Kerry wins reprieve for Iraqi translator's wife
US Senator John F. Kerry said he has been able to stave off the deportation of the wife of an Iraqi translator who has been decorated for his work during four tours in Iraq with the United States military.
The difficulties faced by Raad Al-Hilfy, an Iraqi native, and his wife, Norma, who immigrated to the United States from Guatemala, were described last week in a column by the Globe's Adrian Walker. Norma Hilfy applied for asylum while she was living in Nevada. She later moved to Virginia and then to Massachusetts.
When the couple checked last year on the status of her asylum application, they learned that a Nevada judge had issued an order of removal in 2005. The pair are now hoping the government will overturn that ruling.
Late last month, Kerry contacted the Office of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, as well as Secretary of Homeland Security Michael Chertoff. Within days, the immigration agency postponed Norma Hilfy's removal for one year so that her petitions for legal residency can be considered, Kerry's office said.
"A woman whose husband has been wounded in action and awarded a Medal of Freedom should not have to fear being deported," Kerry said in a statement. ". . . It is fair and just that his family should be allowed to stay here with him in his adopted country."
