If all goes well, Rebecca Trimble, a former Bethel resident will soon be an American citizen.
This moment has been a long time coming, but John Trimble, her husband and a captain in U.S Army Reserve, stated that they are still waiting for a final decision before celebrating.
He said, “You know, we’ve been so hopeful so many time along the journey and then been disappointed. “So it’s now, I don’t know what, that’s how I feel about. It feels exciting but we have a way of not getting too excited about it.
Although Trimble’s story was featured in national news in 2020, it has been unfolding slowly for over a decade. Since she was just a few days old, Trimble has been living in the U.S.
“I was adopted in Mexico at birth. Trimble stated that he then moved three days later to Salem, Oregon where he grew up. “Later, in middle school I moved up to Vancouver (Washington). I lived in Vancouver from 2007 to 2017, when my husband moved to Alaska.
Trimble claimed that she did not know and was not legally a citizen. Trimble voted in 2008’s presidential election, which is illegal as a non-citizen. She was soon made aware that she wasn’t a citizen, and began looking for legal options to stay.
There have been many ups, downs, and dead ends. We’re now like “oh, connect to this person or write that paper.” Let’s do this. It’s been a wild ride,” she said.
Trimble told her story to the Alaska Landmine first in 2020, after she received a U.S. letter. Citizenship and Immigration Services informed Trimble that she had one month to leave the United States. It was difficult for her husband and her children.
“They saw my hurt and they could see me crying. And they tried to explain, in a soft, gentle way, how ‘Mommy’ was adopted. She said, “We might have to relocate.”
Trimble’s situation can be complicated, and Trimble said it was dehumanizing trying to get immigration officials to understand.
“It was because of this that I didn’t get my paper approved in one way. We filed another paper. They said, “No, we don’t feel like you fit in that way.” I felt like a number sometimes. She said that if I didn’t fit that number then it didn’t move forward.”
The Trimbles have hired Margaret Stock as an Anchorage immigration lawyer in 2019.
“The facts in Rebecca’s case are very sympathic. Stock stated that most people know that Rebecca came to America as a child and thought they were American citizens.
It took a literal act by Congress to achieve the desired results. The Alaskan congressional delegation had to push through a private bill to Congress for . This allows individuals to seek relief from federal lawmakers directly after exhausting all other options. Many of them deal with immigration. It took more than a full year for the bill to get through the Senate and House, despite having received high-level support from Alaska’s delegation.
Although Trimble’s situation is unusual in certain ways, the facts are very familiar to the hundreds of thousands of people who live in the country without documentation.
“We are familiar with the stories of many people, whom we call the Dreamers. Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski, who sponsored Trimble’s bill in Senate, said that there were many young people who arrived in this country, some very young, who knew no other country than the United States.
It is rare that her private bill made it through Congress.
Murkowski stated, “But Rebecca Trimble came here to us as, really, a very unique case.”
Stock, Trimble’s attorney, specializes in immigration cases. She stated that she would like to see a legislative solution to this problem.
Stock stated that he believes it is important for people to be aware of cases like these — they are not uncommon. Stock stated that private bills are not good for everyone and don’t address the larger laws.
The Senate approved Trimble’s bill unanimously on December 15. She’s now waiting for President Biden’s signature, but that doesn’t mean she’s finished with all the paperwork.
“So this will give me, I believe permanent residency and then I’ll need to get a Green Card after that.” She said that she knows that it’s a lengthy process.
Trimble stated that once she is legally allowed to vote, Trimble believes she will likely do so again, even though it was a difficult decision the first time.
“It’s possible that I could vote once I am a U.S. citizen. At this moment, I’m not sure. She said that she meant, “I want to fulfill my civic duty as a U.S citizen.”
