Dahianna Heard Months From Citizenship Before Husband's Death

Good enought to die in Georgies dirty illegal war, but not good enough to raise his child in his fathers homeland. Welcome to America Land of opportunity, just don't die in Georgie illegal war, or your screwed .

POSTED: 11:40 am EDT October 12, 2006
UPDATED: 2:47 pm EDT October 12, 2006

CASSELBERRY, Fla. -- A Central Florida woman said the love of her life was killed in Iraq, and his death might be her one-way ticket out of this country.

Dahianna Heard lives in Casselberry in Seminole County, but she is Venezuelan by birth, WESH 2 News reported.

She was only three months away from being a legal citizen by marriage. She could be forced to move back to her homeland, but with her son born in this country, she said she wants to stay.

Jeffrey Heard was a contractor in Iraq providing communications equipment to the military. He was killed in March in the combat zone. Dahianna Heard has a memorial to him in their Casselberry home.

But so far, none of that has mattered to immigration officials who said since he died before their second wedding anniversary, she and their 1-year-old son, Brian, have to go back to her home country.

"I don't want to go to Venezuala. It's not a good situation right now with President (Hugo) Chavez," she said. "My family is here. My life is here. Everything is here. I see my husband here. I have baby here. My family is here."

Her lawyer hopes the technicality will be overlooked. Jeff Heard had petitioned for his wife's citizenship, but that petition died with him. Her petition is seen as deficient because she wasn't married to him a full two years.

She said she wants to stay in the country her husband helped defend.

Her lawyer hopes to get a waiver on humanitarian grounds.

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