Jadwiga Swietkowski came to the U.S. illegally in 1999 and started a family.
Immigration reform is a hot topic this presidential election year. Often, the question of who’s living here illegally centers on the many immigrants who cross the country's southern border. But the federal government deports people from countries across the globe. That includes a Connecticut woman who in three months must leave the country and her family.
Jadwiga and Adam Swietkowski are from Poland. Adam is a naturalized U.S. citizen who moved to Connecticut in his early 20s. On the weekends, he would drive to Brooklyn to the Polish dance clubs, and that’s where he met Jadwiga.
"She was somewhere on the dance floor with her friends," Adam said. "And I just noticed her from the crowd.”
The couple got married in 2003 and had two boys. Later, they bought a home, and said they were living the American dream. Once they had their children, they decided it was time to right a wrong.
Unlike her husband, Jadwiga had come to the U.S. illegally in 1999. They thought she could apply for a green card and become a legal permanent resident.
Jadwiga's current immigration attorney Holli Wargo said they were wrong. "She didn’t understand that because of the type of visa she came in with -- being a crewman visa -- that she wasn’t going to be eligible," Wargo said.
Sitting in the couple's home in Burlington, Adam did much of the talking -- Jadwiga is shy about her English.
Adam said his wife was part of a group who paid smugglers to get into the U.S. Through the smugglers, she got a crewman's visa and a fraudulent passport. It was a bad decision. She was 21 at the time, but her husband said there was a reason Jadwiga did this.
"She was running away from Poland, from her abusive boyfriend," Adam said. "So she was trying to hide somewhere."
Attorney Wargo explained that crewman visas are for people who work on cargo or cruise ships -- and with that specific visa, they can't apply for legal status. Immigration officials knew Jadwiga was in the country. In 2010, she had to appear in federal immigration court where a judge ordered her to leave the country.
At that point, Jadwiga had some options. Her attorney appealed the removal order but it was denied. Then she applied for what’s called a stay of removal. This allows people to stay for up to a year before being deported. It worked for two years. But Attorney Wargo said in October her latest application for a stay was denied.
Wargo suggested that if Jadwiga had waited and had applied for a green card today, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services would not have ordered her to appear before an immigration judge. A USCIS spokeswoman said the agency is precluded from discussing individuals or their cases.
Jadwiga's attorney suggests that if she had waited and applied for a green card today, immigration services would not have ordered her to appear before a judge.
“At this point, they have given her that June date to leave the country," Wargo said.
After her attorney told Immigration and Customs Enforcement WNPR was inquiring about Jadwiga's case, ICE reversed its October decision and gave her one additional month in the U.S. In a statement, the agency said it did so on humanitarian grounds.
That's no solace for Jadwiga, who can barely talk about her situation without crying.
"I know I broke the law and deserve punishment," Jadwiga said. "My dream is to stay with my family."
The couple's two boys are now eight and ten years old. Her husband has a small business and travels often. The family wonders who will be home to take care of the kids when Jadwiga leaves.
Adam Swietkowski was frustrated with the process. He read an excerpt of an email he sent to President Obama: "I can’t stop thinking about my wife’s deportation and separation from the family. Please help me keep my wife in the United States."
Adam sent that same email every day waiting for a response.
One month later, he received an email from the White House -- signed Barack Obama.
Dear Adam: Thank you for writing... this country’s immigration system has been broken for a very long time... Emails like yours underscore the hardships created by this system... People shouldn’t have to worry about spending years stuck in line or separated from loved ones.
Adam said it wasn't the response he was looking for. "It's two different worlds, you know? They feel the pain, but I’m sorry, we can’t do much. We can’t help you, basically," he said.
Jadwiga has no criminal record. Her attorney said that paired with a 2014 Department of Homeland Security memo are reasons why the government shouldn't be focusing on Jadwiga.
The memo outlines the agency’s priorities for removal. Its priorities are individuals who threaten national security, border security, and public safety.
In a 2015 report, ICE stated 59 percent of removals were individuals who are criminals. And although ICE said it cannot talk specifically about Jadwiga’s case, the agency said she's under a final order of removal from an immigration judge.
The Swietkowskis recently bought her ticket back to Poland. Jadwiga is scheduled to leave May 31. Their kids don’t know yet. Instead, the parents will tell their sons they'll spend summer break in Poland. It will be their first time there. They'll be together until school starts, and then the boys will return to Connecticut without their mother.
