Husband Raises Money For Wife To Get Green Card, Finish School

GAITHERSBURG, MD — The husband of a master's degree student struggling to become a permanent U.S. resident has set up a GoFundMe page to keep her in school and cover immigration bills. Nick Eckhardt is hoping to reach his goal of $15,000. As of June 7, four people have donated $265.

Nick lives in Gaithersburg with his wife, Mireya, and their 3-year-old daughter.

"My wife was originally from Guatemala," Nick wrote on the GoFundMe page. "She was brought here at the age of 12 by her mother, like most immigrants in search of a better, more prosperous life. At the moment she is covered under DACA, but the outcome (0f) that is still uncertain.

DACA — also referred to as Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals — is an immigration policy started by the Obama Administration in 2012. It allows eligible, undocumented immigrants who came to the United States as children to apply for a renewable visa and shields them from deportation.

On Sept. 5, 2017, then-U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions said the government was terminating the DACA program. Since then, multiple lawsuits have been filed in federal courts, including in Maryland. While the program has not been terminated, those protected under DACA live in the U.S.with uncertainty, according to The National Law Review.

In order to get a green card — a permit allowing a foreign national to live and work permanently in the U.S. — Nick had to fill out an I-130 form. That form, however, was denied.

The I-130 form is just the first step of a time consuming and emotionally draining process that would allow a relative or spouse immigrate to the United States. By filling out the form, Nick has established that he has a valid relationship with Mireya.

"Our original petition form I-130 has been denied. Now, we are waiting a response to our motion to reconsider."

All while this is happening, Mireya is finishing up her master's degree in school counseling and is working at Gaithersburg Middle School.

"We didn't know beforehand that she couldn't qualify for loans without residency status so we have been trying to keep up with paying out of pocket," Nick said.

Sometimes, the fight for permanent residency becomes too much for Mireya.

"She has thought many times to give up seeing as it has been straining our family, but I can't let her do that," Nick said.

In order to earn her advanced degree, Mireya will have to leave her job at Gaithersburg Middle School for an unpaid internship. This comes at a time when the family is trying to cover immigration-related expenses.

"We have spent more than we can afford on immigration lawyers, USCIS fees, psychologists, and doctors, all while trying to stay above water paying off her college courses and personal debt accumulated while she was single and taking care of her sick mother," Nick said. "Soon Mireya will have to take a six-month leave of absence from her job with public schools for an unpaid internship to finish her degree. We have been planning and saving for this for over a year, but had to use all of that money to satisfy bills related to our motion to reconsider."

Nick says the money raised through GoFundMe will help Mireya stay in school and cover the family's immigration bills.

"You would lift this huge weight we have on us and we would be able to raise our daughter in a stable home," Nick said on the GoFundMe page.

Any amount over the $15,000 goal — according to Nick — will be donated. Donations will go to their local churches, like Saint Martin's of Tours Church and St. John Neumann Catholic Church, and to other families dealing with immigration issues.

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