. for 10 years. 

His detention brought immense stress into both our lives and extended to both our families. He has a son, Imani, from a previous relationship, who missed the last three years of his adolescence with his father. 

In April 2021, he was finally released on Humanitarian Parole. We live day to day now, with no idea of what the future holds for us. Whenever I have told anyone our story they would inevitably say, “But I don’t understand, you’re married?!” And I tell them that unfortunately, that means next to nothing when someone is found inadmissible by USCIS. It feels like the very last thing that is considered.

Adriana & Family

Our story begins in 2001 when we met in Sacramento, California. Jose and I dated for five and a half years before we married. In 2006 we married and were excited to start a new life together. Understanding my new husband's immigration status, I was excited to finally be able to have security when submitting his petition. At the start of the process he was fingerprinted and the attorney informed us that he had been charged with a false claim to citizenship. At that point the attorney informed us that we should stop pursuing his case. He told us to attempt to live a "normal" life without being able to adjust his status. 

After hearing the news, we were devastated and it took us a long time to move on from the idea of him not having permanent residency. We have tried our best at normalcy. There are many things we are thankful for like our home and our four beautiful children. My husband is the eldest of six siblings and all of his siblings have become US citizens and are able to come and go freely. He has missed many funerals and weddings and our children have not had the experience of traveling out of the country with their father. In 2014, we discovered AFU and felt like we belonged to a larger group of people who are suffering like us. I pray that change comes soon not only for us but all of the families who are living in very difficult situations. 

Jenni & Family, North Carolina

IMAGINE...

My husband and I both came from broken and dysfunctional families and we vowed to make sure that our children grew up with all the love and security we never had. When we found out that we could not "fix" our situation without a 10- year minimum family separation, it crushed me. My anxiety kicked in and has never let up. That was in 2008. 

IMAGINE getting up every morning and starting to worry about your spouse from the moment they leave the house until the moment they return. Imagine every time the phone rings during the day that your heart sinks because you fear the worst. Imagine trying to reach your spouse during the day only to have the phone go to voicemail, but then you stop breathing a little until the phone call is returned. This is only a fraction of the anxiety I feel every day. 

IMAGINE having to worry about the home purchase you make and whether it can be made with only one income- just in case. Imagine not being able to enjoy life and spend money on things others freely enjoy (like vacations) because you are worried that the worst will come and you cannot bear to not be as prepared as possible. Imagine every vacation you go on must be somewhere you can drive. Imagine that you have only been able to visit your own mother across the country in her home twice since 2008 because you fear spending money or leaving your spouse alone- just in case. 

IMAGINE having children and trying to be loving and caring but in the background always worried. Imagine what it is like to have to hide the truth from your children even though you vowed to always be honest with them. Imagine having to then tell your children about your situation and then telling them that they can NEVER tell anyone because we never know who we can trust. Imagine how you are handing off your anxiety to your children and making them grow up too fast as they then also have to live in the world of the unknown. 

I have been asking for help from my elected officials since 2008 and nobody has done anything to fix our situation. IMAGINE how isolating that has been for so long. Imagine how our dreams were crushed by the news that we could not stay together as a family without living in fear or leaving the only country I have ever known. We need your help. Our family needs your help. Our U.S. Citizen children (future scientists/doctors/lawyers/engineers) need your help.

Cecilia & Family

Cecilia is a U.S. citizen. She has been living in the shadows with fear, worry, and sadness since 2017, when she began her relationship with her husband, who she married in 2021. Together they have a young daughter. Due to the threat of the permanent bar, Cecilia fears that she and her young daughter will be separated from her husband and suffer emotionally and economically, as her husband is the main provider in their household.

My name is Guillermo, I am married to a person who, due to a mistake when she was 15 years old, was punished without being able to fix her immigration situation. 

She is the engine of my marriage. We have been married for 25 years and I have had to experience the pain that she feels when she cannot have the freedom to do what a citizen like me does. As a citizen of this great country, I should have the right to have my wife with me and freely!! We have 3 beautiful children. Our eldest son is 21 years old and is a soldier in the Navy. Our middle son studies at college, and our youngest daughter studies in high school. 

