Tara Jetter said she had no other choice but to leave America after her husband was deported to Zimbabwe.
“The U.S. immigration system is so complicated. We were going through the green card process for three years, and I felt they strung us along the entire time,” she told Travel Noire.
Jetter added, “I remember he received a one-year stay to wait for our interview with the Department of Homeland Security, but that eventually expired as we were waiting. I called everyday asking about our interview, and at one point, we were told our case was moved to California because the Virginia office closed. They eventually told us that they couldn’t approve his green card.”
Her husband was eventually deported in 2017, and she immediately became a single mom of two.
Reuniting Her Family
For Jetter, the most important thing was reuniting her family. So, over the course of three years, she started to look at other countries, including Mexico, Canada, Costa Rica, and Belize.
“Belize was the straw the broke the camel’s back because I had all four of our plane tickets, but the problem was that we couldn’t get my husband out of South Africa,” said Jetter. “So, finally, I squashed it and said we’re just going to move to Zimbabwe.”
After a three-year effort to reunite her family, Jetter said she put all the bad things she heard about Zimbabwe in the back of her head. She is happier with her life in Zimbabwe because of the freedom, clean food, clear air, and most importantly, her children’s safety.
“I’m not worried about things I used to worry about in America. I don’t worry about my kids getting kidnapped or them getting shot in school,” she added. “There are so many opportunities here that I didn’t have in the States. It’s an unfortunate situation, but it’s been a blessing in disguise.”
Jetter said she had no one to confide in as an African American and wife of a deportee. She hopes to create a support group for women of color who are facing the same challenges.
“There are not a lot of voices about this kind of situation, especially for African Americans. Dealing with America’s immigration system can be difficult, even when you’re a citizen.”