Never thought this was possible,but it looks like the girl who has claimed she would be assassinated by her father just because she is a Christian convert could possibly be in the country in an undocumented state.If so that could also make her Dream act eligible,hmmm !
Quote:
(Oct. 14) - The Ohio teen who claims she ran away because she feared her Muslim parents would kill her for converting to Christianity may not be in the United States legally, the Orlando Sentinel reported Wednesday.
Orange County, Fla., Circuit Judge Daniel Dawson said Tuesday that Rifqa Bary should be returned to Ohio. He said he would sign the orders as soon as he had the documents on the 17-year-old’s immigration status.
But that might be tricky. Krista Bartholomew , a lawyer appointed by the court to protect Rifqa's interests, said she had not received the immigration documents from the girl's parents.
"As it appears right now, there is a high chance that this child is not legally in this country and has not legally been in this country for quite an extensive time frame," Bartholomew said in court Tuesday.
The Bary family is originally from Sri Lanka. Her parents have told the Sentinel they moved to the United States in 2000.
Bartholomew said that she does not know Rifqa's exact residency status and if Rifqa is not here legally, she could be forced to return to Sri Lanka.
But Gail Seeram, an Orlando immigration lawyer, told the Sentinel that if Rifqa's parents are in the country legally, so is their minor daughter.
A lawyer for Mohamed Bary, Rifqa's father, said the documents could be provided this week, the Sentinel said.
Dawson said he had "very grave concerns" as to why the documents have not yet been turned over to him. Rifqa ran away from her home near Columbus, Ohio, on July 19. Using phone and computer records, police traced her to Orlando, where she had been staying with the family of the Rev. Blake Lorenz, pastor of the Global Revolution Church. Rifqa met Lorenz through an online prayer group.
The teen claimed she had to run away because she feared her Muslim parents would harm or even kill her for converting to Christianity. Mohamed and Aysha Bary insisted they would never hurt their daughter and that she was free to practice her own religion.
Mohamed Bary has said he believes his daughter was brainwashed. He also questioned whether the pastor might have encouraged her to run away.
Florida authorities placed Rifqa in foster care while police investigated her case. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement found no credible threat to the teen. Police in Columbus said they also doubted that she was in danger from her family.
A lawyer for Rifqa said the girl wants to stay in Florida, but an Ohio judge agreed with Dawson that Ohio is the proper place for the case to be heard. In a telephone conference call, Franklin County Judge Elizabeth Gill told Dawson that Ohio would accept jurisdiction and that a foster home in that state had already been found for Rifqa.
