Defending our borders from: Salvation Army ac countants

[David Farber <dave () farber net>]

_______________ Forward Header _______________
Subject:        Defending our borders from: Salvation Army accountants
Author: Rich Kulawiec <rsk () gsp org>
Date:           23rd December 2004 5:22:30 am

  ...whose husbands work for the DoD.

---Rsk

Full story here:

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/bal-md.border19dec19,1,1027937.story
(Use www.bugmenot.com if necessary)


Husband working to get wife back across border
Paperwork, misdemeanor deny Canadian woman re-entry to United States

Lisa Davis, a Canadian, crossed the border to visit her dying father
two weeks ago. Now, with her new husband waiting for her in Baltimore,
she's stuck in Toronto, the victim of strict, post-9/11 border regulations
and a minor crime she committed six years ago.

Faced with arrest if she tries to re-enter this country, Davis, 41,
spends her days riding buses to and from diplomatic and government
offices. She eats and sleeps at a women's shelter because she doesn't
have money for a hotel.

[...]


"When we got the call that Lisa's dad was dying, we threw our stuff in
suitcases, and off we went," said Larry Davis, 43. "All Lisa could think
about was getting there before he passed."

The couple drove their truck to Canada and arrived in time to see her
father before he died. But when they tried to return to the United
States on Wednesday, they ran into trouble at the border. Lisa Davis
had forgotten her passport at home in Baltimore and Larry Davis, who has
never had a passport, was told he needed a birth certificate in addition
to his driver's license.

Larry Davis was eventually cleared for re-entry, even without the birth
certificate, but his wife was barred.

The Davises were stunned. They had no idea what to do or where to turn. In
the end, Lisa Davis returned to Toronto to meet with U.S. Embassy
staff in hopes of getting the necessary paperwork. Larry Davis, his
truck packed with boxes his wife had retrieved from storage in Canada,
returned to Baltimore to make phone calls and seek legal advice.

Because she failed to fill out the advanced parole form, Lisa Davis
is now subject to penalties, including the automatic rejection of her
current residency application, said Danielle Sheahan, a spokeswoman
for the U.S. customs and border agency. Residency applications include
warnings about leaving the country without the proper forms, Sheahan said,
but lots of people fail to read the documents carefully.

[...]

In 1998, Larry Davis says, his wife was convicted in a Canadian court of
misusing office equipment on the job. The husband says his wife used her
work computer to do some research on the Internet for a nursing class.
One of her bosses caught her and filed charges. The misdemeanor conviction -
albeit minor - was picked up by a border agent when the couple tried to
re-enter the United States.

U.S. officials have told Lisa Davis that she must have the conviction
expunged before they will issue her the advanced parole documentation
she needs. The process, one that involves the Canadian Royal Mounted
Police as well as local court offices, could take months to complete,
Larry Davis said, and cost hundreds of dollars, not including his wife's
living expenses while she waits.

"I don't know who they think they are protecting us from," said Larry
Davis, who works for the Department of Defense. "Now they are stopping
Canadian nurses who work for the Salvation Army because they are a threat?"

[...]

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