For most of us, “coming home for the holidays” and “spending the holidays with family” mean the same thing. But, for millions of victims of our broken immigration system, native-born Americans and immigrants alike, the holidays can be a painful reminder of just how far from that ideal they are.
CNN tells the story of US Army Captain Cheyne Parham, who has spent most of 2009 fighting the government to get visas for his wife, whom he met while stationed in Korea, and his two young daughters. “I’ve missed out on all but about one month of their lives,” Capt. Parham told CNN — ever since the Korean consulate refused to give the children passports or visas. The reason? Because his wife was working as a bar waitress at the time, the Korean consulate told Capt. Parham, they weren’t sure he was the father of his daughters.
Watch Capt. Parham’s story: