Posted on 02/01/2012 10:44:47 AM PST by Oshkalaboomboom
In a hospital bed hundreds of miles from her home, 15-year-old Lidiane Carmo learned Tuesday that she was the only member of her immediate family to survive a horrific crash she doesn't remember.
And in the midst of tragedy, her church congregation is suddenly faced with an issue with possibly serious ramifications: Lidiane is not in the country legally, a church official confirmed.
On Sunday, Lidiane was traveling in a van with her parents, older sister, uncle and uncle's girlfriend when they were involved in a multi-vehicle crash on northbound I-75 near Gainesville.
The Carmo family was among 15 members of a small Marietta church who were heading home following a three-day religious conference.
Lidiane, a high school freshman, was the only person in the van to survive the wreck, shocking the close-knit Church of the Restoration on South Marietta Parkway in Marietta, a congregation of mostly Brazilian nationals that had been co-founded by her father, Pastor Jose Carmo.
While grieving the loss of lives, the church was faced with the financial burden of transporting the bodies of loved ones back to Georgia, and then, it is hoped, on to their native country for burial.
Bobby Curtis, another Restoration Church pastor, told the AJC that Lidiane is not a legal immigrant, and some church members fear she could be sent back to Brazil, a country she doesn't remember.
Jose Carmo and his wife Adriana, who both died in the crash, came on legal visas to the U.S. from Brazil 12 years ago, Curtis said. Lidiane was a toddler at the time. Since then, those visas have expired.
The church is prepared to fight to help Lidiane gain citizenship.
(Excerpt) Read more at ajc.com ...
have a little grace!
When such a tragedy occurs we should not be debating illegal immigration. We can save that for another day.
This poor girl didn’t make the decision to come to America. That decision was made for her when she was an infant. She just lost her entire family and right now needs the love and support of those she knows and trusts... specifically those in her church.
This is a horrible situation for her, made worse by her parent’s disregard for the law. They were here legally... until they failed to renew their visas. They didn’t sneak across the border or engage in criminal behavior... but they broke the law by not being attentive to their ethical requirements.
I would hope that someone in the Church can apply to be this girl’s sponsor and that the State Department will allow her to stay in the country while the process takes place. But this is precisely why Churches must, must, MUST require that their people follow the law when it comes to immigration and visa issues.
The government forced the repatriation of the Cuban boy, Elian Gonzalez, to his native country.
They can do the same for this poor soul.
There’s no them, both of her parents and her older sister were killed in the crash. It’s just a 15 year old girl. This is why parents need to follow the law.
“Bobby Curtis, another Restoration Church pastor, told the AJC that Lidiane is not a legal immigrant, and some church members fear she could be sent back to Brazil”
So he knew? A criminal conspirator is a pastor?
Yup.
When abroad, Americans are subject to the full force of the law if they even spit on the sidewalk.
She has people she is related to in her home country send her and the others there.
>>>The government forced the repatriation of the Cuban boy, Elian Gonzalez, to his native country.
They can do the same for this poor soul<<<
While I’m not sure this girl shouldn’t be deported, the Elian Gonzalez case was totally different. His only surviving parent lived in Cuba and that parent wanted him returned. Failing to give the boy back to his father would have amounted to government sponsored kidnapping.
Can you imagine if your wife tried to take your minor son to Cuba and died on the journey and the Cuban government refused to return the boy to you?
Agreed. I’ll help contribute to the airfare. Besides the “home country” has a warm, rich, deep, and efficient health care system when compared to that of the U.S.
Like the day we get the bill for her medical treatment?
This poor girl didn’t make the decision to come to America. That decision was made for her when she was an infant. She just lost her entire family and right now needs the love and support of those she knows and trusts... specifically those in her church.
The same church that is now looking for donations to pay for funeral expenses and to have the bodies shipped back to Brazil, which is now suddenly good enough for them to stay in again?
The comments of the surviving church members and their desire to have the victims buried in their native country reeks of people that are here not because of a love of the principles that make us the country we are but rather of the new breed of immigrant who uses us as a cash cow so they can load up before retiring back to the one place that really matters to them.
Yes the situation stinks. And yes we should vent our anger at our elected officials who have allowed our country to be overrun with illegals.
However, this poor teen is truly a victim in this case.
She just lost all of her immediate family and the people who made the decision to bring her her illegally are now dead.
There are certain cases, this being one of them, where we need to have some compassion.
>>>This is a horrible situation for her, made worse by her parent’s disregard for the law. They were here legally... until they failed to renew their visas. They didn’t sneak across the border or engage in criminal behavior... but they broke the law by not being attentive to their ethical requirements.<<<
I am pretty sure the parents’ illegal status was not simply a failure to file paperwork. They probably came on some sort of vistor’s visa and intentionally overstayed it.
It is a common misconception that illegals who orignally came here on visas, could have obtained residency/citizenship if they wanted to. It is far easier to get a travel visa than to obtain a green card.
I find it disgraceful that people claiming not only to be Christians, but also “Pastors” would run a church while willfully violating the laws of the land by remaining here illegally. The parents’ behavior was disgraceful, IMO.
That said, I am conflicted on what to do about the daughter. It clearly wasn’t her fault that her parents chose to break the law. Mercy says, let her stay, but on the other hand, it only encourages more law breaking.
Whatever decision is made, it should be clear that she is not ENTITLED to stay. If she is allowed to stay, it should be made clear that mercy is being shown, not justice.
They brought her here legally. They had the visas needed to come into the U.S. and work. They overstayed their visas. That was the illegal part.
I’m hating sob stories that are used to undermine our laws.
This church is participating in lawlessness. That’s despicable.
That law abiding, hard working citizens have to pay for it all is criminal.
Imagine if they hadn’t had been in America illegally they wouldn’t be dead now and they would all be safe in Brazil.
I don’t like the idea of supporting illegal behavior that results in more illegal behavior. The church helping her stay against federal laws is, IMHO, making the church a party to illegal behavior.
Send her back to her relatives in Brazil.
So adopt her, Bobby. Otherwise, send her to live with relatives in Brazil.
My bet is Bobby will whine about how she is treated, but do nothing to try to adopt her.
I’m not sure what type of visa they used to enter the country. Do you know?
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