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 Post subject: IFIRE member tells her LEGAL immigration story
PostPosted: Mon Apr 04, 2011 7:46 am 
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Joined: Mon Apr 30, 2007 8:30 pm
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Martha's husband followed all the proper procedures to immigrate legally. He is now a US citizen! This story shows it is not impossible to follow our immigration laws. This is how to become a citizen! Not by sneaking into the country and demanding we change our laws. We welcome immigrants like Mr. Farrellbegg who respect us and follow our laws.

http://posttrib.suntimes.com/news/davic ... ation.html

Jerry Davich: The flip side to illegal immigration

Jerry Davich jdavich@post-trib.com Mar 30, 2011 02:01AM


Martha Farrellbegg has been an outspoken critic of illegal immigration for many years, even to the point of joining a statewide organization in support of needed reform.

“Illegal is illegal,” said Farrellbegg, 74, of Lowell, a proud member of the Indiana Federation for Immigration Reform and Enforcement.

So when she fell in love with a man who was living in Scotland, she knew what had to be done. Like millions of immigrants before him who found a reason to move to our country, he had to jump through all the legal hoops to attain citizenship eventually.

He has since become the poster child for “legal immigration,” something that doesn’t get quite the attention, publicity and praise of its illegal counterpart.

But first, let me take you back to 2004, when Farrellbegg was involved in a serious vehicle crash, leaving her with three crushed vertebrae for several weeks. To pass the time while stuck at home, she joined an online chat site, Senior Friend Finder.

There, in cyberspace, she anonymously met Will Farrellbegg, who lived in Dundee, Scotland, and who also was looking for someone to chat with online.

“Would you like a cup of tea,” joked Martha, not knowing that Will was Scottish and enjoyed his morning spot of Earl Grey tea.

“Wait a minute,” replied Will, who eventually chatted with Martha for 10 straight hours.

The next day, he called her and they chatted a few more hours.

“We simply clicked,” recalled Martha, a widow with three sons.

“We both knew something special just happened,” added Will, a 58-year-old divorced father of two who worked at a water treatment facility in Dundee.

In May of that year, Will traveled to Lowell to meet Martha, who greeted him at the Tri-State Coach bus stop in Highland. They both knew right there they would become a couple, somehow, some way, somewhere.

Will returned here later that year and the couple began their hand-in-hand courtship, but only after the “thorough inspection” of Will by Martha’s three sons, including a criminal background check.

“They wanted to make sure Will was the real deal,” said Martha, whose home is a cross between a museum and a ski lodge.

It includes a refurbished “general store” from a bygone era, straight out of “The Waltons” TV show, complete with cans of spotted dick sponge pudding and haggis, both Scottish staples.

The home also sports an “Indian room” with a totem pole and other Native American items, and a “Scotland room,” filled with everything Scottish under the sun.

“It’s to make Will feel at home,” Martha pointed out during a visit to her home.

Spoken like a true U.S. citizen?

But, I’m getting ahead of myself. Let’s get back to the couple’s earlier courtship.

On Feb. 12, 2005, they married at her church in a simple ceremony. He wore a kilt, of course. She was given away by her three sons and three granddaughters. They both became husband and wife, again.

“I’ve been blessed,” said Will, his Scottish accent cutting through a conversation like a bagpipe through a fog.

“It’s meant to be,” added Martha, a spunky, opinionated woman who doesn’t at all look her age.

This charming love story, however, comes with an underlying message regarding much more controversial subject matter — legal immigration versus illegal aliens.

Back in 2004, when Will visited here and fell in love with Martha, he could have overstayed his legal welcome and possibly never returned home. But instead he chose to do the right thing. He returned to Scotland to first get his affairs in order before moving here permanently and becoming a U.S. citizen.

“We followed all the rules, met all the requirements and paid all required fees for each step of the way,” Martha said. “It was not a quick and easy journey. There was some frustration and exasperation on occasion.”

And they did it all without hiring an attorney. Impressive, I say.

Finally, on Feb. 4, just last month, Will officially became an American citizen in the U.S. District Court in Hammond with Judge Paul Cherry officiating.

He joined 68 other legal immigrants from 28 other countries.

Along the way, since 2004, Will caused no problems here, did not get arrested, did not disrespect our country, nor attract any newspaper headlines (until this column).

“He is the average, unheralded legal immigrant who follows the laws of our land,” Martha said proudly. “These are folks that we, as Americans, need to give recognition. Not those who demonstrate, demand from and disrespect our country.”

It also should be noted that Will never received one penny of any U.S. benefits, or free medical care, or any other undue perk from our government. He also has paid taxes since day one of working here, including his current job as a car salesman at Bosak Motor Sales in Merrillville.

There, he’s one of the top salesmen and he genuinely loves his job. He also owns a 2009 Dodge Challenger, a flashy muscle car with a “KILT” license plate.

“I’m just proud to be a part of this country, with the right to vote now,” he said.

Ah, spoken like a true U.S. citizen.

Oh, wait ...


Visit Jerry’s blog at http://blogs.post-trib.com/davich/, his Facebook, and Twitter at @jdavich


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