Congress has ended the widow penalty through an amendment to the law. Now, legal spouses of American citizens will no longer face automatic denial and threat of deportation when their spouses die during lengthy bureaucratic green card processing.
This horrible, unintended practice was called the Widow Penalty, and the law to end it was passed through an amendment to the DHS Appropriations Bill, spearheaded by Congressman Jim McGovern (D-MA) and Senators Bill Nelson (D-FL), Orrin Hatch (R-UT), and Robert Menendez (D-NJ). President Obama signed the bill into law October 28, 2009.
Carla Freeman, the widow whose bravery started the fight to end the widow penalty.
