Dalton couple hope to return to United States soon

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July 1, 2012

Dalton couple hope to return to United States soon

Charles Oliver charlesoliver@daltoncitizen.com The Dalton Daily Citizen Sun Jul 01, 2012, 09:26 PM EDT

While their friends and family back in Dalton celebrate Independence Day, Angie Carranza and Ramon Gonzalez remain in Mexico, waiting for word on whether Carranza will be allowed to return to the United States.

“We’re learning how to keep an eye out for ourselves. We are still a little scared. I’m always on my toes here. If it’s not my family, I don’t trust them. I’m sure that not everybody is bad down here. But the crime here is so bad, I’m not from here. I didn’t grow up here, so it’s hard to know who to trust,” said Carranza, a graduate of Southeast Whitfield High School. She and Gonzalez are living in the state of Zacatecas, which is in northern Mexico.

Carranza, 24, and Gonzalez, her husband, went to Mexico on April 26 so she could get a visa as the wife of an American citizen.

Her parents brought Carranza to Dalton, illegally, when she was just 5 from Mexico City. She says that, before returning in April, she’d been back to Mexico just once. But she says that when she and Gonzalez, who was born in Texas, began planning their wedding last year they also began talking about getting her legal status.

Under U.S. law, she had to return to the country she was born in. U.S. law also mandates a 10-year ban on re-entering the country for those who come here illegally and remain more than one year after they turn 18. But that ban can be waived, and Carranza and Gonzalez have filed an appeal of that ban.

“As far as my immigration status, nothing really has changed. We are still waiting to hear back from the consulate. I’m hoping that since it is taking so long they are actually reviewing my case and not just passing it along,” she said.

After a story on their situation appeared in the June 13 edition of The Daily Citizen, Carranza said many people from the area began reaching out to her.

“I never realized how supportive the town of Dalton is. I feel like I have the whole town of Dalton behind me supporting me. I get messages every day telling me to hang in there and telling me I’ll be back home soon,” she said.

Shortly after that story appeared, President Barack Obama announced new rules for illegal immigrants who are under 30, have no criminal record, arrived in the United States before they were 16, have a high school diploma or GED and have lived in this country for at least five years. That policy would allow them to apply to remain in the United States for up to two years without fear of deportation and to obtain work permits.

The new policy could have applied to Carranza, except she had already left the United States.

“I’m still glad to hear about this change, even if it doesn’t apply to me. I’m happy that something is being done for people like me because I wouldn’t wish this situation on anybody, even the people who say I deserve it,” she said. “I have seen a few comments from people who say that I deserve this. Sometimes my feelings get a little hurt. But everybody’s entitled to their own opinion, and they should be glad to live in a country where they can express their opinions without being scared.”

In the meantime, the two have begun discussing the possibility of living in Mexico for an extended period. Ironically, for Gonzalez, that means he will have to find some way to legally extend his stay in Mexico, since he is a U.S. citizen.

“Right now, I only have a permit to stay in Mexico for six months, and I’ve been here over two months already. I can stay for another four months, and then I’ll have to go back to the United States,” said Gonzalez, a graduate of Dalton High School. “But I’m not leaving here until she can come back with me.”

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