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This story is one of the best examples I've ever seen of a "journalist" stringing together an emotional, string-of-consciousness piece with no regard whatsoever for relevant facts or a coherent story.

Why was this woman deported? The article bounces ever so briefly off the fact that she "came to the U.S. as a young girl." Was she adopted by U.S. citizens? Immigrated legally with family? Smuggled across the border by a coyote? Where are her parents or other family? Are they in the U.S.? Legally?

The article also hints that the reason she was deported was that she allegedly lied to a border guard. Was she entering or leaving the U.S. at the time? What was the lie? "Yes, I'm a U.S. citizen"? "My name is Myrna Dick"? "No, that's not ten kilos of cocaine in my trunk"? What does she claim she actually said that is different from what the border guard says she said?

Finally, my knowledge on immigration laws is incomplete (gee, you'd think a comprehensive, well-written news article on such a topic might fill in those blanks). But I was under the impression that an alien would automatically qualify for U.S. residency if he or she were legitimately married to a U.S. citizen. Is her husband a citizen? If so, why did that fact not qualify her for residency? Why did he and their son move to Mexico while the legalities are being worked out?

Obviously, the purpose of this "article" is to inflame passions and encourage people to call or write their officials in support of this woman, rather than to present the relevant facts of the story. But I cannot stand reading an article that presents so little useful information on the subject being covered that it leaves the reader more confused than before he was aware of the story.

One of the accounts that I read stated that she was brought here illegally when she was 9ish. In 1986, some of her siblings were granted amnesty but she (at child still) wasn't. Don't know if her parents didn't apply for it or what.

She claims to have made 3 attempts to gain permanent resident status but was told that her file was missing but not to worry. In 1998, her grandmother died and she went to Mexico to attend the funeral. At the border, whe was fingerprinted and told the guards she was a US citizen. That is the problem.

Later, she married a US citizen and made another attempt to apply for permanent residence status (2001?). Don't know what happened with that.

In 2004, she went to renew her work permit and everything caught up with her and she was to be deported but she was pregnant. They waited until the baby was born before deporting her.

She and her parents have had 20 years to get this paperwork straightened out. Is that not enough time? Haven't they heard of lawyers? Geesh! It sounds to me like they just assumed they'd never have a problem and the paperwork wasn't worth pursuing. I bet she thinks differently now.

I'm sympathetic to a point. I hate that she's miserable now but it's not like she didn't have options.

Good questions! If mothers of babies born here can't be deported because of their anchor babies, why did they do this to her? She's married to an American man; I suppose it's only an assumption, but my guess is that her children were born here also and are American citizens. Why pick on her? If they won't deport other known illegals because of their childrens US citizenship, they shouldn't have done it to her.