Immigrant denied marriage license in PA
1:29 pm By Jennifer Woodard Maderazo · Controversia|Immigration|Justice
19 Apr 2007
West Hazleton, Pennsylvania has denied a marriage license to an undocumented immigrant who was looking to wed his partner, an American national this week. The ACLU has filed a federal suit on behalf of the couple, stating in a press release:
“This marriage is legal under the law of Pennsylvania and the federal immigration laws,” said Mary Catherine Roper, a staff attorney for the ACLU of Pennsylvania. “The Register of Wills is supposed to issue marriage licenses according to Pennsylvania’s marriage law, not to challenge that law or federal immigration law. Ms. Stankovic has no authority to interfere in people’s lives this way.”
The abovementioned “Ms. Stankovic” (love the name) is the county’s Register of Wills who denied the couple the license.
Before you malpensados start saying that this was a marriage of convenience, the couple has a child and the husband, Jose Guadalupe Arias Maravilla, was already scheduled to be deported. He and his wife knew that the marriage wouldn’t change the deportation order but wanted to marry anyway for the sake of their child.
Philadelphia ACLU’s attorney Catherine Roper told the Times Leader
“The Register of Wills doesn’t get to make up rules. She is supposed to enforce the Pennsylvania marriage law. When you start making up rules that are not on the books, it infringes on people’s rights to be treated equally and you have a constitutional problem,” Roper said.
A federal judge will be looking at the case to see if an injunction can block the Register’s policy.
The nearby city of Hazleton has also been criticized for its harsh anti-immigrant policies, as has the state of Pennsylvania for trying to make English the state’s official language.
Via / ACLU and Times-Leader
- Tags: discrimination, Immigration
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8 Responses to Immigrant denied marriage license in PA
Linda
April 20th, 2007 at 11:00 am
If Philadelphia ACLU’s attorney Catherine Roper was so concerned about the laws being upheld.
Then why hasn’t the law been upheld that says
Jose Guadalupe Arias Maravilla, was already scheduled to be deported ?
He and his wife should not be allowed to enter into marriage just so that it could be used as a sob story to claim “families will be separated, and to help keep him here. They have had a long time before now to get married for the sake of their child, and did not do it, why now if not to keep from being deported ?
The ACLU lawyer is right about one thing, hen you start making up rules that are not on the books, it infringes on people’s rights to be treated equally and you have a constitutional problem’s
Martin
April 20th, 2007 at 11:31 am
Well said Linda. As an American of Mexican descent, I am disgusted by the double standard that is applied to “Hispanics” (particularly Mexicans)
They are above all laws and above all criticism,
They are treated as gingerly as landmines, because alot of well meaning Americans believe that they will explode if not handled with utmost care. (A care, I might add, that exceeds the care given to ANY American, and certainly any UNBORN American.)
If we concieve of a world where peace flows from Equality, there is no way that this can come about by treating criminals as honored guests, getting privileges that native born TRUE Americans would never get nor want.
On a more personal level, it makes it 1000% times more difficult for myself and my family to get respect and to be treated as true equals so long as Raza walks their “pathway to citizenship” with armed goons who have ever been the bane of any true American (ACLU, LCRA, MECHA, etc.)They are doing themselves no favors by these associations.
Finally,
Respect cannot be stolen.
Citizenship is more than anything, a formal declaration of Respect conferred on another.
Stealing is inherently digraceful and morally disordered,
Therefore,
Stolen citizenship
or retaining a barely legitimate citizenship which your parents stole for you
is a moral impossibility
and an abomination of all law.
Those perpetrators in that condition need to realize that moral and national law APPLIES TO THEM TOO, and return home.
Mi Casa Es Su Casa,
That is beautiful and the full flowering of the Law.
However,
Su Casa Es Mi Casa
is the credo of theives.
Raza is better than that.
I only pray to God that they will begin acting that way.
Legal Hispanic
April 20th, 2007 at 12:04 pm
It is about time that this issue is taken up with the courts… The states should do nothing that affects federal enforcement and illegal immigration being a federal crime, the State’s issuance of any type of license falls under the heading of aiding and abetting the arrival and permanence of an illegal alien.
I also find it peculiar how prepared the ACLU seems to be to file this case… Might it not have been a contrived event to file yet another lawsuit against Hazelton? I think that anyone qho has been a victim of an illegal alien should sue their municipal and state governments for their dereliction of duty which resulted in their loss.
Detect, detain and deport anyone who lacks legal justification for being present in our country. It is the law!
Citizen Jim
April 20th, 2007 at 2:30 pm
Deport the ACLU!!
Bobby
April 20th, 2007 at 10:05 pm
OH, I’m getting so sick of this. All of this denying everything to people who have broken into a foreign country, commit identity theft, document fraud, tax evasion, and then lie in order to support it all. I would say give them more rights than Americans have, but they already do.
sandra
April 24th, 2007 at 6:03 pm
I’m all for punishing the bad guys but when you start to want to punish EVERYONE who is not born in the states… oh come on. Both my parents came from Mexico to make a better life for themselves and then their children. They work their asses off to give us the best. Why would I want them to be punished for that. Over a piece of paper. Government needs to be more focused on the bad guys and not just the bad illegal aliens. Please people on welfare for one, instead of putting them to work they give them money to stay home and be lazy. Now an immigrant works and PAYS TAXES and you want to deport them. Call me crazy but don’t you see the wrong in that.
Bobby
April 24th, 2007 at 8:24 pm
sandra,it has to stop. Most U.S. citizens probably don’t want to punish people here a long time. But it has to stop. Can’t you see that? This is not Mexico. Our songs aren’t Mexican. Are ways aren’t Mexican. We have an American culture. We don’t want cock fighting, horsetripping, bribes, or any of the other stuff that characterizes Mexico. In other words we don’t want ALL of Mexico to be transferred into this country. It is far too corrupt. The people running it are far too corrupt. We don’t want them to have ANY influence in this country. But they have already pushed 50 plus Mexican embassies on us, because of our corrupt leaders here. Most citizens don’t want it.
sonny
May 8th, 2008 at 3:09 am
everybody talking bad about inmigrants but we are who support this country i go to college i have a job a nice car and i pay taxes pay taxes in not a criminal a i dont live from the government have of this country used to be MEXICO so we are just coming back home and for all racist kkk white people you just cant accept that we are better and getting educated we’ll run this country!