Finally a Reprieve in an Immigration Nightmare
Akiko Campbell's hardship waiver has been approved so she and her two young sons will soon be reunited with her husband in Florida. They hope this is the end of Akiko's fight to stay in this country.
Akiko Campbell is finally on her way home.
After more than six months of virtual house arrest in her native homeland of Japan, Akiko, 41, and her two young sons will soon be reunited with her husband Keith in their Bradenton, Florida home.
In February, Akiko headed to the U.S. embassy in Tokyo to try to correct a long ago made error in her immigration paperwork, but was instead refused re-entry to the U.S. On July 17 she finally got word that her hardship waiver had been approved, allowing a re-entry visa for her return to her adopted country.
"I felt like it was a dream. I even asked the guy [at the U.S. embassy], is this a dream? I immediately started crying," said Akiko speaking to the Pacific Citizen from Japan. "I feel like a heavy weight has been lifted off my shoulders."
Since leaving her Florida home earlier this year, Akiko and her two U.S.-born sons Leo, 5, and Micah, 2, have been living with her parents at their home in Nagano. Stripped of her Japanese passport, for the past six months Akiko and Keith have been waging a transcontinental battle with the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).
The Campbells began a national awareness campaign launching the Web site, BringAkikoHome.com. Politicians were contacted and friends and neighbors have been wearing buttons and placing bumper stickers on their cars - all in an effort to ensure Akiko comes home.
"This has been a real nightmare. I thought about giving up," said Akiko.
But with her re-entry visa a reality now, she is guardedly optimistic about getting on a plane and resuming her life in the U.S.
"I'm already happy but I really need to wait to land in the U.S. and put my feet on the ground," she said.
Crossing the Elusive Border
These days Akiko, Leo and Micah's smiles seem just a bit brighter, their strides just a little more energetic.
They were the first to give Keith the good news about Akiko's visa, waking him up at 3:50 a.m. Florida time via their Webcam, a mode of communication for the Campbell family the past six months.
"I always believed it would happen," said Keith, 47, of the good news.
The family plans to head home Aug. 24 and Keith will accompany his family from Japan to the U.S. just in case Akiko runs into any problems crossing the border.
Although Akiko will be in possession of her re-entry visa, there's still a chance she could be refused entry into the U.S.
On her visa it states clearly: "At your port of entry, the CBP (U.S. Customs and Border Protection) officer will determine your immigration status, and if admitted, the CBP officer will stamp your passport showing admission into the U.S. as an immigrant."
"I feel a little guarded about that ... until I have the bird in hand. I don't trust the government," said Keith.
The Campbells' precautionary tone comes from nine years of dealing with the complicated U.S. immigration system. On some bad advice from the U.S. embassy in Tokyo, they got married in 1998 before Akiko's fiancée visa had been approved.
Since then, the Campbells have been through three lawyers and thousands of dollars to try to correct their mistake - but to no avail. Akiko has already had two failed greencard interviews, the reasons for the denial always the same: she committed fraud against the U.S.
"I could still be stopped at the border," said Akiko. But "I just hope everything goes really good."
First Things First
If Akiko is able to cross that elusive U.S. border, her passport will be stamped with a temporary greencard and she should receive her permanent card within two to three months.
And she will finally be able to resume her life in the U.S.
"The first thing I'm going to do when I get back is take my dog for a walk."
In addition to most of her belongings, Akiko was forced to leave behind her beloved greyhound, Q - a dog she helped rescue from the local racetrack - when she was refused re-entry to the U.S. in February.
The tears start to flow when Akiko thinks of finally being reunited with Q. "I promised her I would look after her."
She's also looking forward to taking a swim in her pool after several months of sweltering heat in Nagano. A juicy steak sounds good to her too, something that's hard to come by in her native country.
In the meantime, the Campbells are determined to keep the BringAkikoHome.com Web site up and running, not only to keep their story in the media but to help those who are in similar situations.
In the past six months the Campbells have heard from people all over the world. Their words of encouragement have helped Akiko deal with the months of separation from her husband and home.
"I want to give a hug to every single person. Especially to those who have never met me," she said.
For now the Campbells can only wait and hope that on Aug. 24 Akiko will be allowed to cross the U.S. border.
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