Chari Cohen met Enivaldo Oliveira when he was working illegally in a restaurant after entering the country seeral years before with a forged visa. They dated, married, and had kids, both aware that Envialdo was an immigration criminal who had no right to be in the United States whatsoever and was subject to deportation.

In the spring of 2004, Envialdo went back to his native Brazil voluntarily, in an effort to get permission to legally enter the United States on the grounds that his separation fromhis family was a hardship. Under terms of US immigration laws, he was properly denied a visa.

"We went to them, they didn't come to us," Chari said of their seeking official help. She said their approach was, "'We made a mistake, and we want to fix it,' and Enivaldo said, 'I have a wife and a baby and I want to legalize my status here.'"

Enivaldo went off on the six-month voluntary leave to return home to begin the transition. But, that process came to a halt when U.S. immigration officers in Peru determined the separation of the family did not warrant enough hardship to overrule an eventual denial of his return. The Oliveiras are now appealing Enivaldo's rejection.

Chari said the best opportunities for her family are here in the United States, and scoffs at the prospect of moving to Enivaldo's Brazilian town, which she describes as a tiny farm village, a six-hour ride through the mountains to the closest hospital, without a playground or any adequate resources for her children's upbringing.

"We didn't want to separate our family. We wanted to be together for the rest of our lives," she said. "He didn't leave because he wanted to. He left because that is what he had to do."

Upon arriving back in Brazil after leaving the United States March 8, 2004, he began assembling the paperwork he would need to bring to his appointments with the United States Embassy in Peru, the location where Enivaldo's case was handled. The office, Chari said, was a 16-hour trip away. Each time he has visited, the office has told him he is missing another piece of paperwork, and finally denied the request.

Imagine that -- the laws of the United States are being enforced. Envialdo Oliveiraknowingly broke the law when he came to this country, knowing broke the law when he stayed here and work, and Chari Cohen Oliveira knew what she was doing when she married Envialdo and had children with him. Any hardship in this case is of their own making.

Of course, they don't see it that way.

Meanwhile, charges the family does not face adequate hardship exasperate Chari, who worries about the upbringing of her daughters without Enivaldo to join them for dinners, to play soccer, and the hugs, smiles and attention she said he loves to give.

"I am your everyday mother who just wants the best for her kids. I just want my kids to be with their dad. I want my family to be together," she said.

She said she's lost her energy and personality through the struggle, and feels exhausted.

"I'm like nothing anymore," she said. "We're dying without him. What is enough hardship? Homelessness is not enough hardship?" Chari said that come September, she does not have housing lined up for the family.

Chari describes the early months of her daughters' lives, when Enivaldo would awaken in the middle of the night to help her nurse the babies.

"He's a great father, and a great source of support for me. You couldn't ask for a better family man," she said.

"Are my kids going to grow up on welfare support because it's not enough hardship?" she said. Chari said her scholarship to the University of Massachusetts was revoked when she needed to take more time off from school to spend with her children than the school allowed, and that limits her employment opportunities. "I can't finish school. I can't afford day care," she said.

"My kids need a father. There is no backup plan. He's going to be coming back here," she said resolutely.

"Our life doesn't continue without him. This isn't a game. It's no joke here; it's people's lives," she said. "It's exactly what Enivaldo and I didn't want."

Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn what you and your immigration criminal husband want. If you want your daughters to be raised in a two-parent household, then there is a simple solution -- take your daughters and move to Brazil. Under terms of our nation's laws, Envialdo will be eligible to get a visa sometime after March of 2014 -- just in time for your oldest child to start college.

I realize, of course, that this is not what you want, but following the law is not optional. Enforcing the laws of the United States in an even-handed manner is not optional, even if it does inconvenience those who break those laws. I'm sure that Envialdo is a good father -- but I suspect the same can be said of many folks currently incarcerated for other crimes. Should we turn loose all the parents in our nation's prisons for the sake of their children? Who else should be exempted from the law?

I feel very badly for your kids. It is a pity that the two of you were irresponsible enough to bring two children into the world who will have to live with the negative impact of the decisions made by their parents before they were born. Yes, they are victims -- but not of an uncaring government, but of a pair of selfish, immature parents who didn't consider the consequences of their decisions.

Now get out of my country.

Posted by: Greg at 05:57 PM | Comments (10) | Add Comment
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