INS ADMITS WOMAN DEPORTED IN ERROR

The INS has admitted that it made a mistake when it deported Gloria Hernandez of Kodiak, Alaska. Hernandez, who lived in the US for 12 years and has three US citizen children, moved to Alaska five years ago with her husband to work in a local cannery. Kodiak has long been an ethnically diverse community, with local fishing industries depending on people from all over the world. According to the local INS office, there are 40 to 50 nationalities in the area. While Kodiak has historically been tolerant of immigrants, in 1993 the city council adopted a resolution calling the town a "haven for illegal aliens" and calling for a full-time INS office. By the time funding was secured for this office, the town’s attitude had changed. In response the new office turned its focus from enforcement to services, but it did continue its focus on people in the US without documentation.

Neither Hernandez nor her husband had proper papers when they entered the US. The husband is still seeking amnesty under the 1986 program. If he is successful his wife will be able to remain legally in the US. The director of the INS in Alaska, Robert Eddy, agreed to hold off on deporting her until her husband’s case was sorted out. However, this agreement was not documented in her file, and no one in the Kodiak office was aware of it. This led to Hernandez’ deportation. Eddy said of the deportation "we should not have enforced this lady’s departure. I am making it as clear as we can to you that we made a mistake."

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