Irish woman kept from family for 7 months

An Irish woman married to a US citizen said she was made feel like an "absolute criminal" by US immigration authorities when she attempted to return home to her family in Texas after a visit to Ireland.

Ms Bridget Reuter, who has been married to her American husband Dietrich for 33 years, has been in Ireland separated from her family for the last seven months due to the failure of US officials to allow her back in.

Ms Reuter came to Ireland last November to attend a family wedding in Co Clare and to visit her elderly mother. She said she travelled to Ireland after she had been approved for US residency.

On attempting to return to the US after her two-week stay, she was stopped by US immigration officials in Shannon Airport, and told her papers were invalid. She has since learned that she will be banned from entering the US for 10 years.

"I had checked my bag in and everything when I was stopped by the lady at immigration. She said I had absolutely no status, but she wouldn't tell me what she meant. I was finger-printed and had my pictures taken; I felt like an absolute criminal."

Although the Reuters have been married for 33 years, Ms Reuter did not apply for residency in the US until 1999 because she and her husband had been living in Germany until this time, where Mr Reuter worked for the US air force.

Ms Reuter was approved for US residency in January 2001, but according to US immigration regulations she should not have left the country until she had received her green card.

Ms Reuter said she was never informed of this."When I got my letter of approval from immigration, they never told me I couldn't leave. They never told me when I was coming into Ireland that there might be any problem."

Ms Reuter said she was giving up hope of ever getting home."I'm kind of going downhill. I haven't seen my two little grandchildren, my husband or my son in seven months. My husband is 67 years old, he has Alzheimer's, he's getting depressed without me, but I don't know how good it would be for him to come here."

She said she contacted the Department of Foreign Affairs in Dublin in November, and three months ago received a letter saying her case would be looked at. However, she has had no further contact.

A department spokesman said yesterday that Ms Reuter's case was a matter for US immigration.