DHS eases deportation rules for widowed immigrants

WASHINGTON - The Homeland Security Department is giving a break to widows who have not become legal U.S. residents before their American-citizen spouses die.

The department says it will suspend any actions, including deportations, against such widows and widowers for two years and also will not take action against their young children. The announcement was made Tuesday afternoon.

Current law requires automatic deportation of immigrant widows and widowers who do not have a legal residency and whose spouses died before they were married two years. The law is known as the widows' penalty.

http://accesswdun.com/article/2009/6/221013