Teen Wins 1-Year Delay in Deportation
By David A Lieb, Associated Press

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. - A 19-year-old who undertook a national publicity campaign to fight her deportation to Costa Rica won the right Friday to remain in the United States for an additional year.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement granted Marie Gonzalez a rare one-year deferment on her Tuesday departure deadline, agency spokesman Dean Boyd said Friday. But her parents still must leave by Tuesday or face deportation, he said.

Gonzalez initially was joyous when she learned Friday that she had been granted permission to stay, then broke down in tears as she realized her parents had not.

"That's what I've been fighting for, but it's so bittersweet," she said. Her parents were returning Friday night from St. Louis and were not available for comment.

Boyd had said Wednesday that making a deportation exception for the Gonzalez family "would be fundamentally unfair to millions of people who apply to legally immigrate to the United States."

The decision comes days after the Gonzalez family traveled to Washington, D.C., where they were denied a meeting with immigration officials. Congressmen from several states and national immigration groups have pressed the Gonzalezes' case with the agency after the family waged a public campaign to stay.

The Gonzalez family came to the United States nearly 14 years ago on six-month visitor visas, but never returned to Costa Rica when the visas expired.

Marvin and Marina Gonzalez attribute their illegal presence partly to miscommunication. When they arrived in Los Angeles in November 1991, they claim attorneys told them they could apply to become permanent U.S. residents if they lived in the United States for seven years — regardless of the fact they entered on short-term visas. But that option was repealed by a federal law in 1997.

Marie, who was 5 years old when her family left Costa Rica, has since graduated with honors from high school. She also serves as a national spokeswoman for a federal legislative effort to grant teenagers the right to become U.S. citizens if they complete college or join the military — even if they are in the country illegally.

The Gonzalez family ran a restaurant for several years. After that failed, Marvin Gonzalez got a job as a courier and mail opener in the governor's office. He was fired in 2002 by Gov. Bob Holden after an anonymous tip about his status. News coverage led federal immigration authorities to initiate deportation proceedings.