Immigration snarl ends, Danish teen with JRA can return home to Florida

July 14, 2004

Immigration snarl ends, Danish teen can return home to Florida

Posted on Wed, Jul. 14, 2004

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - A 16-year-old Danish girl who was forced to

leave her parents and sisters in the United States because a loophole in

immigration law will be allowed to return home to Florida.

" We're all very relieved. We're very happy, " said Jensen, Helene

Jensen's father. " It's a great gift that we have people that have taken

a great interest in this to help us bring her home. "

Jensen said Helene called him about 9:20 Wednesday morning to share the

news. She received a humanitarian parole that will allow her to remain

in the United States for one year.

Helene's situation was especially troubling because the teen suffers

from juvenile rheumatoid arthritis and can only get the experimental

medication she needs here. For that reason, her family, helped by

lawmakers including U.S. Rep. Clay Shaw, R-Fla., began working for her

quick return before she even left Florida three weeks ago.

" It's absolutely wonderful news. She had more people pulling for than

I've ever seen, " said Shaw, who met with Asa Hutchinson, the U.S.

undersecretary for border and transportation security, on the issue.

" She can go back and resume her studies with her friends in the United

States, and more important, she can resume her treatment, " Shaw said.

Jensen said Helene could fly back to Florida early next week and

that the family would keep working to make her stay permanent after her

yearlong reprieve expires.

Jensen works at the Port of Palm Beach, and he and his family had lived

in the United States under a work visa from 1997. The visa expired in

March, so an older American-born daughter sponsored Jensen and his wife,

Winnie, in their application to become permanent residents. They should

get their green cards in a few months and citizenship in about five years.

But Helene, who was born in Denmark, is neither a spouse, parent or

child of her sponsoring sister. So she faced a 6- to 7-year wait to

become legal.

" We try to take care of children and parents but we never had any

discussion with regard to minor siblings " when we discussed the

legislation, said Shaw, who had never heard of such a case before.

Helene left Florida for Denmark to avoid being deported as an illegal

alien. She stayed with a grandmother while applying for a student visa,

which was denied, and then the humanitarian parole.

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