By Jessica Keller, The Courier-Herald

For Sherry Arciniega, waking up every day without her husband Alvaro Arciniega-Velasquez beside her is the hardest thing she does - but it's the hope of bringing him back to America that keeps her going.

Arciniega, 36, and Arciniega-Velasquez, 30, are like many other couples and families in the United States and throughout the world who are unable to live together as a unit, and are instead caught in different countries, because of immigration laws.

Love story

Arciniega met Arciniega-Velasquez, whom she calls her soulmate, March 17, 2001, at the Muckleshoot Casino in Auburn when an old boyfriend of hers saw Arciniega-Velasquez smiling at her and arranged for them to dance. The couple danced all night, and by the end of the evening, members of his family convinced the two to go out on a date. They went on dates every weekend. Eventually, he moved into her apartment for a temporary stay and never left. They were soon married, and bought a house together.

At the time, Arciniega-Velasquez was in the country as an undocumented immigrant, staying with family in Enumclaw. He worked odd jobs as a roofer, car detailer, cow milker and landscaper, sending money back to his family in Santa Isabel, Tamaulipas, Mexico. Arciniega said when they got married they decided to begin the process of legalization for Alvaro because they did not want a life of hiding. They filled out one visa application and then another, which got processed faster.

The couple went to Juarez, Mexico, in September 2003 to complete the interview process of the application and have a three-week honeymoon. Arciniega said they looked forward to returning to the United States, both legally, and building their lives and a family together.

But their plans took a dramatic turn when Arciniega's husband was denied his visa. Authorities noted he was an undocumented immigrant in the United States and further stated he was permanently barred from entering the country for attempting to cross the border in 1999 as an undocumented immigrant.

"When this first happened, it took everything I had to walk from the consulate to the hotel," she said. "But I lost it, we both did, at the hotel. We were devastated."

When she returned to the United States without her husband, she said she went through a period of mourning.

"But when someone dies, the death is accepted, and life goes on," she said. "But in this situation, it is not acceptable, and our lives are on hold."

The challenge

Since her return to the United States, Arciniega has learned her husband is eligible for a waiver in 10 years that will only be granted if she can prove hardship on her part. She does not hold much hope for that because proving hardship is impossible if they have managed to live separate lives for 10 years. Besides, 10 years without her husband is too long, she said.

Arciniega said it would be easy for her husband to enter the United States again illegally, but he remains in Mexico, working seven hours in sugar cane fields for $10 a day, because he wants to do the right thing. That leaves it up to Arciniega to find a way to bring him back to the United States, and she is doing all she can to make it happen. She said she won't give up, even though she has learned her options are very few since she began her mission.

"I'm trying to get my husband back," Arciniega said. "That's my motivation here. He's everything to me. Everybody who's been in love understands that."

After reading an article in The Seattle Times, Arciniega learned many others shared her troubles. Through the article's writer, she got names of other people separated from family members due to immigration laws, and she is now part of a support group she helped form called "Voices for American Family Reunification." The group is small, made up of Arciniega, four other families in the western United States and an immigration lawyer in Portland, Ore., but the group is determined to push for immigration law reform. Arciniega said they are united to support each other and to encourage leaders of both political parties to come together and enact balanced, comprehensive immigration reform.

She and her group are hoping Senate Bill 2010, the Immigration Reform Act of 2004, sponsored by Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-Neb.) and Sen. Tom Daschle (D-S.D.) will pass, allowing their family members to return to the United States, and Arciniega has sent many e-mails to both those senators and other lawmakers, telling her story. She said she hopes Bill 2010, which is currently being reviewed by the Judiciary Committee, gets back to Congress to be voted on, and if it does that the members of Voices for American Family Reunification get to testify in front of Congress, telling their stories.

On her own, Arciniega has written and made copies of a letter addressed to Washington senators Maria Cantwell and Patty Murray, telling her story. She has given copies of the letter to many people she knows, including her co-workers at the city of Sumner, people at the city of Auburn, family, friends and even workers at the old grocery store she and her husband use to shop at, asking them to fill out the comment section of the letter, voice their support and then mail it to the senators in a show of support.

If all efforts to bring her husband back to America fail, Arciniega said she doesn't know what she will do. She has considered moving to Mexico to be with her husband, but that means selling all of her belongings and probably filing for bankruptcy. That is a last resort for Arciniega, as her husband wants to return to America, the house they bought together is in Auburn, her family is in America and he has family - uncles and cousins, all U.S. citizens - in Enumclaw.

Besides, Arciniega said she doesn't understand, if the U.S. government recognizes her marriage, and the Internal Revenue Service recognizes her marriage, why she can't live with her husband in the United States.

Living apart

While the separation has been difficult, Arciniega said, she and Alvaro have been able to get through it together.

"In the beginning, I didn't know what to think of what was going to happen," she said, adding a situation like this can really make or break a marriage. "But I think in this situation, it made us stronger."

She talks to her husband as much as she can afford - twice a week for an hour. Her husband pays rent to use a phone next door to receive her calls. And every three months she visits her husband for four to six days. She last visited her husband in March and eagerly looks forward to the next trip in June. The trips are expensive however, and Arciniega has limited vacation and sick days, and limited funds to draw from. The trips cost from $800 to $1,000, and she said if her job was not so flexible, and if her family did not help her with the cost, she wouldn't even be able to visit him that much.

The trips, she said, are wonderful, but they make her appreciate the United States. Her husband is currently living with his family in a one-room house where five people live. They have no plumbing and draw their water from a well with a hose that runs from the well to a sink outside. They hand wash their clothes in a bucket outside, and they also bathe in a bucket. The bathroom is also outside.

Arciniega said she is grateful for the support she receives from her group and her family and friends, including her husband's family in Enumclaw.

"What my husband has to deal with on his end is even harder," she said, adding he doesn't have the extensive support system she does, and there is little he can do other than wait. "I'm very glad he has family and he doesn't have to go through this alone."

For more information about immigration reform or Arciniega's story, people can contact her at saarciniega@yahoo.com

Jessica Keller can be reached at jkeller@courierherald.com