NASHVILLE, Tenn.—A Marine's widow who has been fighting to remain in the U.S. with her 8-month-old son is getting bipartisan help from the Senate.
Hotaru Nakama married Sgt. Michael Ferschke by phone in 2008 while he was stationed in Iraq and she was in Japan. He died in combat a month later, but a 1950s immigration rule says the couple's marriage was not consummated though she was already pregnant with their child. Hotaru and her son have been staying temporarily with her in-laws in Tennessee, but immigration officials denied her request for a permanent visa.
Sen. Jim Webb, a Democrat from Virginia, and Tennessee Republican Sens. Lamar Alexander and Bob Corker announced Tuesday they would sponsor a private bill to match an effort in the House to allow her permanent residency.
