GREEN RIVER,UT-It’s a happy time for Ken and Sarita Sah, who have just returned to Utah after 10 years of exile in their native India. But the homecoming comes with a bitter flavor and loaded with regret,The Salt Lake Tribune reporters. On July 6, 2006, after 14 years in the US, they departed willingly after losing an arduous appeal with immigration authorities. They were determined to work within the system, rather than disappearing among...
an estimated 11 million undocumented residents. It was costly. They left behind their 12-year-old American-born son, Kunal, so he could continue his education here in hopes of achieving their dream that he become a doctor. At the time, the couple believed they would not be gone long.
“Just leave now and you’ll be back in a year or two,” Ken said on Feb 22, his first full day back in Green River. “That’s what everybody told us.”
It didn’t turn out that way. The past decade has been fraught with challenges that almost broke Kunal — who turned 23 in September — and worried his parents to illness half a world away.
Now they are filled with joy and sorrow — and the confusion of emotions and disorientation that comes with long separations. But a magical balm soothes the family’s wounds. His name is Keshav Sah, the fun-loving 3-year-old grandson that Ken and Sarita have just met for the first time. The Sahs in 2005 were a close family, warm, friendly and working together at their two Green River motels. Kunal was a straight-A student and was about to compete in the National Spelling Bee in Washington, D.C. That coincided with the ruling that they leave their adopted home and everything for which they had worked for years.
Ken originally traveled to the West Coast in 1992 on a student visa to train as an aircraft mechanic. Sarita soon followed. But with a slump in the aircraft industry, the young couple turned their attention elsewhere, working all kinds of low-paying jobs, saving dimes and dollars. In 1997, they bought a little, run-down motel in Green River from the famed redrock of Arches and Canyonlands. With their 4-year-old son, they painted and spruced up the place, laboring 24-7 toward their American dream.
After a number of years, they took out a loan and built a second motel, a Ramada Inn.
They were, according to many Green River residents, perfect citizens. They worked hard, paid taxes, provided jobs.
In 1995, they applied for asylum. Ken, a Hindu from a Muslim-dominated region of India, feared for his safety there.
Despite all that, if the Sahs were not called to an immigration hearing within 10 years of their application, they would be granted legal status. But nine years and nine months after their application, an immigration judge ruled against them in a brief hearing.
It was a crushing blow. Still, they remained hopeful that it could be overcome. They hired lawyers and made repeated attempts under the law to retain residency. No luck. Under immigration rules, they would have to leave the U.S. — and not return, even to visit — for 10 years. Back in India, they tried to gain green cards sooner to no avail. They left their motels and their son in the charge of Ken’s brother. The strategy didn’t work well for Kunal, who came to despise his uncle. The decade has been tumultuous for Kunal. He spent time in juvenile detention. He was saved from his uncle by a loving foster family in Price. And, at 18, he was put in charge of the Ramada and struggled to save the family business. Not least, he became a father. Together, after a hard long decade, Kunal was beaming. His parents were home. The weight of the motel was lifted. His happy son tugged at him for attention. “This reunion, I have visualized for years. It finally happened and I’m just soaking it in,” he said. “This is Day One of a better journey.”
It’s like a dream, a happy ending, Sarita said.
“Just leave now and you’ll be back in a year or two,” Ken said on Feb 22, his first full day back in Green River. “That’s what everybody told us.”
It didn’t turn out that way. The past decade has been fraught with challenges that almost broke Kunal — who turned 23 in September — and worried his parents to illness half a world away.
Now they are filled with joy and sorrow — and the confusion of emotions and disorientation that comes with long separations. But a magical balm soothes the family’s wounds. His name is Keshav Sah, the fun-loving 3-year-old grandson that Ken and Sarita have just met for the first time. The Sahs in 2005 were a close family, warm, friendly and working together at their two Green River motels. Kunal was a straight-A student and was about to compete in the National Spelling Bee in Washington, D.C. That coincided with the ruling that they leave their adopted home and everything for which they had worked for years.
Ken originally traveled to the West Coast in 1992 on a student visa to train as an aircraft mechanic. Sarita soon followed. But with a slump in the aircraft industry, the young couple turned their attention elsewhere, working all kinds of low-paying jobs, saving dimes and dollars. In 1997, they bought a little, run-down motel in Green River from the famed redrock of Arches and Canyonlands. With their 4-year-old son, they painted and spruced up the place, laboring 24-7 toward their American dream.
After a number of years, they took out a loan and built a second motel, a Ramada Inn.
They were, according to many Green River residents, perfect citizens. They worked hard, paid taxes, provided jobs.
In 1995, they applied for asylum. Ken, a Hindu from a Muslim-dominated region of India, feared for his safety there.
Despite all that, if the Sahs were not called to an immigration hearing within 10 years of their application, they would be granted legal status. But nine years and nine months after their application, an immigration judge ruled against them in a brief hearing.
It was a crushing blow. Still, they remained hopeful that it could be overcome. They hired lawyers and made repeated attempts under the law to retain residency. No luck. Under immigration rules, they would have to leave the U.S. — and not return, even to visit — for 10 years. Back in India, they tried to gain green cards sooner to no avail. They left their motels and their son in the charge of Ken’s brother. The strategy didn’t work well for Kunal, who came to despise his uncle. The decade has been tumultuous for Kunal. He spent time in juvenile detention. He was saved from his uncle by a loving foster family in Price. And, at 18, he was put in charge of the Ramada and struggled to save the family business. Not least, he became a father. Together, after a hard long decade, Kunal was beaming. His parents were home. The weight of the motel was lifted. His happy son tugged at him for attention. “This reunion, I have visualized for years. It finally happened and I’m just soaking it in,” he said. “This is Day One of a better journey.”
It’s like a dream, a happy ending, Sarita said.
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