We have a long road ahead of us, but our goal is to make it through to my husband's parole and find a small place to live away from any large cities. Sounds simple, huh?
With the near hysteria in both our countries over immigration, particularly of those with criminal records, it looks almost certain that I will be the one to relocate to the US. But even that is not as simple as it sounds. I work, in fact I have a pretty good job with responsibilities, but it is not a career in the way that a nurse, teacher or even a plumber has a career. I have no other family in the US who could sponsor me. Even though we are married, I will have to apply for residency as a single person because inmates are not permitted to sponsor immigrant applications.
Neither of us particularly want to live in Texas. We both love the snow, hills, lakes, etc, so it would make sense for me to look to the northern States such as Wyoming, Montana or Oregon. However, this means that my husband would have to submit an Interstate Compact application when his time for parole comes around, and Texas is notoriously slow in approving these. It could be that he is paroled but cannot leave Texas for some time even if we have a home elsewhere.
But laws change. Administrations change. Texas has recently taken what has always been an unthinkable option - to close a prison because Texas simply has no money to fund TDCJ in its current state. A chance at parole may come sooner, with my husband being an older inmate.
There are so many variables, but we try to keep looking ahead for the cabin by the lake.