Life for us is not normal, always hiding because my wife can't fix her status. Everything would be different if, as a citizen of this country, you listened to my request! Thanks for your attention!

The Sanchez Family 

We are the Sanchez family from Texas. My husband and I have two children, ages 4 and 6, with a third on the way. My children and I are US citizens, and my husband is not. 

We have tried to obtain status for my husband, but without the American Families United Act, we are not able to, due to his multiple entries. Jose is a wonderful husband and father. To everyone he is a kind and hardworking man. Our kids adore him and I am not complete without him. 

Unfortunately, we do not have the freedoms that many families in the US have. Due to our state, my husband can't get a driver's license. Therefore, there are evenings I worry he will get pulled over and not come home. He has not seen his family in 7 years. Our children have not met his family, their grandparents, uncles, aunts, cousins. 

It is so difficult to be so happy and in love with your significant other and family, while at the same time be terrified that your family can be torn apart at any moment. Our kids will suffer, as their dad is their world. I can't imagine them not being able to be with him. We want to live in peace. We want to be together without these worries. He is our family, my husband, our children's father, and so much more. He deserves better. We deserve better. And we need this law to pass. Please help. 

“We do not have the freedoms that many families in the US have.”

We are a blended family. Jonathan and I got married in 2015. He has 2 daughters from a previous marriage and I have 1 son from a previous marriage. We had a little boy together in 2016, the same year that I started my immigration process. 

We got everything approved - even the waiver in 2019 - and I finally got my interview in Brazil in July 2021. I had included all my history on the waiver application, including the 2 illegal entries, but the Embassy still denied my Visa. 

I've been living in Brazil with the kids since then. My husband stayed in the US working hard to support our family. We don't have health insurance, we don't have good schools or even safety here in Brazil. The immigration system destroyed our dreams and is still hurting our family. 

We are good and honest people. We just want to go home and be together.

Jan & Antonio, Exiled in Mexico

We met in 1998 and it was love at first sight. We lived together for years. We decided to get married in 2012 and get legal status for Antonio. We had no idea about the IIRIRA law. We applied for the I-130 and it was approved. The rest was a nightmare... legal fees etc. just to find out we were not able to get legal status. We were both married before, but this was different, definitely LOVE. My mother even loved him. She did not live long enough to see his status change. She would have done anything to see it happen. 

Now it is 2023, we sold my house in 2019 and moved to Mexico in hopes of getting legal status from there, still not totally knowing about the law. Our attorney never told us, only took our money. We decided to file for a tourist visa, thinking it didn't matter if he had residency as long as he could go back to the U.S. Ciudad Juarez told us one form was missing, only to find out it was destroyed by USCIS because of inactivity. Again no solution. I am 63 years old and on SSD. I have exiled to be with my husband - first off because I love him, but also because I need him to help me. In the last year I have fallen 3 times and thank God he was there to help me. We have no extra funds for more lawyer fees, and the hundreds of letters I have sent to the agencies have gotten us nowhere. 

We are not alone, millions of U.S. citizens are in the same situation. I would like to be able to return to the U.S. with him LEGALLY and be with my family. My brother is the only one left and he now has cancer. There has to be a solution to this.

Patty & Family, separated

This is my family. We have been separated by immigration for 9 years. I am a US citizen and I have to travel back and forth alone with my daughters to see my husband. 

Being separated has affected us tremendously, both financially and mentally. I am constantly debating whether I should finish my education since it is hard for me to be the family's sole provider and go to school. My daughters already suffer from their father's absence and they don't want to lose me to work also. My daughters are getting older and it is getting more difficult to return. I have developed depression due to the separation. Whenever we come back to the US from seeing their father, my daughters and I have a difficult time adjusting. 

“You can see the happiness in our faces when we’re together, and the sadness when we have to say goodbye.”