Senate Proceeding on Oct 13th, 2009 :: 1:06:20 to 1:09:45
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1:06:07 to 1:06:29( Edit History Discussion )

James Webb: they had dated for a year before he deployed to iraq. just before he deployed, they found out he was with child. they had by all independent verifications agreed that they would be married before they discovered that she had been with child.

1:06:20 to 1:09:45( Edit History Discussion )
Speech By: James Webb

1:06:30 to 1:06:50( Edit History Discussion )

James Webb: he deployed to iraq, and due to the circumstances of his combat time, they arranged to be married by telephone on july 10, 2008, when he was in iraq. one month later to the day he was killed.

1:06:51 to 1:07:12( Edit History Discussion )

James Webb: that marriage is a marriage that is recognized, including here in the state of virginia, as a valid marrie. and yet, because of an ideosin idiosyncrasy in our immigration laws that dates back 55 years, the department o homeland security for immigration burps

1:07:13 to 1:07:37( Edit History Discussion )

James Webb: will not recognize this marriage. this quirk in the law was put into place in the korean war in order to prevent fraudulent marriages that had never been consummated, but clearly in this casethere is a marriage that could not be consummated because this young man was serving our country in iq.

1:07:38 to 1:07:58( Edit History Discussion )

James Webb: they have a child. every agency of the united states government h done everything they can on this young widow's behalf. she is staying with the young marine's family in tennessee on a tourist visa. the department of homeland security, the department of state, the united states marine

1:07:59 to 1:08:20( Edit History Discussion )

James Webb: corps, all have been as helpful as they can be in assisting this marine's young wide know her desire to have permanent immigration status in this country. there is no way that it can happen under present law because of the peculiarities of the law.

1:08:21 to 1:08:41( Edit History Discussion )

James Webb: there is only one way it can happen, and that is if we pass a special bill that will do only one thing, and that is to give her the exact status that she would have had if they had been standing next to each other when they exchanged their vows of rriage. and there's only one reason that they were not standing next to each other when they exchanged their vows of marriage, and that is because he was serving his

1:08:42 to 1:09:04( Edit History Discussion )

James Webb: country in iraq. so i earnestly hope that all of this body and the other body can come together and remove this idiosyncrasy from the lives of these people who have suffered

1:09:05 to 1:09:26( Edit History Discussion )

James Webb: so much because michael firstee, sergeant united states marine corps, stepped forward and did what we asked him to do and served our country. with that, floor and suggest the absence of a quorum. the presiding o will call the roll.