At the very end of the 105th Congress last month, bills were passed allowing six individuals to qualify for green cards. The rare private bill process allows Congress to create specific legislation to allow a single person into the country. The private bill process is an arduous one that is often only successful in the most sympathetic of cases.

Individuals from California, Georgia, Illinois, Pennsylvania and Virginia will benefit. The bills were held up and almost did not pass in time due to the objections of New Jersey Democratic Senator Frank Lautenberg, a Democrat. Lautenberg did not have specific objections to any of the individuals, but, rather, hoped that his opposition would help him pass a bill for a seventh individual from his home state.

Lautenberg had been pushing for a special bill for Vova Malofienko, an eight-year-old boy from Ukraine with Leukemia. Doctors suspect the Chernobyl nuclear accident in the 1980s led to the illness. Lautenberg failed in getting the bill passed because of the opposition of Wisconsin Republican Congressman James Sensenbrenner. Sensenbrenner opposed Lautenberg's private bill because it was not reviewed in advance by a House Committee.

One of the cases approved was for Virginia resident Mercedes Cruz. Ms. Cruz' husband was an Army veteran who died 23 months after the couple was married. Immigration law would have allowed her to petition as the widow of a veteran if they were married just one month longer.

The Georgia case involved Larry Pieterse, who was in deportation proceedings because his wife planted cocaine in his house.

In California, Jasmin Salehi, was facing deportation after her husband was killed during the robbery of a restaurant.

And in Illinois, Nurata Kadiri, a Nigerian national, was abandoned in the US by her parents.

At least nine other cases did not make the cut this year. The Congressional Representatives must reintroduce the cases next session and must request the INS continue to review the matters instead of proceeding with deportations.