INS to Let Widow Stay in U.S. for Murder Trial
Jasmin Salehi, the South Korean woman who may be forced out of the country because she had not been married long enough when her American husband was murdered, can stay for the trial of his accused killer, the Immigration and Naturalization Service said Friday.
Salehi, as well as the deputy district attorney prosecuting the man who allegedly shot her husband of 11 months, however, expressed concern that she could still be deported when the trial ends.
“After the trial is finished, where am I going to go?” the 32-year-old Van Nuys resident said. “This is my place to live.”
Richard K. Rogers, the INS district director in Los Angeles, said Salehi’s so-called parole status was extended in part because the district attorney’s office had requested that she be allowed to stay in case she was called to testify.
To qualify for a resident’s visa, Salehi needed to be married for two years, and INS officials have said the law does not provide a way for her to remain in the country.
Sen. Dianne Feinstein and Rep. Anthony C. Beilenson (D-Woodland Hills) have intervened on her behalf.
Salehi’s husband, Cyrus Salehi, was killed in February during a robbery at a restaurant where he was manager and part owner.
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